No. 9 Huskers Set for Ames Regional

2015 Ames Regional • Saturday, April 4 • 4 p.m. CT
Location: Ames, Iowa.
Arena: Hilton Coliseum
Live Stats: cylones.com
Live Video: TBA
Twitter: @HuskersWGym

The No. 9 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team will open its 31st consecutive year of postseason competition this weekend, traveling to Ames, Iowa, for NCAA Regional competition on Saturday, April 4. As the No. 2 seed, NU will be joined in competition by fourth-ranked and top-seed LSU, as well as Denver, Washington, Michigan State and host Iowa State.

The Ames Regional will take place at Hilton Coliseum on the campus of Iowa State University and is set for a 4 p.m. CT start. Fans unable to attend the meet can watch a free live stream of the competition at www.cyclones.com or follow live scoring online. Live updates will also be provided on the official Twitter account of the Husker women’s gymnastics team (@HuskersWGym).

The regional will feature an additional five at-large all-around competitors and one individual event specialist per event. The top two teams and the top two all-around competitors not on advancing teams will automatically move onto the 2015 NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 17-19. If an individual event winner is not part of a qualifying team or a qualifying all-around competitor, they will also receive a berth in the National Championship meet.
The Huskers (22-5, 14-4 Big Ten) will enter this weekend’s competition on the hunt for the program’s 23rd NCAA Championship appearance. Last season NU placed second at the 2014 Seattle Regional to earn a bid to the NCAA Championships in Birmingham, Ala. The Huskers then made its first appearance into the Super Six finals since 2011 after a stellar beam rotation in the last event.

Gymnast to Watch: Jessie DeZiel

• Seven-time All-American
• Four-time first-team All-Big Ten
• No. 12 ranked all-around gymnast in the country
• Big Ten Gymnast of the Week (March 9)
• Nominee for the 2015 AAI Award
• 2014 Seattle Regional Co-Vault Champion

Breaking Down the Championship Field
Nebraska will head just down the road for postseason competition this weekend in Ames, Iowa. The Ames Regional consists of six of the top 36 teams in the nation, led by a pair of top-10 squads in No. 4 LSU and the No. 9 Huskers. The Tigers and the Big Red will be joined by No. 16 Denver, No. 23 Washington, conference foe Michigan State and host Iowa State.

LSU headlines the Ames Regional as the No. 1 overall seed and is fourth ranked team in the country. LSU is coming off of a second place finish at the 2015 SEC Championships with a score of 197.450, falling just short to Alabama (197.525) and triumphing over 2014 NCAA co-champion Florida (197.400). Tigers Rheagan Courville and Jessie Jordan tied for the all-around crown with matching 39.525 marks and rank fourth and fifth in the GymInfo national all-around rankings respectively. Teammate Myia Hambrick took a share of the vault title with a 9.95, while Lloimincia Hall tied for her fourth straight floor exercise title with a near-perfect 9.975.

Sixteenth-ranked and third seed Denver finished the regular season with a 15-4 record and will enter into its 17th straight NCAA postseason appearance in Ames. The Pioneers have earned a season high of 196.925 and hold an RQS of 196.445, the third highest in program history. Denver finished in third at the 2015 Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference Championships with a 196.075, falling to Boise State (196.625) and Southern Utah (196.275). The Pioneers’ Nina McGee won the all-around, beam and floor titles and was also named the conference’s gymnast of the year. McGee also pulls down the 16th ranked spot in the all-around rankings, tying with the Huskers’ Hollie Blanske with an RQS of 39.420.

Washington enters the NCAA postseason as the fourth seed in the Ames Regional and last met the Huskers in Seattle at the 2014 NCAA Regionals. The No. 23 Huskies hold a season high score of 196.600 and an RQS score of 195.610, coming straight off of a seventh place finish at the Pac-12 Championships with a 196.000. Junior Allison Northey is the leader of the Washington squad, who ranks 24th nationally in the all-around with an RQS of 39.335.

