Huskers Tabbed No. 6 in Preseason Poll

The Nebraska women's gymnastics team was picked sixth in the Preseason Coaches' Poll, released yesterday by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches (NACGC).

The Huskers, who have six returning All-Americans including first-team honorees Lora Evenstad, Janelle Giblin, Brittany Skinner Jamie Schleppenbach and Emily Wong, must replace three All-Americans from last season. Five of the top six teams in the preseason poll are returning Super Six finalists. UCLA was tabbed No. 1 after finishing second as last year's finals.

"It's obviously a great honor to be recognized as one of the top six teams before the season," Head Coach Dan Kendig said. "We're going to continue to work hard to make sure that we are one of the top six school's at the end of the season so we have a chance to compete for a national championship. Our girls have worked extremely hard this offseason and we are looking forward to getting the season started."

Others in the preseason top six are No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 5 Utah. Rounding out the top 10 are Oregon State, Stanford, Georgia, and Michigan. The Huskers will face four teams in the top 10 this season, and nine teams ranked inside the top 25. Nebraska opens its season at home against No. 20 Denver on Jan. 13 at 7 p.m.

After traveling to No. 24 Iowa State on Jan. 20, NU will take on Oklahoma and No. 22 Minnesota, along with Centenary in Norman, Okla., on Feb. 3. Nebraska returns home for the Masters Classic in Lincoln on Feb. 11, which features No. 10 Michigan, No. 16 Washington and Southern Utah. The Huskers also compete against Florida (March 4), Utah (March 9), No. 11 Arkansas (Feb. 24) and end the regular season at home against Iowa State on March 16.

Fans are encouraged to come out and see the Huskers in action before they open competition as they host their final intrasquad of the year on Friday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. at the Devaney Center. Admission is free and open to the public.