Huskers Defeat No. 25 Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minn. ? The 11th-ranked Nebraska women’s gymnastics team defeated Minnesota, 196.750-196.625, at the Sports Pavilion, Saturday evening in Minneapolis, Minn.

"I would like to focus on the fact that we did well on three events, and we started out strong on the uneven bars this evening," Head Coach Dan Kendig said. "We had so many good performances and the encouraging part is that we are getting better meet by meet."

The Huskers had a solid away meet, hitting 22 of 24 routines. NU also scored above 49.0 in three events, including vault (49.375), uneven bars (49.325), and floor exercise (49.225). Four Huskers set new individual career highs, while a Husker captured first-place honors on three of the four events, including the vault, the uneven bars and the balance beam.

Freshman Kristi Esposito led the Huskers in the all-around, winning her third all-around title of the season with a 39.45.  The Slidell, La. native tied for third place on the balance beam (9.85) and tied for second place on the floor exercise (9.90).  Senior Libby Landgraf captured first place on the uneven bars with a career-high 9.95 and tied for third on the vault. Freshman Michele Zabawa and senior Tami Harris tied for first place on the vault with a 9.90. Harris also finished in second place (9.875) on the balance beam. Junior Jamie Saas took first place on the balance beam with a 9.925 and tied for fourth place on the floor exercise.

The Huskers began their first rotation on the uneven bars, hitting all six of their routines. Landgraf led the Huskers with a career-high 9.95 on the bars, capturing first-place in the event. Three of the Huskers, freshman Kristi Esposito, freshman Natasha Gowda and Harris all scored a 9.85. Gowda’s score was a career high for the freshman, while senior Gina Bruce added a season-best 9.825 to the Huskers’ solid performance in the event. Freshman Michele Zabawa also scored a 9.825, as the Huskers finished the rotation with a 49.325, leading the Gophers (48.85).

In the second rotation on the vault, the Huskers continued to have solid performances. All six NU gymnasts hit their vaults, as Zabawa and Harris tied for first-place honors with a 9.90. Zabawa’s vault score was also a career high for the freshman. Landgraf added a 9.875 to tie for third place in the event, while Esposito and Bruce both scored a 9.85 and tied for fifth place. In addition, freshman Stephanie Carter scored a 9.80, as the Huskers finished the event with a 49.375. The Huskers extended their lead over the Gophers, 98.70-98.125.

The Huskers entered their third rotation on the floor exercise with Esposito leading the Huskers. She scored a 9.90 to capture runner-up honors, while Saas scored a career-high 9.85 and tied for fourth place. Carter, Gowda and Bruce all scored a 9.825, while Zabawa added a 9.75 to the Huskers’ efforts. NU finished with a team total 49.225, continuing to dominate their opponent, 147.925-147.275.

The Huskers finished the evening on the balance beam, as Saas led the Huskers with a 9.925. She took first-place honors in the event, while Harris scored a 9.875 and captured second place. Carter and Esposito each added a 9.85 and tied for third place, as the Huskers finished the event with a 48.825.

The Huskers will next host Iowa State at the Bob Devaney Center, Sunday, March 14 at 2 p.m.