Huskers Head to 2011 NCAA ChampionshipsHuskers Head to 2011 NCAA Championships
Women's Gymnastics

Huskers Head to 2011 NCAA Championships

  • Nebraska Head Coach: Dan Kendig (18th Year)
  • Current Team Record: 16-8 (7-1 Big 12)
  • 2011 High Score: 197.30 (vs. Arizona State, 3/6/11)
  • 2010 NCAA Finish: 7th (196.175)

The No. 9 Nebraska women's gymnastics team will travel to Cleveland, Ohio, Friday, April 15 through Sunday, April 17, for the 2011 NCAA Championships. The 2011 Big 12 champion Huskers will compete in Friday's evening semifinal session at the Wolstein Center at 5 p.m. (Central), battling No. 4 Oregon State, No. 1 Alabama, No. 5 Florida, No. 8 Utah and No. 12 Kent State for one of three automatic berths to the NCAA Super Six Finals Saturday at 3 p.m.

Session l semifinal action, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. (Central) Friday, will include No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Georgia, No. 10 Arkansas and No. 11 Illinois. Individual event finals, for which participants are determined by their performances on the first day of competition, are scheduled for noon (Central) on Sunday to close the weekend.

Nebraska has qualified for the NCAA Championships 20 times in program history, including nine consecutive NCAA appearances  from 1999-2007 and eight Super Six Finals appearances overall. The Huskers finished seventh at the NCAA Championships in 2010.

With their second-place finish at the NCAA Corvallis Regional (196.55), the Huskers improved to 16-8 on the season as they scored a 49.0 or better on vault, bars and floor. Nebraska netted two individual titles, with senior Erin Davis and junior Lora Evenstad capturing regional crowns on vault and floor, respectively. Davis tabbed a 9.875 for her second regional title, while Evenstad hit a 9.90 to claim her first regional event crown.

NCAA Gymnastics Championships Ticket and Schedule Information

Tickets for the 2011 NCAA Championships are available for purchase by calling the Wolstein Center at 1-877-468-4946 or at www.wolsteincenter.com.

Type                                                                           Price

Reserved Adult All-Session Pass                       $52.00

Reserved Youth/Student All-Session Pass      $45.00

Reserved Premium All-Session Pass               $67.00

Adult Individual Session                                       $20.00

Youth/Student Individual Session                       $16.00

All 12 teams and the individual competitors will practice at the Wolstein Center on Thursday, April 14 from 9:15 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. (Central). Nebraska (vault), Utah (bars), Florida (beam) and Oregon State (floor) will begin on their indicated first events and will practice from 2 to 3:40 p.m. Before that Arkansas (vault), Georgia (bars), Michigan (beam) and Oklahoma (floor) will practice from 9:15 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. Illinois (vault), Kent State (bars), Alabama (beam) and UCLA (floor) will follow from 11:05 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Individual event specialists will practice from 12:50 to 1:50 p.m.

During the practice sessions, a pre-meet press conference will be held in the auxiliary gym at the Wolstein Center. The head coach of each team and one gymnast will represent each school. Each team's representatives will be available from 12:50 to 1:50 p.m. (Central).

Friday's team competition will begin with the Semifinal Session l at 11 a.m. (Central), 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. Semifinal Session ll is scheduled for 5 p.m. (Central), with a press conference following in the same manner as Session l. Nebraska will participate in the Session ll team competition along with Kent State, Utah, Florida, Alabama and Oregon State. The Huskers will also compete alongside individual all-around competitor Michelle Shealy of Iowa State, who qualified for nationals with a score of 39.05 at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional. 

The Super Six Finals will take place on Saturday at 3 p.m. (Central) and will include the top three teams from each semifinal 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 noon (Central) on Sunday, April 17. 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 Semifinal Session l

The rotation order for the six teams and selected individuals competing in the afternoon semifinal session of the NCAA Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, will feature Arkansas, Oklahoma, UCLA, Michigan, Georgia and Illinois.

