Huskers Head to 2010 NCAA ChampionshipsHuskers Head to 2010 NCAA Championships
Women's Gymnastics

Huskers Head to 2010 NCAA Championships

  • Nebraska Head Coach: Dan Kendig (17th Year)
  • Current Team Record: 21-5
  • 2010 High Score: 196.625 (at Big 12 Championship, 3/27/10)
  • 2009 NCAA Finish: DNQ

The No. 12 Nebraska women's gymnastics team will travel to Gainesville, Fla., Thursday, April 22 through Saturday, April 24, for the 2010 NCAA Championships. The 2010 Big 12 runner-up Huskers will compete in Thursday's afternoon preliminary session at the University of Florida at 12 p.m. (CST), battling No. 3 UCLA, No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 10 Utah, No 8 Oregon State and No. 11 LSU for one of three automatic berths to the NCAA Super Six Finals Friday at 5 p.m.

Session ll preliminary action, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CST) Thursday, will include No. 1 Alabama, No. 4 Florida, No. 6 Michigan and Stanford, No. 9 Arkansas and No. 15 Missouri. Individual event finals, for which participants are determined by their performances on the first day of competition, are scheduled for 5 p.m. (CST) on Saturday to close the weekend.

Nebraska has qualified for the NCAA Championships 19 times in program history, including nine consecutive NCAA appearances  from 1999-2007 and eight Super Six Finals appearances overall. The Huskers last appeared at the NCAA Championships in 2007.

With their second-place finish at the NCAA Lexington Regional (195.875), the Huskers improved to 21-5 on the season as they scored a 49.0 or better on vault, bars and floor. Nebraska netted two individual titles, with juniors Erin Davis and Brittnee Habbib capturing their first regional crowns on vault and bars, respectively. Both gymnasts earned marks of 9.90. Junior Maria Scaffidi placed sixth in the all-around.

NCAA Gymnastics Championships Ticket and Schedule Information

Tickets for the 2010 NCAA Championships are available for purchase by calling the University of Florida Athletic Ticket Office at 800-344-2867 or at www.gatorzone.com.

Type                                                                 Price

Reserved All-Session- Level Two                        $55.00

Reserved All-Session- Level Three Adult             $45.00

Reserved All-Session- Level Three Senior/Child   $30.00

Reserved All-Session- Level Three Group Rate    $25.00

Single Day-Adult                                               $20.00

Single Day- Senior/Student/Child                       $15.00

(Single day tickets for Level 3 and only available day of the meet)

All 12 teams and the individual competitors will practice at the O'Connell Center on Wednesday, April 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. (CST). Oklahoma (vault), Oregon State (bars), Nebraska (beam) and Utah (floor) will begin on their indicated first events and will practice from 9:30  to 11:20 a.m., followed by UCLA (vault), Florida (bars), Missouri (beam) and LSU (floor) from 11:20 a.m. to 1 p.m. Alabama (vault), Arkansas (bars), Michigan (beam) and Stanford (floor) will follow from 3:30 to 6:10 p.m. Individual event specialists will practice from 2:20 to 3:20 p.m.

During the practice sessions, a pre-meet press conference will be held in the Martial Arts Room in the O'Connell Center. The head coach of each team and one gymnast will represent each school. Each team's representatives will be available from 2:30 to 3:20 p.m. (CST).

Thursday's team competition will begin with the Preliminary Session l at Noon (CST), followed by a press conference featuring the head coach and one gymnast from the top three teams. Requests for other participants will also be taken at this time. Preliminary Session ll is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CST), with a press conference following in the same manner as Session l. Nebraska will participate in the Session l team competition along with Oklahoma, UCLA, Oregon State, LSU and Utah. The Huskers will also compete alongside individual all-around competitor Mary Atkinson of Arizona State, who qualified for nationals with a score of 39.075 at the NCAA West Regional. The Huskers will also be joined by Hannah Redmon of Boise State on vault and floor, who qualified with a score of 9.975 and 9.90, respectively.

The Super Six Finals will take place on Friday at 5 p.m. (CST) and will include the top three teams from each preliminary session. Following competition, team and all-around awards, a press conference will take place with each team's head coach, selected gymnast and additional competitors upon request.

Individual event finals competition will begin at 5 p.m. (CST) on Saturday, April 24. Although no all-around competition is included in the individual event finals, competitors will perform on vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. Following the competition and individual events awards ceremonies, head coaches and event champions will be available for comment in a press conference.

Rotation Order for NCAA Championships Preliminary Session l

The rotation order for the six teams and selected individuals competing in the afternoon preliminary session of the NCAA Championships in Gainesville, Fla., will feature Nebraska opening on beam, following by a bye, floor, vault, bye and bars.