Seeded fifth overall, conference rival Michigan State finished eighth at the 2015 Big Ten Championships with a 195.650 score. Coached by Kathie Klages, the Spartans recorded a season high 196.275 and are led by junior Lisa Burt, who ranks 23rd in the all-around nationally with an RQS score of 39.345. Michigan State will enter the Ames Regional for its 16th ever NCAA postseason appearance.

Host team and No. 6 seed Iowa State will round out the championship field for the Ames Regional. The Cyclones have a season high mark of 195.950 and earned a bid in the NCAA postseason for 19th consecutive year. Iowa State is fresh off of a third place finish at the Big 12 Championships behind top-ranked Oklahoma (197.825) and West Virginia (195.025). Senior Caitlin Brown stands at the Cyclones’ leading all-around performer, earning a berth into the 2014 NCAA Championships as an individual last year.

Joining competitors from the six qualifying teams will be eight individual gymnasts from two schools. Air Force is well represented and will send Kim McRobbie, Jamie Lewis, Kara Witgen, Jessica Wallander, Annie Graft and Alexandra Stych to Ames. Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Courtney Pickett and Katie Fiorilli will also join the competition in the all-around.

Nebraska's Rotation Order for the Ames Regional

Rotation	Michigan State	Nebraska	LSU	Denver	Washington	Iowa State
1.	Vault	Bye 1	Bars	Beam	Bye 2	Floor
2.	Bye 1	Bars	Beam	Bye 2	Floor	Vault
3.	Bars	Beam	Bye 2	Floor	Vault	Bye 1
4.	Beam	Bye 2	Floor	Vault	Bye 1	Bars
5.	Bye 2	Floor	Vault	Bye 1	Bars	Beam
6.	Floor	Vault	Bye 1	Bars	Beam	Bye 2

 

Last Time Out: Laeng Wins Bars, Huskers Take Third at Big Tens
Ann Arbor, Mich.--The No. 10 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team battled through some early wobbles to take third at the Big Ten Championships with a 196.875, placing behind title-winner Michigan (197.825) and Illinois (197.350).

A series of career highs highlighted the meet for NU, helping the team to its third place finish while competing in the evening session. Sophomore Jennie Laeng grabbed the first Big Ten title of her career with a personal best 9.95 on bars, tying with Michigan’s Nicole Artz. Senior Desire’ Stephens added a career high 9.90 on bars, while freshman Danielle Breen put up two career bests of the night on bars (9.875) and beam (9.85). Junior Hollie Blanske led the floor lineup once again with a 9.90, tying for fifth on the event. Senior Jessie DeZiel tied for fifth on vault with a big 9.90.

The Huskers began the evening on beam for the first rotation, where the team fought through some wobbles and balance checks to attain a 48.725. Leading the way for the Big Red was freshman Danielle Breen, who earned a career high-tying 9.85 in the leadoff spot. Sophomore Jennie Laeng followed up with a 9.775, while Blanske notched a 9.75 for her routine. Williams chipped in a 9.725, while DeZiel overcame some wobbles to earn a 9.625.

Illinois began competition on vault with a powerful 49.400 led by junior Giana O’Connor’s 9.925. Minnesota was right behind coming off of a 49.325 floor rotation. Junior Lindsay Mable paved the way for the Gophers, earning a 9.925 for her performance. Penn State began on bars, putting up a 49.275 with help from freshman Briannah Tsang’s 9.90. After one rotation, the Huskers trailed in fourth with its 48.725 beam score. Illinois took the lead, followed by Minnesota and Penn State. Michigan and Ohio State began on a bye.

Nebraska and Illinois moved to a bye in the second rotation of the evening. Michigan opened up its competition on floor tumbling to a strong 49.450, with a pair of 9.925’s from Talia Chiarelli and Sachi Sugiyama. Minnesota took to the vault with a nice 49.375 paced by Mable’s near-stuck 9.95. Penn State rotated to beam and earned a 49.000 even with a 9.85 from Christina Postiglione. Ohio State began on bars for its first event of the evening, earning a 48.875. Tenille Funches led the Buckeyes with a 9.85.