Rotation Vault Bye I Bars Beam Bye II Floor
1

Arkansas
B. Springer

 Illinois
K. Dickson		 Georgia
A. Vaccher		 Michigan
K. Shields		 UCLA
S. Musser		 Oklahoma
M. Evans
2  Oklahoma
M. Evans

Arkansas
B. Springer

  Illinois
K. Dickson		  Georgia
A. Vaccher		  Michigan
K. Shields		  UCLA
S. Musser
3  UCLA
S. Musser		  Oklahoma
M. Evans		 Arkansas
B. Springer

 Illinois
K. Dickson
R. Best

  Georgia
A. Vaccher		  Michigan
K. Shields
4  Michigan
K. Shields		  UCLA
S. Musser		  Oklahoma
M. Evans

Arkansas
B. Springer
J. Hall

  Illinois
K. Dickson		  Georgia
A. Vaccher
5  Georgia
A. Vaccher		  Michigan
K. Shields		  UCLA
S. Musser		  Oklahoma
M. Evans		 Arkansas
B. Springer		  Illinois
K. Dickson
6  Illinois
K. Dickson		  Georgia
A. Vaccher		  Michigan
K. Shields		  UCLA
S. Musser		  Oklahoma
M. Evans		 Arkansas
B. Springer

Rotation Order for NCAA Championships Semifinal Session ll

The rotation order for the six teams and selected individuals competing in the evening semifinal session of the NCAA Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, will feature Nebraska, Oregon State, Alabama, Florida, Utah and Kent State.

Rotation Vault Bye I Bars Beam Bye II Floor
1 Nebraska
M. Shealy		 Kent State
S. Ouellette		 Utah
K. Slechta		 Florida
A. Glass		 Alabama
R. Best		 Oregon State
H. Gebeshian
2  Oregon State
H. Gebeshian		 Nebraska
M. Shealy		  Kent State
S. Ouellette		  Utah
K. Slechta		  Florida
A. Glass		  Alabama
R. Best
3  Alabama
R. Best		  Oregon State
H. Gebeshian		  Nebraska
M. Shealy		  Kent State
S. Ouellette		  Utah
K. Slechta		  Florida
A. Glass
4  Florida
A. Glass		  Alabama
R. Best		  Oregon State
H. Gebeshian		  Nebraska
M. Shealy		  Kent State
S. Ouellette		  Utah
K. Slechta
5  Utah
K. Slechta		  Florida
A. Glass		  Alabama
R. Best		  Oregon State
H. Gebeshian		  Nebraska
M. Shealy		  Kent State
S. Ouellette
6  Kent State
S. Ouellette		  Utah
K. Slechta		  Florida
A. Glass		  Alabama
R. Best		  Oregon State
H. Gebeshian		  Nebraska
M. Shealy

Scouting the Competition: No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide

  • Co-Head Coaches: Sarah and Dave Patterson
  • 2011 Record: 21-1
  • 2011 High Score: 197.675
  • Last Meet: at NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, 4/2/11 (1st/6, 197.275)
  • 2010 NCAA Finish: 3rd (197.275)

A Glance at the Crimson Tide...

  • Alabama is ranked No. 1 in the national team standings. The Crimson Tide is also first on vault, fourth on bars, third on beam and second on floor.
  • Individually, Kayla Hoffman is ranked third in the all-around and is No. 2 on vault. Geralen Stack-Eaton is ranked 14th in the all-around and is tied for first on beam, while Diandra Milliner is ranked third on vault.
  • The Tide has won a NCAA-best 26 regional titles and advanced to the NCAA Championships 29 years in a row.
  • NU last met Alabama at the Metroplex Challenge on Jan. 30, where Alabama hit a 196.825 to Nebraska's 195.60.