                    

RotationVault               Bye l                Bars                 Beam               Bye ll           Floor

1          Oklahoma         UCLA                Oregon State    Nebraska          LSU               Utah

            S. Schmidt        R. Simbhudas   N. Curler           M. Atkinson       M. Browning  S. Musser

2          Utah                 Oklahoma         UCLA                Oregon State    Nebraska        LSU

            S. Musser         S. Schmidt        R. Simbhudas   N. Curler           M. Atkinson    M. Browning

3          LSU                  Utah                 Oklahoma         UCLA                Oregon State   Nebraska

            M. Browning      S. Musser         S. Schmidt        R. Simbhudas   N. Curler          M. Atkinson

            A. Buckley                                                                                                      H. Redmon

4          Nebraska          LSU                  Utah                 Oklahoma         UCLA               Oregon State

            M. Atkinson       M. Browning      S. Musser         S. Schmidt        R. Simbhudas  N. Curler

            H. Redmon                                                                                                      C. McCool

5          Oregon State    Nebraska          LSU      Utah     Oklahoma         UCLA

            N. Curler           M. Atkinson       M. Browning      S. Musser         S. Schmidt   R. Simbhudas

6          UCLA                Oregon State    Nebraska          LSU                  Utah                Oklahoma

            B. Guy              N. Curler           M. Atkinson       M. Browning      S. Musser      S. Schmidt

Rotation Order for NCAA Championships Preliminary Session ll

The rotation order for the six teams and selected individuals competing in the evening preliminary session of the NCAA Championships in Gainesville, Fla., will feature Alabama, Florida, Arkansas, Michigan, Missouri and Stanford.

RotationVault               Bye l                Bars                 Beam               Bye ll           Floor

1          Alabama           Florida              Arkansas           Michigan           Missouri       Stanford

            K. Hennigan      B. Personett      E. Wheeler        A. Russell         B. Artemev   T. Seaman

2          Stanford           Alabama           Florida              Arkansas           Michigan        Missouri

            T. Seaman        K. Hennigan      B. Personett      E. Wheeler        A. Russell     B. Artemev

3          Missouri            Stanford           Alabama           Florida              Arkansas        Michigan

            B. Artemev        T. Seaman        K. Hennigan      B. Personett      E. Wheeler     A. Russell

            W. Rose                                                                                                        K. Linton

4          Michigan           Missouri            Stanford           Alabama           Florida           Arkansas

            A. Russell         B. Artemev        T. Seaman        K. Hennigan      B. Personett  E. Wheeler

                                                                                                                                S. Wailor

5          Arkansas           Michigan           Missouri            Stanford           Alabama        Florida

            E. Wheeler        A. Russell         B. Artemev        T. Seaman        K. Hennigan B. Personett

                                                                                                                                R. Inniss

6          Florida              Arkansas           Michigan           Missouri            Stanford       Alabama

            B. Personett      E. Wheeler        A. Russell         B. Artemev        T. Seaman   K. Hennigan

Scouting the Competition: No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide

  • Co-Head Coaches: Sarah and Dave Patterson (32nd Year)
  • 2010 Record: 19-3
  • 2010 High Score: 197.575 (vs. Michigan, 3/19/10)
  • Last Meet: at NCAA Lexington Regional, 4/10/10 (1st/6, 197.40)
  • 2009 NCAA Finish: 2nd (197.575)
  • NCAA Titles: 4

A Glance at the Crimson Tide...

  • Alabama is ranked No. 1 in the national team standings. The Crimson Tide is also tied for first on vault, third on bars and beam and second on floor.
  • Individually, sophomore Ashley Priess is ranked seventh in the all-around, senior Morgan Dennis is ninth and senior Ricki Lebegern is 17th. Dennis is ranked sixth on the vault while junior Kayla Hoffman and sophomore Geralen Stack-Eaton are tied for 18th.
  • The Tide has won a NCAA-best 25 regional titles and advanced to the NCAA Championships 28 years in a row.
  • NU last met Alabama on April 10, 2010 at the 2010 NCAA Lexington Regional. The Huskers posted a 195.875 to Alabama's 197.40.

Scouting the Competition: No. 2 Oklahoma

  • Head Coach: K.J. Kindler (Fourth Year)
  • 2010 Record: 22-0
  • 2010 High Score: 197.95 (vs. Alabama, 3/5/10)
  • Last Meet: at NCAA University Park Regional, 4/10/10 (1st/6, 197.25)
  • 2009 NCAA Finish: 10th (195.825)
  • NCAA Titles: 0

A Glance at the Sooners...