For the third rotation of the night, NU went to floor and scored an impressive 49.350. Blanske led the way for NU with a near-perfect 9.90. Lambert and Williams followed up with identical 9.875 marks, while DeZiel and Stephens added matching 9.85s. Lauer closed out the floor squad with a 9.825 to give the Huskers a boost after a shaky beam rotation.

Illinois wrapped things up on bars in the third rotation paced by Mary Jane Horth’s 9.925, leading the Illini to a 49.425 score. Michigan moved to vault and put up a powerful 49.400 led with a 9.90 from Chiarelli. Ohio State encountered a few mistakes on beam to grab a 48.875, led by a 9.85 from Funches. Minnesota and Penn State both had byes.

For the fourth rotation of the meet, Nebraska went to vault to tally a 49.350. DeZiel set the tone with her almost-stuck 9.90. Williams followed suit with a stuck 9.875, as Blanske, Lambert and Laeng produced a trio of 9.85s. Stephens wrapped things up on vault with a 9.80 to put the Huskers at a running total of 147.400.

Illinois moved to beam in the fourth rotation, notching a 49.275 led by senior Sunny Kato, who posted a 9.90. Penn State took to the floor for the fourth rotation and garnered a 49.175. Minnesota encountered a couple falls on bars, but mustered a 48.575 led by Jenny Covers’ 9.90. Ohio State and Michigan each had byes in the fourth rotation.

Both the Huskers and Illinois went to byes in the fifth rotation of the evening. Michigan produced a stellar bar rotation with a 49.525 led by a 9.95 from Nicole Artz. Penn State put up a 49.275 on vault paced by a pair of 9.90s from Sidney Sanabria-Robles and Emma Sibson. Minnesota grappled beam to earn a 49.175 with a 9.90 from Mable. Ohio State earned a 48.975 after suffering an injury on floor led by 9.825s from Taylor Harrison and Alexis Mattern.

For the last rotation of the evening, the Huskers closed out the meet on bars as the team posted an incredible season best 49.475. Leading the way for the Big Red was Laeng with her career best 9.95, followed by a career best 9.90 from Stephens. Breen put up a career high 9.875 to follow, while Blanske and DeZiel added the same score to match. Williams grabbed a 9.85 to close out the season best rotation.

Michigan traveled to beam in the last event and achieved a 49.450, where Artz set the tone for the Wolverines with a 9.95 mark. Illinois finished on floor, tumbling to a solid 49.250 with a 9.90 from O’Connor. Ohio State wrapped things up on vault with a 49.200 with help from Harrison’s 9.90.

Michigan could not be stopped throughout the meet and came out on top after both sessions with a huge 197.825 team score. Illinois posted a season best score to take second with a 197.350, while Nebraska placed third with a 196.875.

Penn State took fourth with a 196.725, followed by Iowa (196.500), Minnesota (196.425), Maryland (196.075), Michigan State (195.650), Ohio State (196.250) and Rutgers (193.125) between both sessions.

Michigan’s Nicole Artz took home the all-around crown with a 39.650, followed by 2014 Big Ten Champion Lindsay Mable of Minnesota with a 39.625. Mable also won the vault title and tied for the floor title with a 9.95 and 9.925 respectively. Atrz took home the beam crown with a 9.95 mark, as teammates Chiarelli and Sugiyama also shared the floor title with Mable. Laeng was named Big Ten co-Champion on bars, tying Artz with their matching 9.95 scores.

Laeng represented Nebraska as the sole Husker on the Big Ten All-Championship team with her first-place bar finish. Further Big Ten awards were also announced, with Mable winning Big Ten Gymnast of the Year. Michigan’s Brianna Brown and Penn State’s Briannah Tsang were named co-Big Ten Freshmen of the Year.

