Nebraska Ready for Triangular with Michigan and Illinois

?Head Coach: Dan Kendig (14th Year)

?Current Record: 6-2 (2-1 Big 12)

?2007 High Score: 196.80 (at Missouri, 1/26/07)

?Last Meet: Loss, vs. Oklahoma, 2/2/07 (195.075-195.05)

?2006 NCAA Finish: 5th (196.125)

                               

The sixth-ranked Nebraska women’s gymnastics team will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., this Friday, Feb. 9 for a triangular meet with No. 8 Michigan and Illinois at 7:30 p.m.

 

Nebraska, which is 6-2 on the year after a 195.075-195.05 loss to Oklahoma last week, boasts series records of 17-13-1 with Michigan and 12-2 with Illinois.

 

Following the three-team matchup, Nebraska hits the road again on Saturday, Feb. 17, for a five-team competition at North Carolina State. The meet, which also features No. 22 West Virginia, George Washington and William & Mary, is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. (CST) at NCSU’s Reynolds Coliseum.

 

Nebraska’s Competition Order at Michigan

Rotation                 Nebraska              llinois                    Michigan

1                              Bars                       Floor                       Vault

2                              Beam                     Vault                       Bars

3                              Floor                       Bars                       Beam

4                              Vault                       Beam                     Floor

 

Scouting the Competition: No. 8 Michigan Wolverines

?Head Coach: Bev Plocki (18th Year)

?2007 Record: 7-1 (0-1 Big Ten)

?2007 High Score: 196.125 (vs. Denver, 1/26/07)

?Last Meet: at State of Michigan Classic, 2/3/07 (2nd/5, 195.775)

?2006 NCAA Finish: 7th (196.00)

A Glance at the Wolverines...

?UM’s top returning gymnast is senior Lindsey Bruck, a two-time All-American who was injured in a season-opening win over West Virginia and James Madison.

?Nebraska and Michigan last met at the 2006 NCAA Championships in Corvallis, Ore., where the Huskers finished first in the afternoon preliminary session with a 196.325 to best UM’s fourth-place 196.00.

?The Wolverines and Huskers last met in regular-season competition on Jan. 13, 2006, when the two teams ended in a 195.675 tie. The matching score salvaged Nebraska’s then-58-meet home unbeaten streak.

?Michigan returns five All-Americans in Bruck (UB, BB), Becky Bernard (UB), Katie Lieberman (V), Carol McNamara (FX) and Tatjana Thuener-Rego (BB).

 

Scouting the Competition: Illinois Fighting Illini

?Head Coach: Bob Starkell (Eighth Year)

?2007 Record: 2-2 (2-0 Big Ten)

?2007 High Score: 194.95 (vs. Ohio State, 2/4/07)

?Last Meet: Win, vs. Ohio State, 2/4/07 (194.95-194.00)

?2006 NCAA Finish: Did Not Qualify

A Glance at the Fighting Illini...

?Illinois’ top returning gymnast is senior Cara Pomeroy, a 2005 first-team All-Big Ten honoree who also qualified for the NCAA Championships as a bars specialist in 2004.

?Nebraska and Illinois last met at the 2005 NCAA South Central Regional in Lincoln, where NU (196.30) bested Illinois (193.825) to finish second and qualify for the NCAA Championships.

?First-year assistant coach Amy (Ringo) Kruse was a four-year letterwinner for the Huskers from 1998 to 2001. Kruse was a second-team All-American on floor in 2000 and was a two-time second-team academic All-Big 12 honoree.

 

Reviewing the Weekend: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma

?Nebraska posted a score of 195.05, but it was not enough to overcome Oklahoma (195.075).

?Junior Emily Parsons captured three event titles, taking first on vault (9.925), beam (9.90) and floor (9.85). For her performance, she was honored as Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week for the third time this season.

?Junior Desire’ Sniatynski and sophomore Kylie Stone also tied for first on floor with Parsons. Sniatynski’s mark was a season best.