  • Oklahoma is one of five teams to advance to the NCAA Championships every year since 2004.
  • The Sooners are led by senior Hollie Vise and 2009 All-American Megan Ferguson. Vise holds the top spot on beam nationally and is also third on bars. Ferguson is ranked seventh in the nation on beam.
  • OU enters the NCAA Championships averaging a 197.35 in its last five outings, which includes three road events. The Sooners are seeking their first Super Six appearance in program history.
  • NU last met Oklahoma on March 27, 2010 at the 2010 Big 12 Championship in Lincoln, Neb. The Huskers posted a 196.625 to Oklahoma's 197.175.

Scouting the Competition: No. 3 UCLA

  • Head Coach: Valorie Kondos-Field (20th Year)
  • 2010 Record: 24-3
  • 2010 High Score: 197.875 (at Georgia, 3/16/10)
  • Last Meet: at NCAA Los Angeles Regional, 4/10/10 (1st/6, 197.825)
  • 2009 NCAA Finish: 7th (196.625)
  • NCAA Titles: 5

A Glance at the Bruins...

  • UCLA is a five-time NCAA Champion. The Bruins have now qualified for 26 NCAA gymnastics championships.
  • The team is led by sophomore Vanessa Zamarripa who is ranked first in the all-around nationally. She is also tied for first on vault, is No. 2 on bars, No. 4 on beam and No. 10 on floor.
  • UCLA is ranked first on bars and floor, while coming in third on vault and fourth on beam in the national team rankings.
  • NU last met UCLA on March 15, 2009 in Los Angeles, Calif. The Huskers fell to the Bruins 196.625-195.85.

Scouting the Competition: No. 4 Florida

  • Head Coach: Rhonda Faehn (8th Year)
  • 2010 Record: 21-1
  • 2010 High Score: 197.55 (at Georgia, 3/16/10)
  • Last Meet: at NCAA Salt Lake City Regional, 4/10/10 (1st/6, 197.675)
  • 2009 NCAA Finish: 4th (196.70)
  • NCAA Titles: 5

A Glance at the Gators...

  • Florida is making its 28th NCAA Championship appearance in its 29 year history.
  • The team is led by freshmen Ashanee Dickerson and Marissa King, who both rank in the top 20 in the all-around, holding the No. 12 and No. 19 spot, respectively.
  • The Gators rank fourth nationally on vault, are fifth on bars, tied for fourth on beam and hold the No. 7 spot on floor.
  • UF leads the series with Nebraska 19-9. NU last met Florida on April 12, 2008 at the 2008 NCAA Southeast Regional in Gainesville, Fla. The Huskers posted a 196.10 to Florida's 197.525.

Scouting the Competition: No. 6 Michigan Wolverines

  • Head Coach: Bev Plocki (20th Year)
  • 2010 Record: 23-4
  • 2010 High Score: 196.90 (at Big Ten Championship, 3/27/10)
  • Last Meet: at NCAA Morgantown Regional, 4/10/10 (2nd/6, 195.80)
  • 2009 NCAA Finish: DNQ
  • NCAA Titles: 0

A Glance at the Wolverines...

  • Michigan has made it to the NCAA Championships 17 times in the last 18 years
  • The Wolverines took home the program's best regional haul since 2003 at the 2010 NCAA Morgantown Regional. Junior Kylee Botterman won the all-around and tied for first on floor with freshman Natalie Beilstein. Senior Jordan Sexton took first on bars.
  • The Wolverines rank ninth on vault nationally, are No. 10 on bars, are seventh on beam and are tied for ninth on floor.
  • NU leads the series with Michigan 18-16-1. NU last met Michigan on Jan. 24, 2010 at the Devaney Center. The Huskers beat the Wolverines 196.025-194.725.

Scouting the Competition: No. 6 Stanford Cardinal

  • Head Coach: Kristen Smyth (Ninth Year)
  • 2010 Record: 24-3
  • 2010 High Score: 196.80 (at San Jose State, with Cal, 3/5/10)
  • Last Meet: at NCAA Morgantown Regional, 4/10/10 (1st/6, 196.775)
  • 2009 NCAA Finish: Eighth (196.225)
  • NCAA Titles: 0

A Glance at the Cardinal...

  • Stanford has captured a berth at the NCAA Championships for the eighth time in the last 10 years.
  • Junior Shelley Alexander won the vault and beam crowns at the NCAA Morgantown Regional.
  • Stanford is ranked 12th on vault nationally, sixth on bars, 12th on beam and third on floor.
  • NU leads the series with Stanford 6-3. Nebraska last met Stanford on March 3, 2008 in Palo Alto, Calif. The Huskers posted a 196.05 to Stanford's 196.775

Scouting the Competition: No. 8 Oregon State Beavers

  • Head Coach: Tanya Chaplin (13th Year)
  • 2010 Record: 20-7
  • 2010 High Score: 196.925 (at Arizona State, 2/26/10)
  • Last Meet: at NCAA Columbia Regional, 4/10/10 (2nd(t)/6, 196.275)
  • 2009 NCAA Finish: 11th (195.35)
  • NCAA Titles: 0

A Glance at the Beavers...

