Huskers Release 2002 Schedule

Lincoln - The Nebraska women's gymnastics team released its 2002 schedule, which features six home meets, including the Big 12 Championships on March 23, and duals with NCAA runner-up Georgia and fourth-place finisher Alabama.

Following a successful 2001 season, the Huskers will face eight teams that finished among the top 25 in the nation last year, including four that qualified for the NCAA Championships.

"I think it's going to be good to go down and compete against some of the top teams in the country early in the season," Coach Dan Kendig said.

The Huskers open their 2002 campaign in Athens, Ga., where they'll face the Bulldogs in a dual at Stegemen Coliseum, before returning to Lincoln to open their home schedule against Iowa on Jan. 13. The Iowa meet will be one of five home meets during the regular season, as the Huskers will also play host to Big 12 rivals Missouri and Iowa State, as well as Penn State and California. The Penn State dual will also feature Nebraska's men's team taking on Ohio State.

The Huskers will also play host to the Masters Classic. Annually the marquee event on the home schedule, this year's field includes two teams ranked in the top 20, including NCAA qualifier Arizona State, along with Ohio State and West Virginia. On March 23, the Devaney Center will also be the site of the 2002 Big 12 Championships, the first time NU has hosted since 1998.

In addition to its tough home schedule, Nebraska will also face a couple of tough tests on the road early in the season. The Huskers travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., site of the 2002 NCAA Championships to face the Crimson Tide on Feb. 2, followed by a trip to Raleigh, N.C. on Feb. 15, where they'll meet Auburn, William & Mary and host North Carolina State in the Sweetheart Classic.

"I think it's going to be a real plus to meet Alabama at home at the place where nationals are going to be," Kendig said. "That's going to be good for the team to have the opportunity to be in Alabama and see the facility prior to actually having nationals down there. There's going to be a big crowd. I think that's good to get into a meet like that early in the year. It will kind of give us a heads up on where we are and where we need to go."

The Huskers return nine letterwinners from a squad that finished the 2001 season with a 26-7-1 record, reclaimed the Big 12 title, won its second consecutive regional title and placed fifth at the NCAA Championships.

2002 Schedule
Date	Day	Meet	Location	Time
Jan. 6	Sun.	at Georgia	Athens, Ga.	1:30 p.m.
Jan. 13	Sun.	Iowa	Devaney Center	1 p.m
Jan. 18	Fri.	at Iowa State	Ames, Iowa	7 p.m.
Jan. 27	Sun.	Missouri	Devaney Center	2 p.m.
Feb. 2	Sat.	at Alabama	Tuscaloosa, Ala.	7 p.m.
Feb. 15	Fri.	Sweetheart Invite	Raleigh, N.C.	6 p.m.
Feb. 23	Sat.	Masters Classic	Devaney Center	8 p.m.
March 3	Sun.	Penn State	Devaney Center	1 p.m.
March 10	Sun.	Iowa State and California	Devaney Center	1 p.m.
March 23	Sat.	Big 12 Championships	Devaney Center	7 p.m.
April 6	Sat.	at NCAA Regionals	TBA	TBA
April 18-20	Thurs.-Sat.	at NCAA Championships	Tuscaloosa, Ala.	TBA