Huskers Earn Eighth Straight NCAA Berth

Athens, Ga. ? The No. 12 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team posted a score of 196.35 Saturday night in front of 7,196 fans Georgia's Stegeman Coliseum to finish second at the NCAA Southeast Regional and earn its eighth consecutive berth to the NCAA Championships at Oregon State April 20-22.

 

The Huskers (20-7-1) scored a 49.0 or better on all four events to secure the 16th NCAA Championships appearance in school history. Nebraska finished behind No. 1 Georgia (197.425) and ahead of No. 13 Missouri (195.325), No. 23 North Carolina (194.30), No. 22 West Virginia (193.925) and North CarolinaState (193.90).

 

Georgia posted the top score among the 12 teams that earned bids to the NCAA Championships from the six regional meets. The Huskers' 196.35 was the sixth-highest among the teams that qualified for nationals on Saturday.

 

“We did what we came to do today,” Nebraska Head Coach Dan Kendig said. “These athletes have worked so hard in the last month, and we couldn’t be prouder of them and their performance tonight. They have so much heart and soul, and it’s sure to be a fun next two weeks.”

 

Husker sophomore Emily Parsons tied for her second career NCAA regional all-around title with a score of 39.50, her highest mark of the year since a 39.55 performance at Oklahoma on Feb. 4. Parsons, who was matched only by Georgia’s Kelsey Erickson, also tied for individual event titles on both vault (9.95) and floor exercise (9.90), while adding strong efforts on beam and bars.

 

“We’re so proud of Emily winning the all-around down here at Georgia,” Kendig said. “This is a tough environment to compete in, and that’s an incredible accomplishment for her. She had a great day on all four events and is thriving in the championship part of the season.”

 

Freshman Kylie Stone placed among the top competitors in the all-around with a 39.15, and junior Stephanie Carter, competing on all four events for just the fourth time this year, added a 38.525.

 

Nebraska opened the competition on vault, where Parsons delivered her usual stellar performance with a score of 9.95 to win the event title. Stone followed with a 9.825 to finish eighth in the event, and Carter notched a 9.80 to manage a 12th-place finish.

 

Junior Michele Zabawa added a 9.775, and sophomore Brittney Williams earned a 9.725. Freshman Sabrina Long contributed a 9.675 to help the Huskers post a 49.05 on the event to head into the second rotation in second place.

 

Following a bye in the second rotation, Nebraska moved on to the uneven bars, where Desire' Sniatynski’s solid 9.875 led the All-American to a fourth-place finish. Zabawa, who is one of three returning Husker All-Americans, finished sixth with a strong 9.85 performance, while Williams added a 9.775 to finish 12th.

 

Parsons, Stone and Carter each contributed a 9.75 to tie for 13th and gave NU a final event total of 49.0 on bars to push the Huskers' overall team total after two events to 98.075 to remain in second place behind Georgia's 98.725.

 

The Huskers moved to the balance beam where Parsons put together a spectacular 9.90 to finish in second place on the event. Freshman Tricia Woo added a strong 9.85 to finish fifth, and Sniatynski followed in eighth place with a 9.825.

 

Stone managed a 16th-place finish with a 9.75, and Zabawa added a 9.725 to give the Huskers a 49.05 total on the event and a 147.125 after three events.

 

The Huskers used a bye in the fifth rotation to take extra time to focus on finishing strong on floor exercise. They did exactly that by producing their highest event score of the night with a 49.225, led by a 9.90 from Parsons who tied for the individual crown on the event.

 

Carter, Stone and Woo all posted a 9.85 to tie for seventh, and Williams added a 9.775. Long also contributed a 9.75, helping the Huskers finish the night with a 196.35 and a runner-up regional finish to qualify for nationals.

 

“Going back into the locker room after the second bye, we were feeling really good about our chances to finish well,” Kendig said. “Georgia is an awesome team ? and they had a great day today ? and Missouri was right on our heels, just .475 behind us. Beam is their best event, so we knew we needed  to hit on floor ? and our floor team just rocked. They hit from the first routine to the last routine, and that is the kind of finish we expect of them in a close meet."

 

Nebraska will travel to Corvallis, Ore., April 20-22 for the NCAA Championships held at Gill Coliseum on the OregonStateUniversity campus. Tickets are available through the OregonState ticket office at 1-800-462-3287 or at www.osubeavers.com.

 

In addition to Georgia and Nebraska, the other 10 teams that punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships on Saturday included Oklahoma and Iowa State from the Big 12 Conference, also with LSU, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan, Arizona State, Utah and the hosts from Oregon State.