  • Oregon State qualified for its fifth-straight trip to the NCAA Championships after winning a tie-breaker with Georgia at the NCAA Columbia Regional.
  • Senior Laura-Ann Chong tied for first on bars at the regional.
  • Oregon State is ranked 13th on vault, seventh on bars, sixth on beam and is fifth on floor.
  • NU's series with OSU is tied at 11-11. Nebraska last met Oregon State in 2007 and won, 196.625-195.10.

Scouting the Competition: No. 9 Arkansas Razorbacks

  • Co-Head Coaches: Mark and Rene Cook (Eighth Year)
  • 2010 Record: 11-10-1
  • 2010 High Score: 197.025 (vs. Auburn, 2/15/10)
  • Last Meet: at NCAA Los Angeles Regional, 4/10/10 (2nd/6, 196.675)
  • 2009 NCAA Finish: 5th (196.475)
  • NCAA Titles: 0

A Glance at the Razorbacks...

  • Arkansas qualified for its third straight NCAA Championship and their fourth Championship berth in five years.
  • The Razorbacks posted a 196.675 at the 2010 NCAA Los Angeles Regional, marking a school record score.
  • Arkansas is ranked 11th on vault, 13th on bars, ninth on beam and 12th on floor in the national standings.
  • NU leads the all-time series with Arkansas 4-0. Nebraska last met Arkansas in 2007 at the Super Six Challenge and posted a score of 195.20 to the Razorback's 192.80.

Scouting the Competition: No. 10 Utah Utes

  • Co-Head Coaches: Greg and Megan Marsden (26th/25th Years)
  • 2010 Record: 12-7
  • 2010 High Score: 196.975 (vs. Oregon State, Southern Utah and Penn State, 3/12/10)
  • Last Meet: at NCAA Salt Lake City Regional, 4/10/10 (2nd/6, 196.90)
  • 2009 NCAA Finish: Third (197.425)
  • NCAA Titles: 4

A Glance at the Utes...

  • With its second-place finish at the Salt Lake City Regional, Utah became the only gymnastics team in the nation to qualify for all 29 NCAA Championships.
  • Senior Daria Bijak tied for first on bars at the NCAA Salt Lake Regional. In addition, senior Annie DiLuzio took first on floor.
  • Utah is ranked seventh on vault, 12th on bars, 13th on beam and eighth on floor.
  • Utah leads the all-time series with Nebraska 38-9-2. Nebraska last met Utah on March 5, 2010 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Nebraska fell to the Utes 196.575-195.725.

Scouting the Competition: No. 11 LSU Tigers

  • Head Coach: D-D Breaux (32nd Year)
  • 2010 Record: 15-8-1
  • 2010 High Score: 197.15 (vs. Iowa, 3/12/10)
  • Last Meet: at NCAA University Park Regional, 4/10/10 (2nd/6, 196.40)
  • 2009 NCAA Finish: Sixth (196.375)
  • NCAA Titles: 0

A Glance at the Tigers...

  • LSU is making its ninth straight trip to the NCAA Championships, after coming in second at the 2010 NCAA University Park Regional.
  • Senior Susan Jackson tied for first on vault and took the bars crown at the regional on April 10.
  • The Tigers are ranked eighth on vault, bars and beam and are No. 15 on floor.
  • NU leads the all-time series with LSU 10-9-2. Nebraska last met LSU on March 16, 2010 in Baton Rouge, La. Nebraska fell to the Tigers 197.025-143.75.

Scouting the Competition: No. 15 Missouri Tigers

  • Head Coach: Rob Drass (11th Year)
  • 2010 Record: 17-5
  • 2010 High Score: 196.875 (vs. Illinois State, 2/26/10)
  • Last Meet: at NCAA Columbia Regional, 4/10/10 (1st/6, 196.275)
  • 2009 NCAA Finish: DNQ
  • NCAA Titles: 0

A Glance at the Tigers...

  • The 2010 Missouri squad made history at the NCAA Columbia Regional as the first Missouri team to advance to the NCAA Championships.
  • Senior Sarah Shire took first in the all-around at the regional, setting a new Missouri record of 11 all-around wins in a season. She also came in first on vault and bars and tied for first on floor.
  • The Tigers are ranked at No. 15 on vault and bars, No. 17 on beam and No. 9 on floor.
  • NU leads the all-time series with MU 66-6. Nebraska last met Missouri on Jan. 30, 2010 in Lincoln, Neb. Nebraska topped the Tigers 194.70-193.275.

