No. 11 Huskers in the Hunt at Big 12 Championships

• Nebraska Head Coach: Dan Kendig (18th Year)
• Current Team Record: 9-7 (4-1 Big 12)
• 2011 High Score: 197.30 (vs. Arizona State, 3/6/11)
• 2010 NCAA Finish: 7th (196.175)

The No. 11 Nebraska women's gymnastics team travels to the Big 12 Championships in Columbia, Mo. this Saturday, March 19. Competition begins at 2 p.m. at Missouri's Hearnes Center. The Huskers face defending Big 12 champion No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 20 Iowa State and Missouri.

NU is 9-7 on the year after finishing the regular season with a win over Iowa State. The Huskers posted a 196.30 to top the Cyclones (195.575) as they sent their seniors out with a victory in their final home meet of the season.

Nebraska has captured eight of 14 Big 12 Conference team titles from 1997 to 2010, bringing NU to a program total of 20 conference championships. Only Nebraska (1997-99, 2001-03, 2005, 2007), Iowa State (2000, 2006) and Oklahoma (2004, 2008, 2009, 2010) have won team titles in Big 12 women's gymnastics history.

Individually, Nebraska gymnasts have won a total of 96 conference event titles over 30 seasons.

Following this weekend's conference championships, the announcement of NCAA Regional fields will occur on Monday, March 21.

Rotation Order Announced for Big 12 Championships

Rotation                        Vault                             Bars                             Beam                            Floor

1                                  Iowa State                     Nebraska                      Missouri                        Oklahoma

2                                  Oklahoma                     Iowa State                     Nebraska                      Missouri

3                                  Missouri                        Oklahoma                     Iowa State                     Nebraska

4                                  Nebraska                      Missouri                        Oklahoma                     Iowa State

Scouting the Competition: No. 4 Oklahoma

• Head Coach: K.J. Kindler (5th Year)
• 2011 Record: 15-0
• 2011 High Score: 197.225 (at Iowa State, 2/11/11)
• 2010 NCAA Finish: 2nd

A Glance at the Sooners... 

• Last week the Sooners clinched a perfect regular season by topping Michigan State 196.875-194.80 Friday evening at the Lloyd Noble Center.
• Oklahoma is ranked No. 4 in the latest GymInfo Poll. The Sooners also hold the No. 7 spot on vault, No. 10 spot on bars, No. 2 spot on beam and are tied for third on floor nationally.
• OU is the reigning Big 12 Champion, after posting a 197.175 to win the event last year at the Devaney Center.
• Oklahoma boasts five different gymnasts in the top 20 rankings for vault, bars, beam and floor, led by junior Megan Ferguson, who is tied for fifth on beam.

Scouting the Competition: No. 20 Iowa State

• Head Coach: Jay Ronayne (5th Year)
• 2011 Record: 7-5-2
• 2011 High Score: 196.35 (vs. Iowa, 2/18/11)
• 2010 NCAA Finish: DNQ

A Glance at the Cyclones...

• Last week the Cyclones closed the regular season with a loss at Nebraska. Iowa State fell to the Huskers 196.30-195.575.
• Iowa State is ranked No. 20 in the latest GymInfo Poll. The Cyclones hold the No. 13 spot on bars and the No. 11 spot on floor nationally.
• Junior Michelle Browning is tied for 20th in the national all-around rankings. In addition, freshman Camille Santerre-Gervais is tied for 21st on bars.
• Last year at the Big 12 Championships, Iowa State came in fourth with a score of 194.85.

Scouting the Competition: Missouri

• Head Coach: Rob Drass (12th Year)
• 2011 Record: 6-7
• 2011 High Score: 195.40 (vs. Nebraska, 2/4/11)
• 2010 NCAA Finish: 12th

A Glance at the Tigers...

• Last week the Tigers closed the regular season by coming in second at Ohio State and with Pittsburgh. Missouri posted a score of 193.325.
• Missouri is led by junior Mary Burke, who is ranked 24th in the all-around nationally and is tied for 16th on beam.
• In their meet at Ohio State, Burke came in second in the all-around with a score of 38.70 She has been named the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week four times this season.
• Last year at the Big 12 Championships Missouri placed third with a score of 195.90.

