Huskers Wrap Up Season with Sixth-Place Finish

The Nebraska women’s gymnastics team capped a stellar 2005 season April 21-23 at the NCAA Championships in Auburn, Ala., finishing in sixth place in the team competition. Four Huskers earned All-America honors at the event, while two competitors qualified for the individual event finals. Nebraska’s appearance at the NCAA Championships was its seventh in a row and 16th overall.

 

Freshman Emily Parsons gave a standout performance at the national championships, as she was named a first-team All-American on floor exercise, as well as second-team All-American on vault, balance beam and the all-around. Parsons, a native of St. Charles, Mo., placed third on floor during Saturday’s individual event finals by posting a 9.925 behind North Carolina’s Courtney Bumpers (10.0) and Alabama’s Ashley Miles (9.975). Parsons finished the NCAA Championships having scored a 9.80 or better on every event she competed. The Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and 2005 NCAA South Central Regional All-Around Champion, Parsons claimed one all-around title in her freshman campaign, as well as seven on floor, six on vault and two on beam.

 

Sophomore Kristi Esposito repeated as a first-team All-American, earning honors for the second year in a row on balance beam. The Slidell, La., native finished in a tie for second on beam with Elise Ray of Michigan, achieving a 9.9125 on the event. Esposito, who earned All-America accolades on beam and the all-around in 2004, completed her second year as a Husker by placing 11th in the all-around (39.10) at the NCAA Championships. Over the 2005 season, Esposito won two all-around titles, as well as three first-place finishes on the uneven bars and two on beam.

 

Sophomore Michele Zabawa and freshman Desire’ Sniatynski garnered second-team All-America awards on the uneven bars, as the duo tied for eighth with a 9.85 each in the first preliminary session. Zabawa, who hails from Omaha, Neb., and earned the Big 12 uneven bars championship, is a two-time All-American, as she earned second-team honors on vault as a freshman. She captured four bars titles in 2005. Sniatynski won five bars titles of her own, most recently at the Arkansas Quadrangular on March 19, as well as one floor title in the Huskers’ meet with Minnesota and Air Force. One of NU’s most consistent workers on the uneven bars, Sniatynski competed in the all-around for just the second time at the NCAA Championships, finishing in 21st place.

 

Although she was unable to compete in the NCAA Championships at Auburn, senior Richelle Simpson had a stellar season for NU in 2005. Simpson claimed the AAI American Award during the NCAA Championships brunch on April 23, an honor annually given to the nation’s top gymnast on the basis of athleticism, academic excellence and civic responsibility. A nine-time All-American at Nebraska, Simpson was also the 2003 NCAA all-around and floor exercise champion. After being granted a medical hardship year in 2004 by the NCAA, Simpson returned with a vengeance in 2005, leading NU to a first-ever No. 1 ranking after the Masters Classic on Feb. 27.

 

The Toronto, Ontario, native provided an unmatched spark in Nebraska’s run to the NCAA Super Six finals this season, as the Huskers achieved a record of 21-14 and reclaimed the Big 12 Conference championship. Simpson, the 2005 South Central Regional Co-Gymnast of the Year, won five all-around titles in 2005, as well as six individual titles on vault, six on floor, five on beam and one on the uneven bars. One of her finest performances came at the Big 12 Championships, where she earned first-team all-conference honors on every event and claimed the Big 12 all-around title for the second time in her career, as well as the balance beam and floor exercise titles for the third time.

 

Senior Jamie Saas ended her Husker career with a solid performance at nationals, posting a 9.80 on beam and a 9.70 on floor in preliminaries. The Aurora, Ill., native was named All-Big 12 on floor exercise, posting a career-high 9.90 on the event at the conference championships. Saas, a second-team All-American on beam in 2004, had considerable success in the classroom, as she was named to the academic All-Big 12 first team for the third time in her career in 2005. Saas graduated with a degree in deaf education in December 2004.

 

Sophomore Stephanie Carter and freshman Brittney Williams turned in strong seasons that had a significant impact on NU’s success and the team’s first-ever No. 1 national ranking. Carter competed on vault, balance beam and floor exercise for the Huskers, consistently earning 9.80s or higher on vault and floor. Hailing from Bryn Athyn, Pa., she established a new career high on vault, earning a 9.95 mark at IowaState on Feb. 11 to tie for second. Like Carter, Williams was also a three-event competitor in her freshman year, contributing on vault, bars and floor in every meet. A native of Hatboro, Pa., Williams scored a 9.70 or better on her events in every meet but three. At the Big 12 Championships, Williams set her season high on vault with a 9.825 to place 12th at the conference meet.

 

Freshman Kylee Johnson, one of only two Nebraska natives on the Husker roster, joined NU’s squad in January after graduating early from LincolnNortheastHigh School. Johnson seized her opportunities to compete early, as she gave a performance on bars at Michigan on Jan. 7 and later competed on floor against Oklahoma on Feb. 5 and Minnesota/Air Force on March 6 with a season-high 9.725. Johnson also filled in for the injured Simpson at the NCAA Championships, posting a season-best 9.75 on bars.

 

Sophomore Dani Millis played a reserve role for the Huskers in 2005, as she was considered one of NU’s top backups on vault and floor exercise. Millis, a native of Frisco, Texas, competed on floor at IowaState on Feb. 11 and was one of seven Huskers capable of vaulting a Yurchenko layout full, which has a start value of 10.0. A high achiever in the classroom, Millis has been named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll every semester at Nebraska.

 

With the Huskers’ 21-14 record in 2005, head coach Dan Kendig finished his 12th season at Nebraska with a program-best 286-98-3 record, continuing his impressive career as the winningest coach in NU women’s gymnastics history. The 1999 and 2003 NCAA Coach of the Year, Kendig has taken the Husker program to new heights, guiding his teams to 10 conference championships. During Kendig’s tenure, Nebraska has qualified for the NCAA Championships 10 times, making seven appearances at the Super Six Finals. He has coached 23 All-Americans to 76 first- or second-team honors.

 

2005 Season Highlights

*NU finished with a 21-13 record and placed sixth at the NCAA Championships after making its seventh Super Six Finals appearance.

*The Huskers achieved a first-ever No. 1 national ranking after the Masters Classic on Feb. 27, posting a 196.725.

*Senior Richelle Simpson became the first Nebraska gymnast to earn the AAI American Award winner.

*Four Huskers earned a total of seven All-America awards: freshman Emily Parsons (AA, V, BB, FX), sophomore Kristi Esposito (BB), sophomore Michele Zabawa (UB) and freshman Desire’ Sniatynski (UB).

*NU won its seventh Big 12 team title in nine seasons, as well as its 19th conference championship in school history.

*Four Huskers earned All-Big 12 honors: Simpson(AA, V, UB, BB, FX), senior Jamie Saas (FX), Zabawa (UB) and Parsons(V, BB).

*Four Huskers earned academic All-Big 12: Simpson, Saas, Carter and Esposito.

*Parsons was honored as the 2005 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, becoming just the fifth Husker to win that conference award.

*Parsons won the NCAA South Central Regional all-around title (39.525), her first all-around title of the year, in addition to the South Central Region vault and floor exercise titles.

*After winning the regional balance beam championship, Simpson was named the 2005 NCAA South Central Regional Co-Gymnast of the Year. Simpson earned the same honor as a junior in 2003.

*Simpson and Parsons were the only two Huskers to be named Big 12 Gymnast of the Week. Simpson earned the honor three times in 2005 to push her career total to nine awards, while Parsons was a two-time honoree as a freshman in 2005.