No. 9 Nebraska Takes on No. 4 Utah in Home Opener

• Nebraska Head Coach: Dan Kendig (18th Year)
• Current Team Record: 1-1 (1-0 Big 12)
• 2011 High Score: 195.45 (at Iowa State, 1/14/11)
• 2010 NCAA Finish: 7th (196.175)

The ninth-ranked Nebraska women's gymnastics team takes on No. 4 Utah this Saturday, Jan. 22 in the Huskers' first home meet of the season. Competition is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Devaney Center. The Utes lead the all-time series with the Huskers, 39-9-2. NU last met Utah on March 5, 2010 in Salt Lake City, where Utah topped the Huskers, 196.625-196.175.

Following their opening weekend, the Huskers hit the road for the Metroplex Challenge with Alabama, Missouri and LSU in Fort Worth, Texas. The meet starts at 7 p.m. CST.

"Pepsi Pack the House"

The dual with Utah on Jan. 22 is also NU's "Pepsi Pack the House" promotion day, with $1 admission and $1 Pepsi (22 oz.) products at the Devaney Center.

UNL Student Appreciation Day

Nebraska Gymnastics is honoring all UNL students as the Huskers take on Utah on Jan. 22. The first 50 UNL students at the meet will receive a free Adidas Nebraska T-shirt.

Scouting the Competition: No. 4 Utah

• Co-Head Coaches: Greg and Meg Marsden (36th/27th Year)
• 2011 Record: 2-0
• 2011 High Score: 195.90 (at Georgia, 1/15/11)
• 2010 NCAA Finish: Sixth  

A Glance at the Utes...

• Senior All-American Kyndal Robarts is ranked No. 1 in the nation on vault with a 9.938 average. She has won two vault crowns on the season, scoring a 9.925 vs. UCLA and a career-tying 9.95 at Georgia last week.
• Junior All-American Stephanie McAllister is ranked 11th nationally in the all-around with a 39.238 average.
• The Utes hold the No. 4 spot in the national team rankings. Utah is also ranked third on vault, 11th on bars, tied for second on beam and 14th on floor.
• The Utes earned their first win at Georgia since 1995 last week, defeating UGA 195.90-195.80.

Nebraska's Competition Order vs. Utah

Rotation                        Nebraska                      Utah
1                                  Vault                             Uneven Bars
2                                  Uneven Bars                 Vault
3                                  Balance Beam               Floor Exercise
4                                  Floor Exercise               Balance Beam

Huskers in the National Ranks

The Nebraska women's gymnastics team is ranked No. 9 nationally in the latest GymInfo poll released Monday. The poll, which is calculated by total season average, also ranks NU second in the South Central region and in the Big 12 Conference. In addition, the Huskers are ranked 10th nationally in team vault scoring (48.913), 13th on bars (48.80), 15th on beam (48.575) and eighth on floor (48.913).

Individually, junior Lora Evenstad is tied for seventh on floor (9.875) after earning the floor title at Iowa State with a score of 9.875. Sophomore Janelle Giblin is tied for 23rd in the all-around (39.025) following her impressive weekend at Iowa State where she made her all-around debut for NU.

Huskers See Strong Performances in 2011

The Nebraska women's gymnastics team has entered the 2011 season with the potential for national success and the goal to capture the Big 12 championship. With four returning All-Americans, as well as a total of nine returning letterwinners and four newcomers, the Huskers once again should rank high among the nation's elite collegiate programs. Head Coach Dan Kendig, who enters his 18th season at NU, Associate Head Coach Danna Durante and Assistant Coach Tim Garrison are poised to guide Nebraska to its 15th NCAA Championships appearance.

"We have a great group and a great team," Kendig said. "They are very talented and strong athletes and a fun group to work with. They walk in every day excited about what will be thrown at them. The training is hard, the work ethic is there and they guard against going through the motions. Wherever this team wants to go, they'll be able to accomplish it."

All-Americans Shine for Nebraska

Although Nebraska faces a schedule filled with the country's best teams, the Huskers own an impressive roster of their own, supplemented by four returning All-Americans. Junior Lora Evenstad and sophomore Brittany Skinner both earned first-team accolades on vault at the 2010 NCAA Championships, while sophomore Janelle Giblin and junior Kassandra Nathe captured second-team honors on bars.

Kendig Builds One of Nation's Top Programs at Nebraska

Head Coach Dan Kendig is the all-time winningest coach in the 34 years of Nebraska women's gymnastics history. In 18 seasons at Nebraska, Kendig is 394-151-4 overall and 270-59-2 in regular-season meets. Kendig is in his 28th year of coaching and owns a career record of 507-263-5.

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 13 NCAA Championship appearances in the past 16 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 2010, Nebraska finished with a 23-8 overall record. The Huskers took seventh at the 2010 NCAA Championships in Gainesville, Fla., in their 27th straight NCAA postseason appearance. Five of Kendig's gymnasts --Lora Evenstad (V), Brittany Skinner (V), Janelle Giblin (UB), Kathryn Howard (UB) and Kassandra Nathe (UB) -- earned All-America honors.