Up Next for Nebraska
This weekend’s performance will determine whether the Huskers qualify for its 23rd NCAA Championship appearance in program history. The top two finishers from each of the six regional sites around the country will advance to the 2015 NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas.

Co-hosted by Texas Women’s University at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena, the national championships will feature competition between the 12 best gymnastics teams in the nation on April 17-19. The event will kick off on Friday, April 17 with the team preliminaries. Preliminary competition will be split between two sessions, with the first beginning at 1 p.m. CT and the second taking place at 7 p.m. CT. The top three finishers in each session will advance to the Super Six team finals on Saturday, April 18th at 6 p.m. to battle for the 2015 national title. Individual NCAA event champions will be crowned in the event finals on Sunday, April 19 beginning at 2 p.m. CT.

Looking Back: 2014 Seattle Regional
Seattle, Wash.--The ninth ranked Nebraska women’s gymnastics team posted a score of 196.975 Saturday night at the Alaska Airlines Arena to finish second at the NCAA Seattle Regional and earn a berth to the 2014 NCAA Championships in Birmingham, Ala. April 18-20.
The Huskers scored a 49.000 or better on all four events to secure the 22nd NCAA Championships appearance in school history. Nebraska finished second behind Alabama (197.550) and ahead of Denver (195.625), Washington (195.550), Boise State (195.275) and BYU (194.650).

Emily Wong and Jessie DeZiel both earned event titles on the Day. DeZiel won her second consecutive Regional vault title with a score of 9.95. Wong collected both the bars (9.95) and floor (9.90) titles en-route to her 10th all-around crown this season with a score of 39.625.
Nebraska opened the meet on floor notching a 49.125 led by Wong’s 9.90 score. Blanske recorded a 9.85 while Ariel Martin and Jamie Schleppenbach both delivered 9.80 performances. Desire’ Stephens rounded out the floor lineup with a 9.775 mark.

The Big Red took to vault catapulting to a 49.475 team score. DeZiel fueled NU notching a 9.95, while the duo of Wong and Stephens tacked on 9.90 efforts. This marks Stephens new career-high score for the event. Blanske powered to a 9.875 and Martin rounded out the solid vault lineup with a 9.85.

After each team had competed on two events, Nebraska sat in second place behind Alabama 98.625-98.600, heading into their third event on bars. Boise State closely trailed at 98.375, with Denver (97.925), Washington (97.675) and BYU (97.125) rounding out the team scores.
Following their second bye of the evening the Huskers moved to bars soaring to a 49.300 team score. Wong led NU in the anchor spot matching her career-high score of 9.95 to take top honors. DeZiel also tied her best mark on the event sticking a 9.925. Freshman Laeng produced a strong routine tabbing a 9.825, while Stephens and Blanske rounded out the lineup putting up 9.80 scores.

NU clinched their second-place finish by posting a 49.075 on beam. Wong continued her impressive night by posting a 9.875 score along side teammate Laeng. DeZiel added a 9.825, while A. Lauer (9.775) and Blanske (9.725) rounded out the lineup.

Husker NCAA Regional History
This weekends regional competition marks Nebraska’s 31st consecutive postseason appearance, dating back to 1985. The Huskers own five total regional championships, with the last coming in 2003. In addition, Nebraska has finished inside the top two at regional competition in 13 of the past 16 seasons.

DeZiel Picks Up Weekly Honor After Senior Weekend
Following a successful Senior Night win against Oregon State, the Nebraska women’s gymnastics team earned its seventh weekly award this season as senior Jessie DeZiel collected Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Week honors, announced by the conference March 9.

DeZiel grabbed her first conference honor of the season and the 12th of her career after delivering a solid all-around performance against Oregon State Saturday. The Rogers, Minn., native put up a season high-tying 39.550 score to capture the all-around crown. She also took home the bars and vault titles with a 9.90 and 9.975 respectively, the latter score tying her career high. DeZiel last earned Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honors for the week of Feb. 24, 2014. Michigan’s Nicole Artz shares this week’s weekly award with DeZiel after producing a 39.550 all-around score on the road against Utah.

