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The No. 9 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team will open their 2015 season Friday against Lindenwood. The Huskers will face the Lions in Lincoln, Neb. at 7 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center for the second annual Tumble N’ Rumble combined meet with wrestling. The wresting team will take on the Purdue Boilmakers. Fans unable to attend will be able to view the meet on Huskers.com video streaming which will also indclude the mens’ wrestling meet. Fans may also view live stats on Huskers.com or receive updates on Twitter by following @HuskersWGym.
Nebraska and Lindenwood have never met in competition. Following their opening weekend, the Huskers will take on the Penn State Nittany Lions on Jan. 17 at 3 p.m. for a Big Ten dual meet. The matchup will be stremed live on the Big Ten Network.
Scouting Lindenwood
• Lindenwood became a NCAA Div. 1 team in 2013 and competes in the MIAA conference
• The Lions are located in St. Charles, Mo.
• Sophomore Ajiea Hargrave earned USA Gymnastics first-team All-America honors in 2014 on floor
• Junior Courtney Heise will lead the Lions in 2015 as she won the team’s Leader of the Pride award last season. Heise also took home USA Gymnastics first-team All-American honors as she tied for sixth at the USA Gymnastics championships with a score of 9.80.
Nebraska’s Rotation Order vs. Lindenwood Lions
Rotation Nebraska Lindenwood
1. Vault Uneven Bars
2. Uneven Bars Vault
3. Balance Beam Floor Exercise
4. Floor Exercise Balance Beam
Super Six Finalists Look For Continued Success in 2015
After surprising the Nationals slate and qualifiying for the Super Six Finals for the 11th time in school history, Nebraska returns to the gym with even high expectations for the 2015 season. NU will welcome back nine letterwinners from last season, including two All-Americans and two returning from injuries. NU will also add three newcomers with a wealth of talent to the roster. The Huskers have a stockpile of talent to once again rank amont the nations’ elite collegiate programs. Led by Head Coach Dan Kendig in his 22nd season at Nebraska, He sees the potential for continued success with his 2015 squad.
Two All-Americans Prepared to Lead Huskers in 2015
Nebraska will be led by two returning All-Americans, that captured four awards last season at the NCAA Championships. Jessie DeZiel headlines the duo as she is set to lead the Huskers in her final season. A seven-time All-American, NU will look to her to anchor all events as the teams’s top all-around competitor.
Preseason Polling: Huskers No. 9 in the Nation
The Huskers received a ranking of No. 9 nationally in the GymInfo 2015 Preseason Coaches’ Poll, announced in early December. NU was awarded the ranking after finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships last April.
Nebraska’s No. 9 ranking marks the 16th straight season that the Huskers have been placed inside the preseason top-15 and its fifth straight season inside the top-10. Four of the top-six in the poll are returning Super Six Finalists from last season. The 2014 National Champion Florida Gators and Oklahoma Sooners took the top two spots, as Florida collected 756 votes to Oklahoma’s 746. LSU was picked No. 3, followed by No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 UCLA. The Utah Utes rounded out the top-six teams in the nation.
In addition to their ninth place national ranking, the Huskers were picked No. 2 in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches’ Poll released by the conference in December. The three-time Big Ten Conference champion Huskers were picked to finish second by the coaches coming in after Michigan who was picked first. Illinois captured the No. 3 spot, while Ohio State comes in at No. 4 and Minnesota rounds out the top five teams.
DeZiel, Williams Named Gymnasts to Watch
In addition to Nebraska’s No. 2 preseason conference ranking, Huskers Jessie DeZiel and Grace Williams were named to the Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch for the 2015 season.
Jessie DeZiel returns for her final season with the Huskers in 2015 and expects to finish her senior year on a high note. The two-time regional vault champion, DeZiel earned two All-America honors at the NCAA Championships in April, a first-team selection on beam and second-team in the all-around. DeZiel captured 10 event titles in 2014, including two in the all-around and five on vault. At the conference level, she added a first-team All-Big Ten selection and was named to the Championship team on vault and bars.
Joining DeZiel as one of the 2015 Big Ten Gymnasts to watch is freshman Grace Williams. A native of Linden, Mich., Williams has the potential to be one of Nebraska’s top threats in the gym this season. The 2014 J.O. Nationals all-around Champion, Williams also took home second on floor, third on beam, seventh on vault and the bars crown at the Championship meet.