Scouting the Competition: No. 4 Oregon State

  • Head Coach: Tanya Chaplin
  • 2011 Record: 28-5
  • 2011 High Score: 197.20
  • Last Meet: at NCAA Corvallis Regional, 4/2/11 (1st/6, 197.025)
  • 2010 NCAA Finish: 8th

A Glance at the Beavers...

  • Oregon State is ranked eighth on vault, first on bars, seventh on beam and 10th on floor nationally.
  • Individually, Leslie Mak is tied for eighth in the all-around, is ranked ninth on bars and is first on beam. Olivia Vivian is third on bars and Britney Ranzy is tied for sixth on vault.
  • NU last met Oregon State on April 2 at the NCAA Corvallis Regional where the Beavers posted a 197.20 to NU's 196.55.

Scouting the Competition: No. 5 Florida

  • Head Coach: Rhonda Faehn
  • 2011 Record: 17-2
  • 2011 High Score: 197.725
  • Last Meet: at NCAA Denver Regional, 4/2/11 (2nd/6, 196.425)
  • 2010 NCAA Finish: 5th

A Glance at the Gators...

  • Florida is ranked second on vault, bars and beam and is ranked first on floor nationally.
  • Individually, Alaina Johnson is sixth in the all-around, tied for sixth on vault and is first on bars. In addition, Ashanee Dickerson is ranked seventh in the all-around, is tied for sixth on vault and is ranked first on floor.
  • NU last met Florida on Jan. 7 in Gainesville, Fla. where the Gators topped Nebraska 196.925-194.95.

Scouting the Competition: No. 8 Utah

  • Co-Head Coaches: Greg and Meg Marsden
  • 2011 Record: 12-4
  • 2011 High Score: 196.975
  • Last Meet: at NCAA Norman Regional, 4/2/11 (2nd/6, 196.475)
  • 2010 NCAA Finish: 6th

A Glance at the Utes...

  • Utah is appearing in its 36th-straight NCAA Championships.
  • The Utes are ranked 12th on vault, third on bars, eighth on beam and 14th on floor nationally.
  • Individually, Stephanie McAllister is tied for eighth in the all-around and is sixth on bars. Gael Mackie holds the No. 7 spot on bars, while Mary Beth Lofgren is ranked 13th on beam.
  • NU last met Utah on Jan. 22, when the Utes edged the Huskers, 196.20-194.75.

Scouting the Competition: No. 12 Kent State

  • Head Coach: Brice Biggin
  • 2011 Record: 21-4
  • 2011 High Score: 195.95
  • Last Meet: at NCAA Ann Arbor Regional, 4/2/11 (2nd/6, 195.45)
  • 2010 NCAA Finish: DNQ

A Glance at the Flashes...

  • The Flashes are making their first-ever trip to the NCAA Championships.
  • Kent State is ranked 24th on vault, 15th on bars and 20th on beam nationally.
  • Individually, Christina Lenny is ranked 18th in the all-around and is tied for 11th on vault. Lindsay Runyan is also tied for seventh on bars.
  • Nebraska last saw Kent State in 2003 when Nebraska beat the Flashes 198.025-192.90.

Huskers Tally Regional Titles

Senior Erin Davis and junior Lora Evenstad tallied two individual event titles at the NCAA Corvallis Regional on April 2. Davis posted a 9.875 on vault to take home the second regional crown of her career, while Evenstad tabbed a 9.90 on floor to tie for first and earn her first regional event title.

Huskers See Strong Performances in 2011

The Nebraska women's gymnastics team has embarked on the 2011 season with the potential for national success. 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 entered his 18th season at NU, Associate Head Coach Danna Durante and Assistant Coach Tim Garrison have guided Nebraska to its 20th 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.

A seven-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 2011 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.

Kendig, Davis Honored by Big 12

Head Coach Dan Kendig was named the 2011 Big 12 Coach of the Year, the conference announced at the conference championships. It was the seventh such award of his career. In addition, senior Erin Davis earned the inaugural Event Specialist of the Year award.

