No. 11 Nebraska Clinches Win over Arkansas

Women's GymnasticsMarch 19, 2006

No. 11 Nebraska Clinches Win over Arkansas

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Lincoln- The No. 11 Nebraska women's gymnastics team posted a 196.475 to clinch a win over No. 20 Arkansas (195.90) in front of 1,224 fans at the BobDevaneySportsCenter on Sunday afternoon.

The Huskers, who improved to 14-5-1 on the season, scored a 49.0 or better on all four events for just the second time this year. Nebraska also swept the individual event titles, as sophomore Emily Parsons captured her seventh all-around crown of the year with a 39.325. The four-time All-American also finished first on vault with a career-high 9.975 and floor exercise (9.90), as well as second on balance beam (9.85) and 12th on the uneven bars (9.60).

“Emily opened with an awesome vault today,” Head Coach Dan Kendig said. “She is powerful and explosive and had a great meet today. She’s anchoring us on vault, beam and floor, and that puts her in a position to be a real leader for us. This has been a good year for her so far, and we’re only hoping for bigger and better things from her in the postseason.”

Redshirt freshman Vanessa Meloche added her own first-place finish, notching a 9.875 on bars for her fifth event title of the year, and freshman Tricia Woo earned her second beam title of her freshman season with a score of 9.875.

Freshman Kylie Stone, the Huskers’ only other four-event competitor, tied for second in the all-around standings with a 39.20. The Calgary, Alberta, native also placed second on vault with a career-best 9.875 and fourth on beam and floor with a 9.80 and 9.825, respectively.

“Kylie had one of her best meets of the year from beginning to end today,” Kendig said. “She means so much to our program in that we’re relying heavily on her on all four events. She can come up with big scores for us, and she’s at the point where she is really becoming consistent. We aren’t a young team anymore at this point of the season, and I think Kylie has grown up right along with the rest of the team through the regular season.”

NU began the competition on vault, where Parsons scored an astounding 9.975 to grab the event title and set a new career high. In receiving marks of 9.95 and 10.0 from the two judges, Parsons moves up to 10th place on the BobDevaneySportsCenter’s all-time individual vault charts. Stone followed with a career-best 9.875 to finish second, and Carter added a 9.825 for fourth. Sophomore Michele Zabawa placed sixth (9.775), and freshman Sabrina Long notched a 9.75 for a seventh-place finish. Sophomore Brittney Williams, competing in the vault lineup for the first time since the Huskers traveled to IowaState on Feb. 19, scored a 9.70 to place 11th, bringing Nebraska to a team score of 49.20. The Huskers left the first rotation with an early lead over Arkansas, which scored a 49.05 to open on the uneven bars.

The Huskers then moved on to bars and found their leader in Meloche, whose 9.875 earned her the event title for the fifth time this season. Sophomore Desire’ Sniatynski followed with a 9.85 to tie for second-place honors, and Zabawa and Williams matched each other with scores of 9.825 to finish fourth. Stone earned a 9.70 for 10th, and Parsons added a 9.60 to give NU an event total of 49.075 and a continued lead over UA, 98.275-97.925, at the halfway point.

Nebraska moved on to the balance beam for its third event of the meet, where Woo led the team with a 9.875 to earn her second beam title of the year. Parsons followed with a 9.85 to finish second, and Sniatynski added a mark of 9.825 to land in third place. Stone and Carter posted matching scores of 9.80 to tie for fourth while also equaling Stone’s career high for the third time this season. Zabawa contributed a 9.675, and NU went into the fourth rotation with a 147.425-147.05 lead over the Razorbacks.

The Huskers capped the afternoon on floor exercise, where Parsons’ 9.90 garnered her ninth floor title of the season, while Stone and Carter tied for fourth-place honors with a 9.825 apiece. Long and Williams both added a 9.75 to tie for ninth while also matching Williams’ season best on the event, helping Nebraska to an event total of 49.05 to seal its final win of the regular season.

“We were absolutely awesome as a team today,” Kendig said. “Our energy was high from the very first routine of the meet, and we were focused on the task at hand. We started off with some great vaults and had a strong finish on bars. We’ve been working hard on beam in the gym since that’s where we’ll be ending at the Big 12 Championship, and it really paid off today with the confidence everyone showed. We had a good showing on floor, especially from our last few people stepping up at the end of the lineup, and I’m very proud of each of our gymnasts and the performance they gave today.”

The Huskers will forge into postseason competition next Saturday, March 25, when they play host to the 2006 Big 12 Championships at the DevaneyCenter. Competition is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will include No. 4 Iowa State, No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 13 Missouri.

Name Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around

Stephanie Carter 9.825 9.80 9.825

Alise Cecchini

Kylee Johnson

Sabrina Long 9.75 9.75

Vanessa Meloche 9.875

Dani Millis

Emily Parsons 9.975 9.60 9.85 9.90 39.325

Desire’ Sniatynski 9.85 9.825

Kylie Stone 9.875 9.70 9.80 9.825 39.20

Brittney Williams 9.70 9.825 9.75

Tricia Woo 9.875