Kendig Builds One of Nation’s Top Programs
Now in his 22nd year at the helm of the Nebraska gymnastics program, Head Coach Dan Kendig is the all-time winningest coach in Nebraska History. Since Kedig arrived at NU, his teams have compiled an outstanding 486-186-4 record. His most recent honor was in 2012 when he earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Huskers to the program’s 22nd conference title.
Kendig has also led the Huskers to 16 NCAA Championship appearances in the past 19 seasons, including Super Six Finals appearaces in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2014. Kendig was honored as the NCAA Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2003, a year in which the Huskers finished fourth nationally.
NU Assistants Set to Lead Huskers in 2015
Joining Kendig in his leadership of the Big Red this season will be fourth year assistant coaches Heather Brink and Dan Miller. Brink will continue her role in the gym as the team’s beam coach while assisting with floor choreography. Brink contributed to NU’s continued sucess in 2014, as the Huskers clamed nine beam titles and coached a historic beam lineup. At the 2014 NCAA Semifinals, the Huskers put together six seamless routines to put up a 49.45 to set a post season record and propell them into the Super Six Finals.
Miller will continue to lead Nebraska’s efforts on vault and floor in 2015. He helped NU’s vault and floor lineups continue to dominate last season as Jessie DeZiel earned NACGC All-American status on vault for posting two 9.975 scores throughout the regular season. Miller guided Emily Wong to her third floor All-America honor as she took eighth overall on the event.
Volunteer assistant coach Russell Warfield in his first season will aid NU’s full-time staff in 2015. Warfield will help with choreography on beam and floor.
Husker Seniors Look to Shine in Final Season
With a young but deep roster this season, the Huskers will count on the leadership and experience of the four seniors to anchor their efforts. Jessie DeZiel, Amanda Lauer, Jennifer Lauer and Desire’ Stephens will look to shine in the gym, classroom and in the community in their final season at Nebraska.
Leading the way for the Huskers is one of Nebraska’s most decorated returners in 2015, Jessie Deziel will enter her final season at NU hoping to put an exclamation point on a fantastic four-year career. Coming off a remarkable junior season with two All-America honors and another vault regional title, DeZiel will lead the team on all four events. Amanda Lauer is looking to keep her strong momentum going into this season as one of NU’s top beam workers. She will not only provide solid depth on multiple events, but will help lead the team with crucial beam performances. Sister, Jennifer Lauer will look to finish her career at Nebraska on a high note after battling an injury last season. She is set to lead the beam lineup and hopes to contend for a conference title. Desire’ Stephens will look to be a big-time contributor on all four events for the Huskers in her final year. Known as the team’s sparkplug, Stephens expects to finish on a high note.
Juniors Ready to Provide Spark
Nebraska’s junior class returns a duo of the hardest workers on the team Hollie Blanske and Madison McConkey. One of Nebraska’s top performers in 2014, first-team All-American Hollie Blanske hopes to contend for Big Ten and NCAA titles as a junior. A tremendous athlete, Blanske expects to be a leader in the all-around this season. Madison McConkey provided important dpth down the stretch for the Huskers last season and returns to serve as a strong competitor on bars and beam.
Sophomores Prepared to Step-Up
Jennie Laeng, Ashley Lambert and Ariel Martin have provided not only crucial depth but also a spark for the team when they needed it most, these sophomores are ready to step up into important roles this season. Jennie Laeng will carry momentum into this season after a strong finish to her freshman campaign. Laeng will be returning as one of NU’s top bars competitors after earning her way into the all-around competition as a freshman. Ashley Lambert is ready to make a run at all NU lineups this year after contributing solid vault and floor routines in 2014. Lambert coming off an incredible offseason is set to be a spark on the vault and floor. Ariel Martin is poised to be a leading candidate for the Huskers’ bars, vault and floor lineups in her second year with NU. She will return as one of NU’s top vaulters.
Newcomers Await Big Future
The Huskers welcome three freshman to the squad who will all fill important roles with the loss of Emily Wong and Jamie Schleppenbach. Danielle Breen opens her Husker career with hopes of contributing in multiple Nebraska lineups. Breen will get a good look from the NU coaching staff on bars, beam and vault in her freshman season. Kamerin Moore enters her freshman year with a steady set of skills and a work ethic the coaches believe will push her into competitive spots in the Nebraska lineups. Moore will battle upperclassmen for a spot in all event lineups. Grace Williams will see considerable time in many of the Huskers’ linups this season. The Linden, Mich., native, brings strong experience on many events and has the potential to break into all lineups.