Huskers Battle No. 1 Utah in First Road Dual of the Year

Lincoln -- The third-ranked Nebraska women’s gymnastics team will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, Friday, Jan. 16 for a dual against No. 1 Utah at the Huntsman Center. Utah opened its season against UCLA, capturing a win over the previously No. 1-ranked Bruins.

The Huskers are coming off a win over Michigan, Sunday, Jan. 11, when they defeated the Wolverines, 196.550-195.075, at the Devaney Center. The Huskers scored above 49.00 in three events, the vault, the bars and the floor exercise, as NU went on to win its season opener with its highest opening-meet score in school history, topping the 196.45 against Georgia in 2003. The win marked Nebraska’s 50th consecutive home regular-season win dating back to the 1993 season.

The Huskers were led by senior Richelle Simpson, who captured the all-around title with a score of 39.70, including first-place honors on vault (9.975) and floor exercise (9.95). Senior Libby Landgraf finished fourth in the all-around with a 39.10, capturing first-place honors on the uneven bars with a score of 9.90.

Scouting the Utes
Utah opened its season with an incredible win over UCLA, upsetting the defending national Champions with senior Annabeth Eberle leading the way. The 197.350 score was the best season-opening score in school history, as Utah went on to break a 11-year old vault record. It was the first time since 2000 that the Utah beat UCLA.

Utah was able to take advantage of some errors made by UCLA early in the meet. Utah’s Annabeth Eberle captured first-place honors on the vault, scoring a perfect 10.0. Eberle, who earned All-American honors on the vault in 2003, will be a fierce competitor against the Huskers. Utah also returns senior Melissa Vituj, who is a three-time NCAA floor exercise finalist. Vituj earned a 9.875 against UCLA on the floor exercise.

The rest of the veteran Utah crew includes Veronique Leclerc, a first-team All-American on bars in 2003, sophomores Kristen Riffanacht and Dominique D’Oliveira, in addition, to junior Gritt Hofmann, sophomores Natalie Nicoloff and Gabriella Onodi. The Utes also have four freshmen on the team including Jacey Draper, Nicolle Ford, Stephanie Lim and Rachel Tidd.

Nebraska Notes vs. Michigan

- Nebraska earned its highest opening-meet score in school history (196.550) against Michigan.

- Freshman Kristi Esposito scored a 9.925 in her debut on the floor exercise to tie the freshman record in the event.

- Senior Libby Landgraf took first-place honors on the uneven bars, scoring a 9.90, as the senior matched her career high in the event.

- Senior Richelle Simpson captured the all-around title with a score of 39.70 against Michigan, including first-place honors on the vault (9.975) and floor exercise (9.95).

- The Huskers scored above 49.00 in three events, the vault, the bars and the floor exercise.

- The win against Michigan marked Nebraska’s 50th consecutive regular-season home win dating back to the 1993 season.

- Three Huskers, seniors Tiffany Byrd, Tami Harris and Richelle Simpson, scored a 9.850 on the uneven bars in a four-way tie for second place against Michigan.

Coaching Milestones

Head Coach Dan Kendig is Nebraska women’s gymnastics all-time winningest coach. In 11 years at Nebraska, Kendig is 250-82-2 overall and 182-29-0 in regular season meets, including 49-0 at home. He is in his 21st season of coaching and owns a career record of 363-194-3.

A six-time conference coach of the year, Kendig has guided the Huskers to nine conference titles and four straight regional titles in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003.

He has also led the Huskers to eight NCAA Championships appearances in the past 10 seasons, including NCAA Super Six Finals appearances in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. He was selected as the NCAA Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2003, and earned 2000 Region 3 Coach-of-the-Year honors, after guiding the Huskers to a 25-5 regular-season record and a No. 5 national ranking.

Kendig is assisted by Danna Durante, who is in her second season with Nebraska, and Adrian Burde, who is in his third season on the Husker staff.

Huskers Home Streak at 50

With its victory over Michigan on Jan. 16, Nebraska extened its regular-season home meet winning streak to 50, including 49 under coach Dan Kendig. In that stretch Nebraska has faced 70 opponents, many ranked in the top 20 in the nation. The Huskers have not lost a regular-season home meet since the 1993 Masters Classic.

The only times Nebraska has not taken first at home under Kendig were the 1995 Midwest Regional, when Nebraska finished second to NCAA champion Utah, and the 1999 Region 3 Championships when the Huskers finished second to NCAA runner-up Michigan, and the 2003 NCAA Super Six Finals when the Huskers finished in fourth place.

Freshmen Standout in Season Opener

With its victory over Michigan on Jan. 16, Nebraska extended its regular-season home meet winning streak and captured its first dual title of the year. The Huskers have shown they have added plenty of depth to the lineup in 2004. Nebraska’s freshman class is made up of six newcomers including Stephanie Carter, Kristi Esposito, Natasha Gowda, Danielle Millis, Kylie Tanner and Michele Zabawa, who bring extensive experience to the Husker squad.

Carter, Esposito, Gowda and Zabawa all played an important role in the team’s first win of the 2004 season. In her season debut, Carter competed in three events for the Huskers including the vault, beam and floor exercise. Carter scored a 9.825 on the vault, as the Huskers went six for six on their vaults.

Esposito displayed her talents on the floor exercise and the vault. She had an incredible performance on the floor exercise, as the Slidell, La. native scored a 9.925 to tie the NU freshman record in the event. She also scored a 9.775 on the vault.

Gowda added to the Huskers’ performance by competing in three events, the uneven bars, the balance beam and the floor exercise. She scored a 9.675 on the uneven bars, while scoring a 9.750 on the balance beam. She started the Huskers off on the floor exercise, scoring a 9.725.

Zabawa had strong performances on both the vault and the uneven bars, scoring above a 9.70 in both events. She secured a 9.80 on the vault, while scoring a 9.750 on the uneven bars in her season debut.