No. 3 Huskers Headed to Fayetteville for Final Regular-Season Quad

The third-ranked Nebraska women’s gymnastics team will travel to No. 14 Arkansas for a quadrangular with the Razorbacks, No. 5 UCLA and No. 12 Oregon State. NU is 9-4 on the season after posting a season-high 197.10 for a win over No. 10 Iowa State in the Huskers’ final home meet of the season on March 13. The victory came with Nebraska’s scores of 49.0 or better on all four events and extended its regular-season home unbeaten streak to 57 in the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

 

Last week senior Richelle Simpson led the way for Nebraska, capturing the all-around title with a score of 39.625 to make NU’s Senior Day celebration even more memorable. Simpson also scored a 9.925 on both vault and floor exercise to tie with freshman Emily Parsons for the event titles, while sophomore Michele Zabawa and Desire’ Sniatynski tied for the uneven bars title (9.90). In addition, sophomore Kristi Esposito finished first on balance beam with a career-high 9.95.

 

Scouting the Razorbacks

Co-Head Coaches Mark and Rene Cook’s squad heads into its final regular-season competition of the year ranked No. 14 nationally after suffering a loss to No. 21 Missouri, 196.050-195.575, on March 13. Sophomore Cassie Drew was Arkansas’ top finisher by placing second in the all-around with a 38.95.

 

Last season, the Razorbacks finished fourth at the NCAA South Central Regional and sixth at the Southeastern Conference Championships. Arkansas is currently ranked third in the SEC over Kentucky and Auburn and is 2-4 in conference duals. The Razorbacks’ only SEC wins came over the Wildcats (194.925-193.575) and the Tigers (194.275-194.225).

 

Arkansas is led by junior Melissa Leigh, who became UA’s first-ever all-conference selection by finishing third on the uneven bars at the 2004 SEC Championships. The Razorbacks return 13 letterwinners, including juniors Audra Loveless and Dana McQuillin and sophomores Rachel Barnett, Cassie Drew and Kathy Thompson. Arkansas welcomed three freshmen to its roster this year in Junior Olympic National Team member Samantha Cortez, Mallory Machnik and international elite competitor Emily Peacock.

 

The Cooks are in their third season with the Razorbacks, and together they have a 20-35-2 record at Arkansas. Before taking the co-head coaching positions in Fayetteville, the duo guided Stanford’s first NCAA champion, Larissa Fontaine, to a national vault title in 1997, while the Cardinal earned its first Pac-10 Conference team championship in 1998.

 

Scouting the Bruins

UCLA takes on its 11th and final regular-season meet of 2005 ranked No. 5 in the nation after a 197.85-196.65 victory over No. 6 Florida on March 6. Senior Kristen Maloney scored her first career perfect 10.0 on the uneven bars, while tying freshman teammate Tasha Schwikert for the all-around title with a career-high score 39.825.

 

Despite losing three All-Americans in Jeanette Antolin, Jamie Dantzscher and Yvonne Tousek, UCLA has returned strong for the current season. Consistently ranked in the top five nationally, the Bruins feature three Olympians in their lineup. Maloney, a five-time All-American and competitor at the 2000 Games, and eight-time All-American junior Kate Richardson, who was a two-time member of the Canadian Olympic team, bring veteran leadership to UCLA. Schwikert competed for the United States at the 2000 Olympics and served as an alternate in 2004.

 

Joining Maloney and Richardson as key returning letterwinners are sophomores Ashley Peckett, Michelle Seleskey, Lori Winn and Courtney Walker, as well as senior Christie Tedmon.

 

UCLA’s heralded freshman class has made a significant impact on the team’s success early on the

season. Schwikert has been one of the Bruins’ top all-around competitors, and her sister, Jordan, a two-time U.S. National team member, and Lindsey Vanden Eykel, a former two-time champion on the uneven bars at the U.S. National Championships, joined the UCLA lineup in 2005.

 

Head Coach Valorie Kondos-Field is in her 15th year as the Bruins’ head coach. She has led UCLA to five NCAA titles in the past eight years, while coaching 11 athletes to 22 individual NCAA championship titles. In her tenure, Kondos-Field has guided 39 gymnasts have earned 123 All-America honors.

 

The quadrangular in Fayetteville will mark the second time the Huskers take on UCLA this year. The Bruins lead the all-time series 26-6 after posting a 197.05-192.65 win over NU on Jan. 17, 2005.

 

Scouting the Beavers

Twelfth-ranked Oregon State, led by Head Coach Tanya Chaplin, enters the Arkansas quad with a 13-3 record. The Beavers return to action after a week off following a first-place finish (195.525) at the Salbasgeon Suites Invitational on March 4.

 

In 2004, OSU finished third at the NCAA West Regional and third at the Pac-10 Conference championships. The Beavers are currently ranked second in the Pac-10 behind UCLA and are 6-2 in conference competition. They posted a season-high score of 195.925 on Feb. 11 over Pac-10 opponent Washington, as well as Arkansas, in Seattle, Wash.

 

Despite losing one All-American in Tanya Ricioli-Hebron, the Beavers return an experienced group of nine letterwinners. OSU is led by junior Chrissy Lamun, who tied for the 2003 Pac-10 floor exercise championship with a perfect 10.0. Lamun also placed third on balance beam at the 2004 NCAA West Regional with a score of 9.90. In addition to Lamun, OSU looks to seniors Daylee Ingalls, Heather Justus and Therese Videan, all of whom have competed at the NCAA Championships, as well as 2004 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year Chelsea Plourde.

 

Chaplin is in her third season with the Beavers and holds a career record of 126-90-1. Under her direction, she has coached a number of OSU gymnasts to eight All-America awards, while leading Oregon State to qualify for three NCAA Championships appearances.