Davis, Habbib Earn NU's First Regional Crowns Since 2008

Erin Davis continued her impressive junior season at the 2010 NCAA Lexington Regional. The native of Round Rock, Texas posted a 9.90 on vault to finish in a tie for the event crown. Teammate Brittnee Habbib produced a breakthrough performance on bars, hitting a career-high 9.90 and tying for first place in the event. The last Huskers to take top Regional honors were Emily Parsons (beam, floor) and Tricia Woo (floor) in 2008. NU had not taken home a regional bars title since 2000.

Nebraska Takes Home Four Individual Big 12 Event Titles

The Huskers saw Erin Davis, Lora Evenstad and Maddie Steinauer each collect conference hardware of their own at the 2010 Big 12 Championship in Lincoln on March 27. Davis, Evenstad and Steinauer all tied for the vault crown (9.90) at the event. The score was a career-high mark for Evenstad and Steinauer. Evenstad, a sophomore from Grand Forks, N.D., also earned first-place honors on floor with another mark of 9.90.

The top four finishers in each event at the Championship, including the all-around, were also named to the All-Big 12 Championship Team.  Evenstad was named to the team for three events after finishing first on vault (9.90), third on bars (9.85) and first on floor (9.90). Steinauer and Davis also took home honors on vault for their first place finishes (9.90). Kassandra Nathe was included with a second place finish on beam (9.875), while Maria Scaffidi was earned a spot after coming in second in the all-around (39.25).

Seven Huskers Earn Academic All-Big 12 Accolades

The Big 12 Conference named 32 student-athletes to the 2010 Academic All-Big 12 Gymnastics Team, including Nebraska seniors Kathryn Howard and Kylie Stone, juniors Brittnee Habbib and Maria Scaffidi and sophomores Lora Evenstad, Kristin Fyffe and Kassandra Nathe, the league office announced.

Howard, who was most recently named the 2010 Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Honor Roll, is an advertising major at Nebraska. She has been named Academic All-Big 12 three times in her career and is a five-time honoree of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll.

Stone, an elementary education major at Nebraska, was a named to first-team All-Big 12 after being a second-team honoree in 2009.  She has been named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll three times in her Husker career.

Habbib, who majors in communication studies, earned the first Academic All-Big 12 honors of her career after being named to the first team. She has earned a spot on the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll two times in her career.

Evenstad, who has been awarded three Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll accolades, was named to the first team. She joins fellow sophomores Fyffe and Nathe for first-team honors. Fyffe, an accounting major at NU, is also a three-time honoree of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll, while Nathe has been named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll on two occasions.

Scaffidi was included on the Academic All-Big 12 second team. She is a four-time honoree of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll.

Davis, Evenstad Named All-Big 12

Two Huskers were named to the 2010 All-Big 12 Team, the conference office announced. Junior Erin Davis and sophomore Lora Evenstad combined for two all-conference awards. Davis landed all-conference honors on vault with a 9.935 RQS that ranks second in the country. She is a two-time All-Big 12 honoree on vault.

Evenstad earned the first All-Big 12 honors of her career on floor with a 9.90 RQS that ties her at 16th in the country. She previously earned All-Big 12 Championship Team accolades on floor as a freshman.

Howard Headlines Nebraska's Beam Lineup

Senior Kathryn Howard returned to the Husker lineup ready to lead a young squad on bars and beam. She entered her senior season bringing considerable experience and clutch performances over her Husker career. Howard posted a 9.85 on beam against Washington to tie teammates Kylie Stone and Brittnee Habbib for the event title. She earned her second beam title in a row with a 9.85 against Minnesota and Illinois. Howard also hit a season-high 9.775 on bars against Michigan on Jan. 24. She took second on beam (9.775) against Missouri on Jan. 30 and tied her season-high on the event (9.85) against Oklahoma and TWU. She shared the beam title at the IGI Chicago Style Invite, tying her season-high for the fourth time (9.85). Howard then hit a new season high on beam at the Sweetheart Invite (9.875). She won another beam title at the Masters Classic, scoring a 9.85. She tallied a season-high 9.85 on bars at Utah on March 5.  In her senior day performance against Iowa State, Howard tied her career-high score on bars (9.85) while also tying for second in the event. In addition, she posted a 9.825 on beam to take third. She added another beam title to her list of accomplishments at Penn State, hitting a season-high-tying 9.875. Howard tied for fourth on beam at the NCAA Lexington Regional with a score of 9.80. She also hit a 9.825 on bars.

A clean gymnast, Howard performs with long lines and will be an asset to Nebraska's success this season. An All-Big 12 performer on beam, she is also a leader in the classroom for NU, as a three-time first-team academic All-Big 12 selection.

