Nebraska Set for Tigers

Nebraska Set for the Tigers

?Nebraska Head Coach: Dan Kendig (16th Year)

?Current Team Record: 1-1 (1-0 Big 12)

?2009 High Score: 195.55 (vs. Iowa State, 1/16/09)

?2008 NCAA Finish: DNQ

 

The 13th-ranked Nebraska women’s gymnastics team travels to Columbia, Mo., Friday, Jan. 23 for a conference dual with Missouri. Competition is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Hearnes Center, and Nebraska boasts an all-time record of 63-6 against the Tigers. In their last meeting, the Tigers topped the Huskers 195.225-194.975.

 

NU is 1-1 on the year after a win over Big 12 rival Iowa State (195.55-194.775) in Ames.

 

The Huskers return to the Devaney Center on Friday, Jan. 30, for their home opener against Utah. The meet is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

 

Scouting the Competition: No. 12 Missouri Tigers

?Head Coach: Rob Drass (9th Year)      

?2008 Record: 13-10

?2008 High Score: 195.800 (vs. Centenary College, 2/8/08)

?Last Meet: Win vs. Arizona State, 1/16/09 (194.725-194.475)

?2008 NCAA Finish: DNQ

 

A Glance at the Tigers...

?Missouri swept the weekly Big 12 gymnastics awards following the first week of the season as Sarah Shire was named Big 12 Gymnast-of-the-Week after capturing the all-around (39.35), vault (9.875) and beam (9.90) titles against Iowa State. Senior Alicia Hatcher, the Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week, posted a score of 9.825 to win the bars titles en route to the Tigers’ win in Ames.

?Missouri is ranked No. 12 after taking a win in Tempe against Arizona State. The Tigers are also ranked seventh on vault, 11th on floor and 16th on beam.

?In addition to winning Big 12 Gymnast-of-the-Week honors, Shire ranks No. 2 nationally on beam, with an average of 9.912, and is seventh in the all-around, carrying an average of 39.35.

?Missouri is also looking to senior Adrianne Perry. The 2008 Big 12 all-around champion is ranked No. 19 nationally on floor.

 

Nebraska’s Competition Order at Missouri

Rotation                        Missouri                        Nebraska

1                                  Vault                             Uneven Bars

2                                  Uneven Bars                  Vault

3                                  Balance Beam               Floor Exercise

4                                  Floor Exercise               Balance Beam

 

 

Woo Leads Huskers into 2009 Season

Senior Tricia Woo leads Nebraska in 2009 after earning three All-America awards in her first three seasons at NU. The Milpitas, Calif., native claimed the 2008 beam and floor crowns at the NCAA Southeast Regional. She earned her first Big 12 beam title at the conference championships in 2008.

 

Woo was Nebraska’s final individual to qualify for the NCAA Championships and competed as a floor and beam specialist. She placed ninth (9.825) on beam and 10th (9.85) on floor in the preliminary session of the meet. In a junior season that saw Woo earn an all-conference nod on beam, she was honored as a Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week twice in 2008. 

 

Woo opened her senior season by tying Jessica Lopez for the beam crown at Denver. She scored a 9.90 on the event and entered the second week of competition ranked No. 1 nationally on beam. At Iowa State, Woo took third on vault (9.775) and beam (9.80).

 

Williams Headlines Nebraska’s Bars Lineup

After redshirting in 2008 due to an Achilles tear suffered in preseason training, senior Brittney Williams is poised to be a strong force as a bars specialist for the Huskers. Williams proved to be one of NU’s most dependable contributors in 2007, earning All-Big 12 honors on bars at the Big 12 Championships. At the NCAA Championships, Williams contributed to help Nebraska to its ninth Super Six Finals appearance and a sixth-place finish for the Huskers.

 

Despite tweaking her ankle in warm-ups at Iowa State, Williams turned in an inspiring performance on bars to place third with a 9.825 and helped the Huskers top the Cyclones.

 

Huskers to Host 2009 NCAA Championships

Nebraska, which last hosted the NCAA Championships in 2003, will prepare to hold the 2009 NCAA Championships at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in April. Preliminary competition begins on April 16, followed by the Super Six Finals on April 17 and the individual finals on April 18. Tickets are available through the Nebraska Ticket Office. All-session reserved adult tickets are $30, with all-session general admission tickets just $22 for adults and $18 for youth and seniors. Single-session reserved tickets will be $12 and single-session general admission tickets will be $9, but will only be available the day of competition. All-session tickets can be purchased at Huskers.com or by calling 800-8BIGRED. The Huskers have reached the NCAA Championships nine of the last 10 years.

           

Kendig Builds One of Nation’s Top Programs at Nebraska

Head Coach Dan Kendig is the all-time winningest coach in the 32 years of Nebraska women's gymnastics history. In 15 seasons at Nebraska, Kendig is 355-136-4 overall and 244-52-2 in regular-season meets. Kendig is in his 26th year of coaching and owns a career record of 468-248-5.