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

Giblin Debuts as All-Arounder

Sophomore All-American Janelle Giblin debuted as an all-arounder for Nebraska against Iowa State, totaling a career-high score of 39.025. It marked the first all-around performance of her career and made her the first all-arounder to compete for the Huskers in 2011. Giblin is tied for 23rd in the national all-around rankings. The native of San Ramon, Calif., also hit a career-high mark of 9.825 on vault for second in the meet and posted career highs of 9.675 and 9.75 on beam and floor, respectively.

NU Looks to Seniors for Leadership, Experience

After resting the first two meets of the season, senior Erin Davis will look to make an impact for the Huskers against some of their toughest competition yet. As a junior, Davis had a breakout year in 2010, highlighted by a perfect 10.0 on vault against Minnesota and Illinois on Jan. 15. Davis earned a share of her first Big 12 event title at the championships on March 27, as she tied for first on vault. She tallied her first regional crown on vault and tied for first at the NCAA Lexington Regional on April 10. She notched nine individual titles in 2010 and posted nine scores of 9.90 or better on vault. Davis was consistently ranked among the top-five vaulters in the country throughout the season.

Brittnee Habbib opened her senior year by leading the Huskers in the season opener as she took second on bars with a score of 9.85 as the Huskers took on Florida on Jan. 7. Habbib notched her first event title of the season with a 9.825 on beam at Iowa State, tying for first-place in the event.

Maria Scaffidi returned to NU's lineup as a strong and focused all-around competitor. She returned from injury in 2010 and didn't miss a beat, totaling six individual titles in 2010, including four in the all-around. She has competed on bars and beam for the Huskers in 2011.

Maddie Steinauer opened her senior campaign by hitting a 9.75 on vault, a 9.80 on beam and a 9.825 on floor for the Huskers against Florida on Jan. 7. She tied her career highs on both beam and floor against the Gators. She earned a mark of 9.825 on beam at Iowa State, tying for the event crown. She also tied for fourth on vault (9.775) and fifth on floor (9.80).

Evenstad, Juniors Supply Spark

All-American Lora Evenstad took fourth on floor against Florida with a team-high score of 9.875. She also posted a 9.80 on vault and a 9.75 on bars. At Iowa State on Jan. 14, she captured the floor title with a season-high-tying score of 9.875. She took second on vault, notching a 9.85 and posted a 9.75 on bars. She is currently tied for seventh in the national floor rankings with an average of 9.875.

Kassandra Nathe returned as a steady and indispensible gymnast for NU. A second-team All-American on bars, she tallied a career-high 9.85 on bars and 9.875 on beam, en route to posting two individual event titles as a sophomore.

Kaitlin Reid joined the Huskers after spending two seasons at Cal State Fullerton, where she was a bars and beam specialist for the Titans. The Huskers will look for steady improvement from her as she competes for a spot in NU's lineups.

Sophomores Set Themselves Apart

All-American Janelle Giblin opened her sophomore campaign by debuting on two new events for the Huskers, competing on vault and beam. Giblin debuted as an all-arounder for Nebraska against Iowa State, totaling a career-high score of 39.025. It marked the first all-around performance of her career and made her the first all-arounder to compete for the Huskers in 2011. Giblin is tied for 23rd in the national all-around rankings. The San Ramon, Calif., native also hit a career-high mark of 9.825 on vault for second in the meet and posted career highs of 9.675 and 9.75 on beam and floor, respectively.

First-Team All-American Skinner received marks of 9.775 on vault, 9.75 on bars and 9.625 on beam as NU took on Florida on Jan. 7. She earned the bars title at Iowa State with a season-high 9.825. 

Freshmen Provide Solid Contributions

Nebraska welcomed three freshmen to its roster in 2011: Deanna Barmore, Jamie Schleppenbach and Emily Wong. All three freshmen have provided strong contributions for the Huskers in their first collegiate meets.

Barmore, a native of Omaha, Neb., competed for Coach Barb Bottieri at Nebraska Gold Gymnastics in Omaha and was a four-time national qualifier.  She contributed on NU's vault and beam lineups against the Gators on Jan. 7. She notched a career-high 9.725 on vault at Iowa State on Jan. 14.

Schleppenbach came to Nebraska from the Nebraska School of Gymnastics in Lincoln. She took second in the all-around at the 2009 Level 10 Region IV Championships, while placing fifth in the all-around at the 2010 Region IV Championships. Schleppenbach aided the Huskers on vault and floor in her first collegiate meet at Florida, hitting a 9.75 and 9.65, respectively. She captured her first event title at Iowa State with a 9.875 on vault. Schleppenbach also hit a 9.775 on floor for NU. 

Wong is also a Level 10 product from Red River Valley Gymnastics in Grand Forks, N.D. She was the North Dakota state all-around champion in 2008 and 2009, in addition to being the North Dakota vault, bars, beam and floor champion in 2009. Wong proved to be very impressive in her Husker debut, tallying a 9.675 on bars, 9.775 on beam and a 9.80 on floor.  At Iowa State on Jan. 14, she earned a share of the beam title with a mark of 9.825. Wong also posted a 9.775 on floor.