Kendig Builds One of Nation's Top Programs at Nebraska

Head Coach Dan Kendig is the all-time winningest coach in the 33 years of Nebraska women's gymnastics history. In 17 seasons at Nebraska, Kendig is 371-143-4 overall and 260-57-2 in regular-season meets. Kendig is in his 27th year of coaching and owns a career record of 484-255-5.

An eight-time Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year, Kendig has guided the Huskers to 11 conference championships and three straight regional championships from 2000 to 2002. He was most recently named the 2009 Big 12 Coach of the Year.

He has also led Nebraska to 11 NCAA Championship appearances in the past 15 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 2009, Nebraska finished with a 16-7 overall record. The Huskers placed third at the NCAA Southeast Regional in their 26th straight NCAA postseason appearance. One of Kendig's gymnasts -- Kylie Stone (UB) -- earned an All-America honor. Additionally, Brittney Williams captured her first Big 12 title on bars at the competition in Ames, Iowa.

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

Stone Provides Leadership for Husker Squad

Senior Kylie Stone has led Nebraska in 2010 after earning her second All-America award in 2009. She experienced an injury in the Masters Classic on Feb. 28, which has sidelined her from the sport.

Prior to her injury, Stone captured the first event title of her senior season against Washington, with a 9.85 on beam. The mark tied her career-high score. She posted a new season-high of 9.85 on bars against Minnesota and Illinois on Jan. 15 and took the event crown. Stone posted a season-high 9.85 on bars, and came in second on vault (9.80) against Michigan. She earned her second bars crown of the season with a 9.825 on the event against Missouri on Jan. 30 and was named Big 12 Event Specialist-of-the-Week for her performance. She posted a season-high 9.875 on vault at the IGI Chicago Style Invite and tied for second in the event. At the Sweetheart Invite on Feb. 20, Stone tied her season-high on vault (9.85) and hit a new season-high on bars (9.875), where she also tied for first on the event.

The Calgary, Alberta, native was named the 2009 Co-Big 12 Gymnast of the Year after winning 18 individual titles, including five in the all-around and seven on floor. She was named Big 12 Gymnast of the Week four times as well as being named All-Big 12 and to the All-Big 12 Championship Team.

Stone was Nebraska's lone competitor at the 2009 NCAA Championships. She took fourth in the all-around at the NCAA Southeast Regional to advance to the NCAA Championships. At nationals, Stone again proved her will and determination. After suffering an injury in practice the week before the meet, she turned in a solid bars performance to score a 9.85 and earn second-team All-America honors.

Scaffidi Leads Juniors as All-Arounder

Maria Scaffidi returned to NU's lineup after missing the 2009 season due to an injury suffered in preseason training. A consistent all-around performer for the Huskers in 2008, she brings a strong and explosive style of gymnastics back to Nebraska's lineup.  Scaffidi opened the 2010 season as if she hadn't missed a beat, earning the second all-around title of her career, after posting a solid 39.00 as she starred for the Huskers. She also took top honors on floor, tying her career-high mark of 9.875. Scaffidi hit a career-high 9.90 on floor against Minnesota and Illinois to take the event title. She also improved her all-around score to 39.25. Scaffidi tied her season-high mark on floor (9.80) to take third in the event against Michigan. She took first in the all-around (39.225), tied her season-high on vault (9.85) and her career-high on beam (9.85) against Oklahoma and TWU on Feb. 5. Scaffidi placed second on floor at the IGI Chicago Style Invite, receiving a score of 9.875 and posted a season-high 9.825 on bars at the Sweetheart Invite. She added a career-high all-around score of 39.30 at the Masters Classic on Feb. 28. In the Huskers' meet at Utah, Scaffidi tied her career-high vault score of 9.85 for the third time and also took second on beam with a mark of 9.825. She tied for second in the all-around (39.125) against Iowa State. Scaffidi hit a season-high 9.85 on bars at Penn State en route to winning the all-around title (39.275). She tied her career-high vault score of 9.85 at the 2010 Big 12 Championship. In addition, she came in second in the all-around standings, with a total of 39.25. She earned a spot on the All-Big 12 Championship team. Scaffidi matched her career-high mark on floor at the 2010 NCAA Lexington Regional, hitting a 9.90 and tying for third.

