Nebraska Tumbles to Victory Over Penn State

Lincoln - With a school-record score on the floor exercise, the fifth-ranked Nebraska women's gymnastics team defeated No. 23 Penn State 196.575-195.475 in front of a Bob Devaney Sports Center crowd of 1,025 on Sunday afternoon. The Huskers had three gymnasts tally at least a 9.90 on floor en route to a school record floor score of 39.525, which bettered the previous high of 39.50 set against Penn State in 1997. With the victory, Nebraska extended its consecutive home winning streak to 43, and improved to 10-2 (2-0 in the Big 12) on the season, while Penn State dropped to 4-9.

"I'm really pleased," Coach Dan Kendig said. "Each meet, you go through it and you try to feel that you're closer to where you want to be at the end of the year. And even though we made some mistakes today, I feel like we're closer to that point."

Sophomore Libby Landgraf had her best meet of the season, setting or tying her career high on all three events. The Fort Collins, Colo., native became just the second Husker to win a vault title this season, and also tied for second on the uneven bars and finished in a two-way tie for fourth on floor. Landgraf, one of four Huskers to compete a vault with a 10.0 start value, won the event with a 9.925 crushing her previous best of 9.85. The mark is also the highest by a Husker this season and ranks fourth in the Big 12. Landgraf also had a personal-best score on floor (9.90) and tied her career high on bars (9.875).

However the afternoon may have belonged to junior A.J. Lamb, who earned top-three finishes on all four events to capture her second all-around title of the season with a career-high score of 39.525. Lamb, who became the third Husker to better 39.50 in the all-around this season, tied her career high on vault with a 9.875, before earning a season high 9.875 on bars. After a third-place finish on beam (9.85), Lamb earned a share of the floor title with a 9.925.

Even though the Huskers, who have struggled at home on vault, were forced to count a fall for the first time this season, three gymnasts set or tied their career highs, including sophomore Tami Harris, who finished second with a 9.90. Nebraska was also strong on bars, as three gymnasts produced season-high scores en route to a 49.20. However following up on their school-record performance on the balance beam at the Masters Classic proved difficult, as the Huskers were unable to eliminate the slight wobbles and balance checks. Still, sophomore Richelle Simpson was up to the task of taking on her old team, as the Toronto, Ontario, native won her third beam title of the season with a 9.90, a mark she shared with PSU's Katie Rowland. Simpson, who transferred from Penn State after her freshman season, finished fourth in the all-around with a 39.275.

But it was the floor exercise that made the difference. Despite competing only five gymnasts, Nebraska produced its best floor score in the last five years, and the top score ever recorded at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Junior Jen French got things started on floor, earning a career high 9.925. French, who fell on her vault, rebounded to earn her first event title of the season and second of her career. Her mark, which tied Lamb for first place, also ranks 12th in the Husker record books. After the first five Huskers hit, Kendig pulled freshman Carrie Gloudemans from the lineup in order to rest her ankle, which she injured in warm-ups before the meet.

Nebraska will conclude its regular-season homestand on Sunday, March 10, when the Huskers square off with Big 12 rival Iowa State at 1 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.