?Sophomore Tricia Woo took a share of the top finish on beam with a career-high-tying 9.90.

?Sophomore Vanessa Meloche grabbed her ninth career bars title with a 9.925 to tie her season best.

?Sniatynski was NU’s top all-around finisher, notching a 39.25 to finish second, while Stone took fourth-place honors (39.075).

 

Third Time’s a Charm for Top-Ranked Parsons

Junior Emily Parsons has maintained her status as the nation’s No. 1 vaulter after posting a 9.925 to take the vault title against Oklahoma. It was one of three titles she won against OU, as she also tallied first-place finishes on beam (9.90) and floor (9.85). The St. Charles, Mo., native has an average of 9.95 on vault and ranks third on beam (9.887) and 12th on floor (9.875). Parsons has earned Big 12 Event-Specialist-of-the-Week honors three times this season -- Jan. 9, Jan. 23 and Feb. 6 -- for a career total of nine weekly conference awards.

 

Parsons owns a total of 59 individual event titles in just over two years at Nebraska. She has earned seven All-America awards in the last two seasons and finished fourth on vault and sixth on floor in the individual event finals at the 2006 NCAA Championships. Parsons was also named the South Central Regional Gymnast of the Year and snagged Big 12 Conference crowns on vault and beam in 2006. In a sophomore season that saw her earn four All-Big 12 nods (vault, beam, floor and the all-around), Parsons went on to claim NCAA regional titles on vault, floor and the all-around for the second straight year.

 

Kendig Builds One of Nation’s Top Programs at Nebraska

Head Coach Dan Kendig is the all-time winningest coach in the 30 years of Nebraska women's gymnastics history. In 13 seasons at Nebraska, Kendig is 317-117-4 overall and 221-43-2 in regular-season meets. Kendig is in his 24th year of coaching and owns a career record of 430-230-4.

 

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

 

He has also led Nebraska to 10 NCAA Championships appearances in the past 12 seasons, including NCAA Super Six Finals appearances in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. Kendig was honored as the NCAA Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2003, a year in which the Huskers finished fourth nationally.

 

Under Kendig's guidance in 2006, Nebraska finished with a 26-11-1 overall record. The Huskers placed second (196.275) in the NCAA Southeast Regional behind Georgia and also placed fifth (196.175) in its eighth consecutive NCAA Championships appearance. Seven of Kendig's gymnasts -- Emily Parsons (AA, V, FX), Tricia Woo (BB, FX), Vanessa Meloche (UB) Michele Zabawa (UB) and Desire’ Sniatynski (UB), Stephanie Carter (FX) and Kylie Stone (V) -- earned a total of 10 All-America honors.

 

Kendig is assisted by associate head coach Danna Durante, who is in her fifth season with Nebraska, and assistant coach Tim Garrison, who is in his first year on the Husker staff.

 

Sniatynski Emerges as Huskers’ Top All-Arounder

Junior Desire’ Sniatynski has emerged as Nebraska’s top all-around competitor, as she ranks 22nd nationally in the all-around standings with an average of 39.15. She is also rated 15th nationally on bars with a 9.862 average. After her career-high 39.375 performance at Missouri, Sniatynski was recognized with her first career Big 12 Gymnast-of-the-Week nod on Jan. 31.

 

The Kenosha, Wis., native followed up with a 39.25 score to place second against Oklahoma on Feb. 2, when she also took a share of the floor title with teammates Emily Parsons and Kylie Stone with a 9.85. In addition, Sniatynski finished second on bars (9.85), third on vault (9.80) and seventh on beam (9.75).

 

A two-time All-American on bars, Sniatynski is the defending co-Big 12 bars champion. She has earned a total of 10 individual event crowns in just over two full seasons of competition for the Huskers.