Nebraska Captures Ninth Big 12 Title, Earns Three Individual Crowns

The Nebraska women's gymnastics team earned their ninth Big 12 conference title on March 19 at the University of Missouri's Hearnes Center. The Huskers posted a 196.775 to take the crown, while also capturing all or a share of three event crowns, highlighted by vault and floor champion Erin Davis and bars champion Maria Scaffidi.

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 9.88. She is tied at No. 21 nationally and is ranked fourth on the event in the Big 12.

Huskers Garner Weekly Conference Honors

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. Freshman Jamie Schleppenbach was honored as Co-Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on March  8 and 15. In addition, NU saw junior Lora Evenstad earn Gymnast of the Week honors on Feb. 1 after making her first all-around performance at the Metroplex Challenge.

Competing Against the Nation's Elite

Nebraska is 16-8 on the season, counting its only losses to top-10 opponents such as No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Oregon State, No. 5 Florida, No. 6 Michigan and No. 8 Utah.

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. She earned All-Big 12 Championship Team accolades on vault at the Big 12 Championships. She tallied a season-high-tying 9.875 on bars at the NCAA Corvallis Regional to tie for second-place.

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 and 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 also earned All-Big 12 Championship Team honors on bars and floor at the Big 12 Championships. She is currently 20th on vault and is tied for fifth on floor nationally.  She earned the first regional crown of her career with a 9.90 on floor at the NCAA Corvallis Regional. Evenstad also tied for second on vault with a 9.85.

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 and 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 and was named Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week for the second-straight week. She 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 added 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 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. She was named the Big 12 vault and floor champion at the conference championships on March 19, posting scores of 9.925 on vault and 9.90 on floor. Her vault score was the highest at the championships on the event since 2005. She also earned All-Big 12 Championship Team honors on vault and floor. She tabbed her second regional event title on vault at the NCAA Corvallis Regional with a 9.875.

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. She matched that same bars score at Michigan on Feb. 13 and 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. She tied her season highs on bars (9.85) and beam (9.85) at the NCAA Corvallis Regional.

Maria Scaffidi has competed on bars, beam and floor for the Huskers in 2011. She hit a career-high 9.85 on beam at the Metroplex Challenge on Jan. 29 and 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. She then 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. She was also honored with first-team Academic All-Big 12 accolades and captured the Big 12 bars title on March 19 with a score of 9.90, earning a spot on the All-Big 12 Championship Team.

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 then-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 and 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 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 honor. Steinauer tabbed All-Big 12 Championship Team accolades on floor, scoring a 9.85.

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 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 for her efforts. Evenstad notched a 9.90 on floor to tie her season high at Missouri on Feb. 4. She 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 versus Iowa State. She earned All-Big 12 honors on vault and floor and was named to the first-team Academic All-Big 12. She also earned All-Big 12 Championship Team honors on bars and floor at the Big 12 Championships. She notched the NCAA Corvallis Regional floor title on April 2, with a mark of 9.90 to tie for first. She also tied for third on vault with a 9.85. She is currently 20th on vault and is tied for fifth on floor nationally. 

Kassandra Nathe has been sidelined with an injury 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 also earned All-Big 12 honors on bars and was selected as a first-team Academic All-Big 12 honoree. She earned All-Big 12 Championship Team accolades on vault at the Big 12 Championships. She tallied a season-high-tying 9.875 on bars at the NCAA Corvallis Regional to tie for second-place.

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.  Skinner tallied All-Big 12 Championship Team accolades on bars after posting a score of 9.85 on the event.

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. She tied her career-high vault score at the NCAA Corvallis Regional with a 9.725. 

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.  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 vault nationally. She tied for fourth on vault and earned All-Big 12 Championship Team honors with a score of 9.85 at the conference championships on March 19.

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) 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. Wong notched a career-high 9.90 on beam at the Big 12 Championship, earning All-Big 12 Championship Team honors and tying for third. Wong tied for second on beam at the NCAA Corvallis Regional, recording a 9.875.