No. 10 Huskers Capture Masters Classic Title

Women's GymnasticsFebruary 26, 2006

No. 10 Huskers Capture Masters Classic Title

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Lincoln ? Sophomore Emily Parsons captured two individual event titles and the all-around crown Sunday afternoon to lead the No. 10 Nebraska women’s gymnastics to its 12th consecutive Masters Classic team title in front of 1,636 fans at the BobDevaneySportsCenter. NU posted a 195.25 to win its annual four-team event, finishing ahead of San JoseState (192.825), Central Michigan (191.80) and Northern Illinois (191.625).

The Huskers, who improved to 11-4-1 on the season, scored a 49.0 or better on vault and uneven bars and stretched their home unbeaten streak at the DevaneyCenter to 60 meets. The Huskers have won every regular-season competition in their home arena since the 1993 Masters Classic with the exception of ties with IowaState in 2004 and Michigan earlier this season.

Nebraska swept the individual event titles, as Parsons finished first on vault (9.90) and floor exercise (9.875) on the way to her fourth all-around title of the year (38.75). Redshirt freshman Vanessa Meloche also earned her fourth uneven bars crown with a career-best 9.95, while freshman Tricia Woo took home the first beam title of her career with a season-high 9.90.

“We got a win today, but we didn’t finish things like we’re capable of doing,” Head Coach Dan Kendig said. “It’s tough right now because we’re relying on nine gymnasts to do 24 routines for eight weekends in a row. We have people who are tired and hurting, and we’re going to have to back off for the next few weeks to get a little healthier as a team. Overall we did some great routines, and we’ve gained some confidence for the rest of the season.”

NU began the competition on vault, where Parsons set the pace with a score of 9.90 to claim her first event title of the day. Junior Stephanie Carter posted a 9.85 to place second, while freshman Tricia Woo followed with a mark of 9.775 for fifth-place honors. Junior Michele Zabawa added a sixth-place finish (9.75), and Stone notched a 9.725 for eighth. Freshman Sabrina Long returned to the vault lineup with a 9.675 to place 11th, and Nebraska finished the event with a team score of 49.00 to take an early lead over Central Michigan (48.125), San JoseState (48.00) and Northern Illinois (47.725).

The Huskers then moved on to the uneven bars and were led by Meloche’s 9.95, which earned her the event title and broke her previous career high of 9.925 set against Missouri on Jan. 29. Zabawa earned a 9.90 to tie her season best and take home second-place honors, while sophomore Desire’ Sniatynski scored a 9.85 to finish third. Sophomore Brittney Williams and Parsons added a 9.80 and 9.60, respectively, and Stone posted a mark of 9.25. NU continued its lead with a running score of 98.10 ahead of Central Michigan (96.225), San JoseState (95.925) and Northern Illinois (95.80) at the halfway point.

“Vanessa really had a great routine today,” Kendig said. “It’s dynamic and packed with difficulty, and her execution is very good. This is the kind of performance we’re growing to expect from her meet in and meet out this year.”

Nebraska moved on to the balance beam for its third event of the meet, where Woo led the team with a career-high 9.90 to capture the event title. Sniatynski and Carter posted matching scores of 9.80 to finish third, and Parsons followed with a 9.375. Stone contributed a score of 9.325, while Zabawa added a 9.25, bringing the Huskers to an event score of 48.20 after being forced to count two falls. The Huskers went into the fourth rotation with a substantial lead (146.30) over SJSU (144.45), NIU (143.875) and CMU (143.225).

NU capped the afternoon on floor exercise, where Parsons’ solid 9.875 earned her the sixth floor title of her sophomore season. Sniatynski, Stone and Woo landed in a three-way tie for second place, and Wiliams posted a 9.75 to finish fifth. Carter earned a 9.375, helping Nebraska put together a score of 48.95 to claim its 12th consecutive Masters Classic team title.

The Huskers will play host to No. 7 Iowa State next Sunday, March 5, at the BobDevaneySportsCenter. Competition is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and will also feature the Nebraska men’s gymnastics dual against Oklahoma.

Name Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around

Stephanie Carter 9.85 9.80 9.375

Alise Cecchini

Kylee Johnson

Sabrina Long 9.675

Vanessa Meloche 9.95

Dani Millis

Emily Parsons 9.90 9.60 9.375 9.875 38.75

Desire’ Sniatynski 9.85 9.80 9.775

Kylie Stone 9.725 9.25 9.325 9.775 38.075

Brittney Williams 9.80 9.75

Tricia Woo 9.775 9.90 9.775