 

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

 

He has also led Nebraska to 11 NCAA Championship appearances in the past 14 seasons, including NCAA Super Six Finals appearances in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. 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 2008, Nebraska finished with a 13-9 overall record. The Huskers placed third at the NCAA Southeast Regional in their 25th straight NCAA postseason appearance. Two of Kendig’s gymnasts -- Emily Parsons (BB, AA) and Desire’ Sniatynski (UB) -- earned a total of three All-America honors. Additionally, Tricia Woo captured her first Big 12 title on beam at the competition in Norman.

           

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

 

All-American Stone leads Juniors

Junior Kylie Stone returns to the Huskers’ lineup after missing last season due to an injury suffered in preseason training. Stone will lead Nebraska’s all-around rotation and is a strong candidate for conference and national honors as a junior. A native of Calgary, Alberta, she earned second-team All-America honors on vault in 2006. Stone also grabbed All-Big 12 accolades on vault in her sophomore season. Before beginning her career at Nebraska, she 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. 

 

Stone started the 2009 season by winning the all-around at Denver (38.975) and tying for first on floor (9.825) with Denver’s Amanda Johanson. She took the all-around crown for the second-straight week at Iowa State, scoring a 39.35. She now ranks 15th in the all-around with an average of 39.162. She also took every event title except bars in Ames, leading the Huskers to the win. She is ranked No. 19 on floor. 

Kathryn Howard enters the 2009 season as a strong competitor on beam for the Huskers. An All-Big 12 performer on beam as a freshman, she won her first career event title on beam at Oklahoma in 2008. Howard took third on beam at Denver, scoring a 9.85.

 

Sophomores Gain Experience, Add Depth

Nebraska’s sophomore class includes key competitors Brittnee Habbib and Erin Davis. Both stepped up as specialists for the Huskers in 2008 and look to be leading candidates in the Husker lineups.

 

Habbib stepped up as a three-event competitor in her inaugural season, consistently contributing on bars, beam and floor, as well as vault earlier in the season. At the conference level, she took the No. 10 spot in the Big 12 beam standings, as well as ranking 14th on bars.

 

She posted a strong performance at Iowa State for Nebraska, taking second on floor with a career-high 9.825.

 

Davis will provide experience to Nebraska’s vault and floor lineups in her second year with the Huskers. She stepped into the No. 2 spot in the floor lineup in 2008 and hit a career-best 9.80 on three occasions. At the Big 12 Championships, Davis placed 10th on vault.    

 

She started her second year with Nebraska by placing first on vault (9.825) at Denver and taking second at Iowa State (9.80).

 

Looking to the Future: The New Husker Class

Nebraska welcomes five newcomers to its roster this season: freshmen Lora Evenstad, Kristin Fyffe, Kassandra Nathe, Claire Stingley and Kailey Ryan. In addition to the slew of newcomers, the Huskers return redshirt freshman Stephanie Seich to the lineup. She looks to make an impact after redshirting in her first year due to preseason forearm surgery.

 

Evenstad, the 2008 Junior Olympic All-Around Champion, brings NU valuable experience. The Grand Forks, N.D., native and product of Red River Valley Gymnastics also placed third on vault and floor at the 2008 J.O. Championships. In addition, she tied for eighth on bars and beam at the competition. Evenstad opened her Husker career by placing fifth on both vault (9.80) and bars (9.75) at Denver and second on floor (9.825) at Iowa State.

 

Fyffe is a level 10 product of Queen City Gymnastics in Cincinnati, Ohio. The 2006 Ohio J.O. state vault champion placed sixth on beam and eighth in the all-around at Nationals that same year. She was a four-time national qualifier from 2003 to 2006. Fyffe proved herself as a strong competitor, notching a fifth-place finish on vault (9.725) at Iowa State.

 

A native of Sartell, Minn., Nathe is a level 10 product and the 2007 Region IV all-around and beam champion. She is a four-time National Championships qualifier from 2005 to 2008. At the 2008 J.O. National Championships, she tied for 13th on floor and 15th in the all-around. She took the Region IV beam crown in 2006. Nathe debuted strong for NU, capturing her second-straight second-place finish in the all-around at Iowa State (39.00). She also took third on bars (9.825) and beam (9.80) in Ames. 

 

Stingley enters her first season with the Huskers as a level 10 product from GymNasti Gymnastics in Villa Park, Ill. She earned the 2006 Gateway Challenge level 10 championship and the level 9 J.O. National floor crown in 2005.

 

Ryan, a native of Franklin, N.C., is a level 10 product from Woodward Gymnastics Club and Weyandt’s Gymnastics. She was a two-time bar state champion in North Carolina level 9 and 10. She also earned bronze in the AA state competition.

 

All-Arounders Prove Strong for Nebraska

Junior Kylie Stone and freshman Kassandra Nathe have starred for the Huskers the past two weeks at Denver and Iowa State, capturing the top two spots in the all-around for two weeks in a row. Both hit the 39-mark in the all-around, Stone scoring a 39.35, and Nathe receiving a 39.00 at ISU. Stone also won every event title except for bars at Iowa State.