Erin Davis gained experience on vault and floor as a sophomore and proved to be one of the Huskers' clutch performers on both events. In opening her junior season, she helped the Huskers to a team vault score of 49.00 against Washington by posting a mark of 9.825. She was named Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week after posting a perfect 10.0 on the vault against Minnesota and Illinois, the first of her career. She is the first Husker to receive a perfect score on the event since 2007.  In addition, she also posted a 9.75 on floor on Jan. 15. Against Michigan, Davis hit a career-high 9.90 on floor to tie for the event crown with Lora Evenstad. It was the first floor title of her career. Davis also earned top vault honors with a mark of 9.875 against the Wolverines. She also tied for first on vault (9.90) against Oklahoma and TWU. Davis earned top honors on vault on Feb. 12 with a stellar mark of 9.95. She showed her knack for consistency at the Sweetheart Invite, as she hit a 9.95 to lead the Huskers and take the event title for the third-straight week. She hit a vault score of 9.925 at Utah and against Iowa State on March 14 and was named the Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week again. Davis scored another 9.925 on the event against Penn State. She earned a share of her first Big 12 event title at the Championships on March 27, as she tied for first on vault with a 9.90. Davis was also named an All-Big 12 performer and to the All-Big 12 Championship Team. She has scored a 9.90 or better on vault nine times this season, and is ranked third nationally. Davis tallied her fist regional crown after posting a 9.90 on vault and tying for first the NCAA Lexington Regional on April 10.

Davis took home All-Big 12 honors on vault as a sophomore and serves as a solid veteran competitor on the event. She started 2009 by winning the first event crown of her career, taking top honors on vault at Denver. She also tallied season highs on vault and floor and won her second vault crown of the season at Michigan. Davis came in second on vault (9.925) at Utah.

Brittnee Habbib returned to Nebraska's lineup in 2009 as an experienced performer. She kicked-off her junior campaign in stellar form, earning the first event titles of her career against Washington. Habbib took first on bars (9.85), and tied for first on beam (9.85). Her mark on beam tied her career-high score set in 2008. She earned season-high marks of 9.85 and 9.80 on bars and floor against Michigan. She took third on floor (9.775) against Missouri on Jan. 30 and posted a season-high 9.85 on floor against Oklahoma and TWU. Habbib came in third on beam at the IGI Chicago Style Invite (9.80). She won her second bars crown of the year at the Masters Classic, tying her season-high score of 9.85. Habbib tied for third on beam (9.80) at Utah and also tied her season-high score of 9.85 on floor. She tied her career-high bars score of 9.875 against Iowa State on March 14. The mark earned her the third bars crown of her junior season. She also hit a 9.825 to take second on floor. She tied her season-high mark on beam (9.85) against Penn State on March 20. Habbib produced a stellar performance on bars at the NCAA Lexington Regional on April 10, notching a 9.90 and her first regional crown.

Habbib consistently contributed on bars, beam and floor throughout her sophomore campaign and is poised to do so again, with a big demand for her elegant style of gymnastics. She posted a strong performance for Nebraska at Iowa State in 2009, taking second on floor. She tied her career high of 9.875 on bars against Michigan, as she took second in the event.

Transfer Maddie Steinauer came to the Huskers from Cal State Fullerton, where she was a solid contributor on vault for the Titans. She performed well in her Husker debut, competing on vault (9.75), beam (9.775) and floor (9.675) for Nebraska. Steinauer hit a career-high of 9.775 on floor against Minnesota and Illinois on Jan. 15, and also posted a season-high 9.825 on vault.  She tied her career high of 9.775 on beam and posted a new career high of 9.825 on floor against Michigan on Jan. 24. Steinauer tied for third on beam (9.725) and floor (9.775) against Missouri. She posted a career-high 9.80 on beam against Oklahoma and TWU on Feb. 5. She tied her career-high score of 9.80 on beam at the IGI Chicago Style Invite on Feb. 12. Steinauer notched the first event title of her junior season at the Masters Classic, hitting a career-high 9.85 on vault to tie for first in the event. She also tied her season-high floor score (9.825). Steinauer matched her career-high vault score of 9.85 against Iowa State on March 14. She kicked-off NU's vault lineup at Penn State with a solid 9.875. Steinauer added a Big 12 title to her list of accomplishments, tying for first on vault with a career-high 9.90. She was named to the All-Big 12 Championship Team.  She posted a score of 9.875 on vault at the NCAA Lexington Regional on April 10.

Sophomores Provide Spark

Lora Evenstad, Kristin Fyffe and Kassandra Nathe have returned as sophomores to add depth to the NU squad. Evenstad, the 2009 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, took second on bars and vault at Washington with a 9.825 on each event. She continued her solid night with a 9.85 on floor. She tied her season highs on vault (9.85), bars (9.825) and floor (9.85) against Minnesota and Illinois on Jan. 15. She posted a career high of 9.875 on bars against Michigan, while also hitting a season-high 9.90 on floor. Her score on floor earned her a tie for first in the event with teammate Erin Davis. Evenstad took second on bars (9.775) and on floor (9.80) as the Huskers took on Missouri on Jan. 30 and tied her season-high floor score (9.90) on Feb. 5 against Oklahoma and TWU. She took first on floor at the IGI Chicago Style Invite, matching her season-best score (9.90) for the third time this season. At the Sweetheart Invite, Evenstad earned the floor crown and tied her season-high mark of 9.90 for the fourth time this season. She tied for the vault crown at the Masters Classic (9.85) and won the floor title (9.90). She tied her career-high score of 9.925 on floor at Utah to also tie for second in the event. Evenstad took first on floor against Iowa State, posting a mark of 9.875. She earned her first Big 12 Championship event titles on March 27, tying for first on vault (9.90) and floor (9.90). Evenstad was named to the All-Big 12 Championship Team for both events and was also named All-Big 12 on floor. Evenstad produced her ninth score of 9.90 or higher on floor at the NCAA Lexington Regional, tying for third in the event.