Huskers in the National Ranks

The Nebraska women's gymnastics team is ranked 11th this week in the latest GymInfo poll. The poll, which is calculated by regional qualifying score, also ranks NU second in the South Central region and in the Big 12 Conference. In addition, the Huskers are ranked third nationally in team vault scoring (49.38), seventh on bars (49.22), and are tied for eighth on floor (49.15).

Individually, senior Erin Davis is ranked first on vault, with an RQS of 9.935. Davis has earned six vault crowns on the season. This is the third-straight week she has held the No. 1 spot on the event. Junior Lora Evenstad is tied for 15th on vault (9.885) and is ranked fourth on floor (9.90), while freshman Jamie Schleppenbach is tied for No. 21 in the vault rankings (9.88).

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 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.

Huskers Tally 11 on Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Honor Roll

The Nebraska women's gymnastics team placed 11 gymnasts among 358 Husker student-athletes honored as members of the Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Honor Roll, the conference office announced. The honor roll recognizes student-athletes with a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher during the previous semester, and within Nebraska's 358 selections, 43 earned perfect 4.0 GPAs.

Senior Maria Scaffidi led the impressive contingent of women's gymnasts on the list, as she posted a perfect 4.0 GPA and was included for the seventh time in her career. Juniors Lora Evenstad and Kassandra Nathe also earned their fifth honor, while freshman Janelle Giblin received the third such accolade of her career. Senior Erin Davis, junior Kaitlin Reid and freshmen Deanna Barmore and Emily Wong all earned nods on the honor roll as well. Additionally, former Huskers Hannah Bower, Kristin Fyffe and Stephanie Seich were honored for the second, fifth and fourth time, respectively. 

League-Leading Seven Huskers Earn Academic All-Big 12 Accolades

The Big 12 Conference named 22 student-athletes to the 2011 Academic All-Big 12 Gymnastics Team, including Nebraska seniors Maria Scaffidi, Maddie Steinauer, Erin Davis, Brittnee Habbib, former Husker Stephanie Seich, junior Lora Evenstad and sophomore Janelle Giblin. Nebraska led the field with its seven selections. Scaffidi, Steinauer, Evenstad and Giblin tallied first-team honors, while Davis, Habbib and Seich were named to the second team. 

Four Huskers Notch All-Big 12 Honors

Four Huskers were named to the 2011 All-Big 12 Team as senior Erin Davis, junior Lora Evenstad, sophomore Janelle Giblin and freshman Jamie Schleppenbach combined for five all-conference awards.               

Davis landed all-conference honors on vault with a 9.935 RQS that ranks first in the country. She is a three-time All-Big 12 honoree on the event.

Evenstad earned two All-Big 12 honors, tallying accolades on vault with a 9.885 RQS and on floor with a RQS of 9.90. She holds the No. 4 spot nationally on floor and is ranked first on the event in the Big 12. She was previously an All-Big 12 selection on floor as a sophomore.

Giblin tallied the first All-Big 12 accolades of her career on bars. She boasts an RQS of 9.86 on the event and is ranked fourth on bars in the Big 12.

Schleppenbach notched All-Big 12 honors on vault, with an RQS of 9.880. She is tied at No. 21 nationally and is ranked fourth on the event in the Big 12.

Huskers Garner Conference Honors

Freshman Jamie Schleppenbach was honored as Co-Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, the conference office announced. It marked her second Newcomer of the Week distinction this year.

Schleppenbach earned the conference honor after hitting a career-high 9.95 on vault against Iowa State on Sunday, earning her second vault title of the season. The Lincoln, Neb., native had previously recorded a high of 9.90 on vault before receiving her career-high mark on Sunday as NU defeated ISU, 196.30-195.575.

Senior Erin Davis has earned five Event Specialist of the Week accolades this season, the most by a gymnast in a single year since the award began in 2007.

Prior to Davis' and Schleppenbach's awards, NU saw Lora Evenstad earn Gymnast of the Week honors after making her first all-around performance at the Metroplex Challenge.

Competing Against the Nation's Elite

Nebraska is 9-7 on the season, counting its only losses to top-10 opponents such as No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Stanford, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 7 Utah and No. 9 Michigan.

