Steady Beam Work Propels Huskers To Masters Classic Title

Lincoln - Propelled by a record-setting performance on the balance beam, the fourth-ranked Nebraska women's gymnastics team captured their eighth consecutive Masters Classic title scoring a season-high 197.15. With a Bob Devaney Center crowd of 2,138 cheering them on, the Huskers broke the school record on the balance beam, tallying a 49.675 to better the team's previous high of 49.625 set at the 2001 Big 12 Championships. No. 25 West Virginia finished second with a 194.75, followed by 16th-ranked Arizona State (194.60) and Ohio State (193.60). With the victory, Coach Dan Kendig earned his 150th win as Nebraska's head coach and the 263rd victory in his career.

For the second time in as many meets, Nebraska swept the all-around, led by sophomore Richelle Simpson, who broke the school record on both the balance beam and floor exercise, en route to her first all-around title of the season. The Toronto, Ontario, native earned scores of 9.975 on both beam and floor to tally a personal-best all-around score of 39.525, a mark that ranks 11th all-time in Nebraska's record books. Junior Tami Harris earned runner-up honors in the all-around with a 39.375, followed by junior A.J. Lamb, who scored a 39.225.

After starting the meet with a shaky performance on vault, which placed the Huskers behind Arizona State after one rotation, Nebraska regrouped on bars to score a season-high 49.325. Junior Julie Houk earned the ninth 9.95 of her career to capture her fifth bars title of the season. Houk, a native of Hamilton, Ohio, has failed to place first on the event only once this season, finishing second at Alabama after injuring her knee in warm-ups. Junior Jess Wertz, who has battled an ankle injury of her own, scored a season-high 9.875 to finish second.

The turning point of the meet came when Nebraska hit the balance beam, as the Huskers claimed the top six places with five of six competitors setting or tying their career high. It started with Lamb, who tied her own school record with a 9.95, a mark she shared with two other Huskers. But the record would hold for only three more routines as Simpson -- the fifth Husker to compete -- bettered the mark with a 9.975 to set a new school and Masters Classic record. Simpson's mark also tied the Devaney Center record and gave the Toronto, Ontario, native her third beam title of the season. But the Huskers weren't finished, as senior Laura Goss set a new personal best by scoring a 9.95 to smash her previous high of 9.875.

Nebraska, which led ASU by more than a point heading into the final event, finished the evening on a strong note as Simpson became the first Husker in school history to score a 9.975 on the event. Nebraska totaled a 49.325 on floor, the second-best showing of the season, to put the meet out of reach. But a tight race was being waged for second place between Arizona State and West Virginia. Although the Sun Devils held a 146.75-146.30 lead heading into the fourth event, they struggled on beam as three ASU gymnasts fell, giving the Mountaineers the opening they needed. West Virginia, which finished the night on bars, totaled a 48.45 to ASU's 47.80 to claim runner-up honors.

In all, Masters Classic records were set on three of four events, including vault, where WVU's TeShawne Jackson scored a 9.925 to better the previous mark of 9.90.

Nebraska returns to the Devaney Center on March 3 when they host Penn State in a double dual that also features Nebraska's men's team taking on Ohio State. The meet is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.