 

Stone Becomes Rock-Solid in All-Around for NU

Kylie Stone gave fans a glimpse of her full abilities in the last meet of her freshman season at the 2006 NCAA Championships. The Calgary, Alberta, native, who had competed as an all-arounder since early February, set or tied four career highs at the Super Six Finals to finish fourth in the all-around with a career-best 39.40. She added career-high marks on bars (9.85), beam (9.80) and floor (9.925), as well as a solid 9.825 on vault. In the afternoon preliminary session the day before, Stone notched a 9.85 on vault to earn second-team All-America honors on the event.

 

Stone headlined the steady 2006 freshman class and was an All-Big 12 honoree in the all-around with a 39.25 performance at the Big 12 Championships in Lincoln. She came to Nebraska with an impressive list of accomplishments, having been a 2004 Canadian Olympian and a four-time Canadian senior national champion.

 

In last week’s loss to Oklahoma, Stone posted a 39.075 to finish fourth in the all-around while taking a share of the floor title with fellow Huskers Emily Parsons and Desire’ Sniatynski with a 9.85. Stone added a 9.775 on bars for sixth, a 9.75 on vault for seventh and a 9.70 on beam for eighth.

 

A Bright Future: The New Husker Class Contributes to NU Lineup

Nebraska welcomed three true freshmen to its roster this season, as Maria Scaffidi, Kathryn Howard and Molly Ohnoutka joined the Huskers for 2007. A native of Sussex, Wis., Scaffidi is a former junior international elite gymnast. At the 2000 Junior Pan American Championships, Scaffidi led the U.S. team to a first-place finish, while also taking the all-around and beam crowns. Scaffidi scored a season-high 38.55 in the all-around at Missouri and finished fourth on vault (9.825). Last week against Oklahoma, she notched solid leadoff scores of 9.725 on vault and 9.70 on bars.

 

Howard joined NU after the fall semester, having graduated early from Keystone National High School. The Huntsville, Texas, native has made an immediate impact on the beam lineup, as she finished second on the event at Missouri on Jan. 26 with a career-high score of 9.875.

 

Ohnoutka, who hails from Omaha, Neb., will redshirt in 2007 while she rehabilitates an injury suffered during her senior year of high school.

 

Sophomore All-Americans Become Seasoned Veterans

Nebraska’s sophomore class includes a trio of returning All-Americans in Tricia Woo, Kylie Stone and Vanessa Meloche. Woo, a native of Milpitas, Calif., took first-team honors on floor at the NCAA Championships to finish 10th, and second-team honors on beam. She has been as solid in her second year, as she tied with teammate Emily Parsons for first on beam with a season-high 9.90 against Oklahoma.

 

The class also boasts a pair of former Canadian National Team members in Meloche and Stone. Meloche, a first-team All-American and the reigning Big 12 champion on bars, came out strong in her inaugural season as a Husker to win six individual bars titles. A seven-year member of the national team, she was the 2002 Canadian National bars champion. Meloche has claimed three bars titles in 2007.

 

A second-team All-American on vault in 2006, Stone grabbed an all-around crown and a floor title at Penn State in 2006 to break into the NU lineup full-time. Before beginning her career at Nebraska, Stone competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, and finished 14th in the all-around at the 2003 World Championships in Anaheim, Calif., making her the highest-finishing Canadian female all-arounder in World Championships history.

 

Six Huskers Named to Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll

Six current or former Nebraska women’s gymnasts were placed on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll, the conference office announced this week. The honor roll recognizes student-athletes with a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher during the previous semester, and within Nebraska’s 270 selections, 33 earned perfect 4.0 GPAs.

 

Former Husker Jamie Saas led the impressive contingent of women’s gymnasts on the list. Seniors Stephanie Carter and Michele Zabawa were honored for the seventh and sixth time, respectively. Sophomores Vanessa Meloche and Tricia Woo, as well as freshman Molly Ohnoutka, also achieved the conference academic honor. Meloche has been selected three times, while Woo and Ohnoutka both earned the honor for the first time in their careers.