Giblin, Evenstad Debut as All-Arounders

Sophomore All-American Janelle Giblin debuted as an all-arounder for Nebraska against Iowa State, totaling a 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. A native of San Ramon, Calif., Giblin added a career-high 9.875 on vault and a 39.125 in the all-around against Missouri on Feb. 4. She posted a career-high-tying 9.875 on bars against Oklahoma on Feb. 6. Giblin matched her career-best score on bars at Michigan and at the Masters Classic and on vault and beam at Denver. She also hit a career-high 9.85 on floor at the Masters Classic. She posted a career-best 9.85 on beam and 39.275 in the all-around against Arizona State, taking first in both events. Giblin matched her career-high on floor against Iowa State, posting a 9.85. She also earned All-Big 12 honors on bars and was selected as a first-team Academic All-Big 12 honoree.

Junior All-American Lora Evenstad made her all-around debut at the Metroplex Challenge, posting an impressive score of 39.275. She notched scores of 9.875 on vault, 9.85 on bars and a career high on beam (9.775). Evenstad hit a 9.90 on vault and posted a new career-high 9.925 on bars at Michigan. She tabbed another 9.90 on floor at Denver on Feb. 19, and tallied a 9.90 on vault and a career-high-tying 9.925 on floor at the Masters Classic. Evenstad added a career-best 9.95 on vault against Arizona State. She tied her career-high score of 9.925 on floor against Iowa State.  She earned All-Big 12 honors on vault and floor and was named to the first-team Academic All-Big 12. She is currently tied for 15th on vault and is ranked fourth on floor nationally. 

NU Looks to Seniors for Leadership, Experience

Erin Davis debuted with a bang for the Huskers in the third week of competition against Utah. The senior from Round Rock, Texas hit a season-high 9.925 on vault. She was named the Co-Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week for her efforts. Davis earned the vault crown for the second straight week, hitting a 9.925 at the Metroplex Challenge, she also posted a 9.80 on floor. Davis was named Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week for the second-straight week. Davis did not disappoint against Missouri on Feb. 4 and against Oklahoma two days later, hitting a 9.925 on the event in both meets, and adding two more event crowns. She picked up her third straight Event Specialist of the Week honor, and fifth of her career, after claiming the two vault titles. She was the fourth gymnast, and third Husker, to win three Event Specialist honors in a season since the award was created in 2007 and first to win three in a row. She posted a season-high 9.95 on vault at Michigan on Feb. 13, taking second in the event. She tabbed a 9.95 on vault at the Masters Classic, in addition to hitting a 9.85 on floor for the second-straight week and was named the Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week on March 1. She posted a perfect 10.0 on vault against Arizona State to take the event title. It marked the second such score of her career, previously receiving it against Minnesota and Illinois in 2010. Davis earned her sixth vault title of the season and was named the Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week on March 8. Her five honors this season are the most by a gymnast in a single year since the award began in 2007. She tied her career-high 9.90 on floor against Iowa State and is ranked No. 1 on vault nationally. Davis earned All-Big 12 honors on vault and was named to the Academic All-Big 12 second team.

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. She posted a 9.85 on bars against Utah, tying for third in the event. She matched that same bars score at Michigan on Feb. 13. She tallied a 9.85 on beam against Arizona State to claim the event title.  Habbib posted a season-high-tying 9.85 on bars against Iowa State on senior day. She also earned second-team Academic All-Big 12 accolades.

Maria Scaffidi has competed on bars, beam and floor for the Huskers in 2011, hitting a season high against Utah of 9.825. She added a career-high 9.85 on beam at the Metroplex Challenge on Jan. 29. She tabbed a 9.825 again at Michigan on Feb. 13. Scaffidi posted a 9.875 on bars at the Masters Classic for first on the event. Scaffidi hit a career-high 9.925 on bars against Arizona State for the event title, while also tabbing a season-high 9.875 on floor to tie for first-place. She earned a share of the bars crown against Iowa State, posting a 9.90 on the event. In addition, she tied her season-high score on floor of 9.875. In addition, she  was honored with first-team Academic All-Big 12 honors.