 

Up Next for the Huskers...

Nebraska will travel to Norman, Okla., next Saturday, March 26, to compete at the Big 12 Championships. The competition is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at Oklahoma’s Lloyd Noble Center and will feature the No. 3 Huskers, No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 10 Iowa State and No. 21 Missouri. NU is 3-1 in conference action this season.

 

Nebraska Notes vs. Iowa State

-Nebraska scored a season-high 197.10 to topple the Cyclones on March 13. The mark ties NU’s 10th-highest home score at the Devaney Center. The Huskers last scored a 197.10 vs. Ohio State on Feb. 15, 2004.

-By capturing the win over ISU last week, Nebraska secured its home unbeaten streak in the Bob Devaney Sports Center for at least another year. NU extended its run to 57 regular-season competitions, as the Huskers have won every meet since the 1993 Masters Classic.

-The Huskers set or tied 13 season- or career-high scores, including sophomore Kristi Esposito, who achieved a career-best 9.95 on balance beam to win her second title on the event this year. Esposito’s first beam title also came at ISU on Feb. 11.

-Esposito’s 9.95 on beam not only set a career high, but also placed her in a tie for seventh on Nebraska’s all-time individual beam charts. The last Husker to score a 9.95 on the event was Tami Harris vs. Iowa State on March 14, 2004.

-Senior Richelle Simpson won the all-around title, her fourth of the season, with a score of 39.625. Simpson also tied for her sixth crown on vault (9.925) and fourth on floor (9.925).

-Freshman Emily Parsons matched Simpson with a 9.925 on both vault and floor to tie for first. The vault title was Parsons’ fifth of 2005, while the floor title was her sixth.

-Sophomore Michele Zabawa scored a season-best 9.90 on the uneven bars to tie for first with freshman Desire’ Sniatynski, whose score tied her season high.

-The Huskers scored a 49.375 on bars, setting a new season-high record on the event.

 

Simpson, Parsons Earn Big 12 Gymnast of the Week Honors

Senior Richelle Simpson was named Big 12 Gymnast of the Week for meets March 8-14, the conference office announced Tuesday. The Toronto, Ontario, native earned the honor for the third time this season and the ninth time in her career.

 

Simpson captured the all-around title with a score of 39.625 in the Huskers’ win over No. 10 Iowa State. She claimed her sixth vault title of the season (9.925) and also won the floor exercise (9.925). In addition, Simpson placed second on beam (9.90) and third on bars (9.875).

 

Simpson joins freshman Emily Parsons as one of two Huskers to earn Big 12 Gymnast-of-the-Week accolades in 2005. She earned her first Gymnast of the Week accolades on Jan. 24 for her performance at Florida, while Parsons earned the honor on Feb. 8 and Feb. 22.

 

Coaching Milestones

Head Coach Dan Kendig is the all-time winningest coach in the 29-year history of the Nebraska women's gymnastics program. In 12 seasons at Nebraska, Kendig is 271-95-3 overall and 196-35-1 in regular season meets. Kendig is in his 22nd year of coaching and owns a career record of 370-195-3.

 

A six-time Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year, Kendig has guided the Huskers to eight conference championships and three straight regional championships (2000, 2001 and 2002).

 

He has also led Nebraska to nine NCAA Championship appearances in the past 11 seasons, including NCAA Super Six Finals appearances in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. Kendig was honored as the NCAA Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2003, a year in which the Huskers finished fourth at the NCAAs.

 

Under Kendig's tenure in 2004, Nebraska finished with a 15-9-1 overall record. The Huskers placed second (196.375) in the Southeast regional behind eventual NCAA champion UCLA. NU also placed 10th (196.150) in its sixth consecutive NCAA Championships appearance. Three of Kendig's gymnasts -- Libby Landgraf (V, UB), Kristi Esposito (AA, BB) and Michele Zabawa (V) -- earned a total of five All-America honors.

 

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

 

Simpson Returns for Senior Season

Senior Richelle Simpson is leading the Huskers again in 2005, after her 2004 season was cut short by a knee injury. The Toronto, Ontario native was granted a medical hardship year by the NCAA and hopes to defend her status as a nine-time All-American at Nebraska.

 

This season, Simpson has won four all-around titles, as well as six titles on vault, one on uneven bars, three on balance beam and four on floor exercise. For her accomplishments at the Masters Classic, at Florida and the Huskers’ final home meet against Iowa state, she has been named Big 12 Gymnast of the Week three times this season, giving her a total of nine in her Husker career. In addition, Simpson scored her first perfect 10.0 of 2005 on vault at Missouri, just the third time in her career she has accomplished such a feat.

 

In 2003, Simpson led NU to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, which were held in Lincoln. She was crowned national champion on the floor exercise (9.963) and the all-around (39.675), finishing ahead of UCLA's 2002 NCAA all-around champion Jamie Dantzscher. Simpson earned first-team All-America accolades on the vault, uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise and the all-around. She is the only woman in Nebraska gymnastics history named first-team All-American on all five events in the same season.

 

Nebraska Series Records vs. Arkansas, UCLA and Oregon State

-NU leads the all-time series with Arkansas 1-0, as the Huskers last competed against the Razorbacks in 1977. Since Arkansas established its new gymnastics program three years ago, Nebraska has yet to meet Arkansas until this Saturday’s meet.

-UCLA has commanding 26-6 lead in series after defeating NU 197.85-196.65 in Los Angeles, Calif. on Jan. 17, 2005.

-Oregon State leads the all-time series with Nebraska 11-9. The Beavers last took on NU in 2001, when the Huskers posted a 195.225 to defeat OSU (194.90).