Evenstad kicked off her Husker career in smashing form, proving to be a stellar performer on floor and a solid contributor on vault and bars in 2009. At the Big 12 Championships she earned a spot on the All-Big 12 Championship team after finishing second on floor (9.90).

Nathe provides invaluable experience for NU, after competing in every meet as an all-arounder in 2009. She improved her season-best score on bars to 9.825 against Minnesota and Illinois. Nathe competed on beam for the first time all season against Michigan, earning a score of 9.725. She hit a career-high 9.875 on beam on Feb. 5 against Oklahoma and TWU. Nathe posted a season-high 9.85 on bars at the IGI Chicago Style Invite. The score put her in a tie for first place on the event. She then earned a piece of the beam crown against Iowa State, receiving a score of 9.85. Nathe tied her career-high score on bars at Penn State, hitting a 9.85. She tied for second on beam (9.875) at the 2010 Big 12 Championship, notching a spot on the All-Big 12 Championship Team.

At the 2009 Big 12 Championships, Nathe hit a career-high 9.85 on vault to take third and was named to the All-Big 12 Championship team for her performance. She placed ninth in the all-around (38.85), 15th on vault (9.825) and 11th on bars (9.80) at the 2009 NCAA Southeast Regional.

Fyffe was a solid contributor on vault and beam for NU in 2009 and has done the same in 2010. She saw action on beam for the Huskers at Washington. Fyffe posted a season-high 9.70 on beam as the Huskers took on Minnesota and Illinois on Jan. 15. She competed on vault for the first time this season on Jan. 30, receiving a score of 9.75. She added a season-high vault score of 9.80 at the Masters Classic. Fyffe posted a career-high mark of 9.875 to tie for second on vault against Iowa State on March 14.

In 2009 Fyffe posted a score of 9.80 on vault against Oklahoma and tied her career-high mark of 9.80 on beam at the Masters Classic. She continually improved over the course of the season, wrapping up the regular season with a career-high 9.825 on vault at Arizona State.

Looking to the Future: The New Husker Class

Nebraska welcomed three freshmen to its roster: Hannah Bower, Janelle Giblin and Brittany Skinner.

Bower, a native of Loveland, Colo., was the first three-time 5A Colorado all-around champion. In addition to etching her name in Colorado gymnastics history, she was inducted into the Colorado Sports Women's Hall of Fame.

Giblin came to Lincoln from Airborne Gymnastics in Santa Clara, Calif. A level 10 competitor, she was the 2008 state bars, beam, floor and all-around champion en route to taking the 2008 regional level 10 bars, beam, floor and all-around crowns. She posted a career-high of 9.725 on bars at the NCAA Lexington Regional on April 10. It was only the second bars performance of her Husker career.

Skinner was also a level 10 product from Airborne Gymnastics. She made her Husker debut at Washington, where she posted a 9.725 on vault and a 9.10 on floor. Skinner improved in her second week of competition for NU, hitting a 9.825 on vault and a 9.625 on floor. She showed her knack for performing as she hit a career-high 9.85 on floor when the Huskers took on Michigan on Jan. 24. She hit a career-high 9.85 on beam against Oklahoma and TWU on Feb. 5. Skinner matched her career-high score of 9.875 on vault and 9.85 on floor at the IGI Chicago Style Invite. She came in tied at second on vault and third on floor as a result of her efforts. In a last minute decision, Skinner was placed in the all-around lineup for the first time at the Masters Classic. In her first collegiate beam performance outside of exhibition routines, she hit a 9.825 to take second in the event. She totaled an all-around score of 39.125. In her second all-around competition, Skinner hit a career-high on bars (9.80) en route to posting an all-around score of 38.875. Skinner tied both her career-high bars (9.85) and all-around (39.125) scores against Iowa State on March 14.

Skinner was a three-time level 10 national qualifier and four-time level 10 regional qualifier. In 2009 she made the NorCal State Team while taking second on bars and placing third in the all-around at the state meet. She was also the 2009 Regional vault and all-around champion, while taking second on beam.