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. Steinauer posted a 9.825 on vault against Utah on Jan. 22. Steinauer was clutch for the Huskers at Missouri, hitting a season-high 9.85 on vault and tallying career highs on beam (9.90) and floor (9.825). She earned her second beam title of the year with her performance at Missouri.  Steinauer tied her season-high vault score (9.875) at Denver. She hit a 9.825 at the Masters Classic, tying her career-high mark for the sixth time. Steinauer tabbed a career-high 9.875 on floor against Iowa State on March 13. She was also awarded a first-team Academic All-Big 12 award.

Evenstad, Juniors Supply Spark

All-American Lora Evenstad opened the season by taking fourth on floor against Florida with a team-high score of 9.875. At Iowa State on Jan. 14, she captured the floor title with a score of 9.875. As the Huskers took on Utah on Jan. 22, Evenstad hit a 9.85 on vault and took the floor crown with a season-high 9.90. She made her all-around debut at the Metroplex Challenge, posting an impressive score of 39.275. She notched then-season highs on vault (9.875) and bars (9.85) and a career high on beam (9.775). She was named Big 12 Gymnast of the Week on Feb. 1. Evenstad notched a 9.90 on floor to tie her season high at Missouri on Feb. 4. She tied her career high of 9.90 on vault and posted a new career-high 9.925 on bars for the event crown at Michigan. She hit another 9.90 on floor at Denver on Feb. 19 and tabbed a 9.90 on vault and a career-high-tying 9.925 on floor at the Masters Classic. Evenstad hit a career-high 9.95 on vault against Arizona State. She also tied for first on floor with a mark of 9.875. Evenstad tallied her eighth floor title of the season with a career-high-tying 9.925. She earned All-Big 12 honors on vault and floor and was named to the first-team Academic All-Big 12. She is currently tied for 15th on vault and is ranked fourth on floor nationally. 

Kassandra Nathe has been sidelined with an injury so far in 2011.  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. She returned in her second year with NU as a talented and indispensable gymnast.

Kaitlin Reid joined the Huskers after spending two seasons at Cal State Fullerton, where she was a bars and beam specialist for the Titans. She earned a 9.60 on bars at the Metroplex Challenge in her Husker debut.

Sophomores Set Themselves Apart

Sophomore All-American Janelle Giblin debuted as an all-arounder for Nebraska against Iowa State, totaling a 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. The native of San Ramon, Calif., Giblin added a career-high 9.875 on vault and a 39.125 in the all-around against Missouri on Feb. 4. She posted a career-high-tying 9.875 on bars against Oklahoma on Feb. 6. Giblin matched her career-high on floor against Iowa State, posting a 9.85. She earned All-Big 12 honors on bars and was selected as a first-team Academic All-Big 12 honoree.

First-Team All-American Skinner earned the bars title at Iowa State with a score of 9.825. She tied her career-high score on vault with a 9.90 at Missouri. Skinner tabbed a season-high 9.875 on bars at Michigan on Feb. 13. She notched a season-best 9.80 on beam against Arizona State and matched her season-high score of 9.90 on vault against Iowa State. 

Freshmen Provide Solid Contributions

Nebraska welcomed three freshmen to its roster in 2011: Deanna Barmore, Jamie Schleppenbach and Emily Wong.

Barmore, a native of Omaha, Neb., competed for Coach Barb Bottieri at Nebraska Gold Gymnastics in Omaha. 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 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.  She posted or tied career highs on every event against Utah on Jan. 22, hitting a 9.875 on vault, a 9.075 on beam and a 9.775 on floor. She notched a pair of 9.85s on vault at Missouri and against Oklahoma. Schleppenbach tied her career-high 9.875 on vault at Denver and again at the Masters Classic. She posted a career-high 9.925 on vault against Arizona State, after previously topping out at 9.875 four times this season. She tabbed a career-high 9.95 on vault to take the event title against Iowa State. Schleppenbach was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on March 8 and on March 15 and is tied for 21st on the event nationally.

Wong is also a Level 10 product from Red River Valley Gymnastics in Grand Forks, N.D. She 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 notched a 9.80 on bars against Utah on Jan. 22 and came in third on beam after scoring a 9.80. She took second on bars at Missouri, hitting a 9.85. Wong notched two career-highs on bars (9.875) and floor (9.825) at the Masters Classic. She matched her career-high on floor (9.875) and beam (9.875) against Arizona State on March 6. Wong won her third bars title of the season with a career-high 9.90 against Iowa State. She also hit a career-high 9.875 on floor.