Williams Grabs Second Straight Weekly Award
After a victorious Masters Classic win over the weekend, the Nebraska women’s gymnastics team earned its sixth weekly honor this season as freshman Grace Williams captured Big Ten Freshman of the Week, announced by the conference March 2.

Williams collected her second consecutive weekly award after a remarkable all-around display at the Masters Classic Sunday. The Linden, Mich., native posted a 39.375 to tie for third place with junior Hollie Blanske. She continued to deliver consistent performances across all four events, including a career-high 9.90 on bars that helped the Huskers to its season best event score of 49.425. Williams is the first Husker to earn back-to-back conference honors since Emily Wong in 2014.

Two Huskers Capture Weekly Conference Honors
Following its second place finish on the road at the UCLA quadrangular, the Nebraska women’s gymnastics team collected two Big Ten honors as Sophomore Ashley Lambert claimed Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week and freshman Grace Williams grabbed Big Ten Freshman of the Week announced by the conference on Feb. 23.

Lambert picked up her second award of the season following a stellar floor performance at UCLA. The sophomore posted a career-high 9.95 on the event to help the Huskers to its season-high 49.475 total, tying with UCLA’s Danusia Francis for the title. She also competed on vault (9.875) and beam (9.75) to help lead the Huskers to a 196.650 team score. Lambert’s first conference award came earlier in the season when she snatched Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week for her second consecutive 10.00 vault performance at the Rutgers quad meet Jan. 24.

Williams seized the first Big Ten honor of her career after an impressive all-around performance against UCLA, Bridgeport and Sacramento State in Los Angeles. The Linden, Mich., native produced a 39.250 to earn second place behind the Bruins’ Sam Peszek. She earned steady scores on all four events to lead as NU’s top all-around competitor, including a 9.875 floor routine that fueled the Huskers to its season-best event score. The last Nebraska gymnast to claim Big Ten Freshman of the Week was Jessie DeZiel in 2012.

Lauer Earns Weekly Award Following Road Win
The No. 7 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team collected its third Big Ten honor of the season as senior Jennifer Lauer grabbed Big Ten Specialist of the Week announced by the conference on Monday, Feb. 16. Lauer captured her first honor of the season and the second of her career after a standout performance on beam against Minnesota. The Sioux City, Iowa, native picked up a 9.925 on the event for her stellar routine, tying with Minnesota’s Lindsay Mable for the top spot.

Lauer began the 2015 season with a vengeance after returning from an injury that left her out for much of 2014. In her first meet back, Lauer scored a 9.75 at home against Lindenwood. After battling a series of illnesses in late January and into early February, the senior rallied to notch two consecutive season-high scores in two weeks. On Feb. 7 against Iowa, she posted a 9.875 for second place, followed by her 9.925-winning performance at Minnesota on Feb. 14.

Lambert Collects Weekly Honor After Big Weekend
The Nebraska women’s gymnastics team earned its second conference honor of the season as sophomore Ashley Lambert captured Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week announced by the conference Monday, Jan. 26. Lambert earned her first career weekly honor after excelling on vault for the second weekend in a row. The Newport News, Va., native captured her third consecutive vault title with another perfect 10.00 score.

Lambert started the 2015 season with a bang at the opening meet where she took home two event titles on vault (9.875) and floor (9.825) en route to her first career all-around crown (39.175). Following the season opener, Lambert notched her name in history books as she became the first Husker to record a 10.00 on vault since 2011. She was a member of a historical vault lineup that put together a 49.75 team score to break the school record and claim the No. 1 vault ranking in the country.

Her weekend at the Rutgers quad meet Lambert broke yet again another record as she stuck a perfect 10.00 on vault for the second week in a row. She is the first Nebraska gymnast to post back-to-back 10’s on a single event.

Blanske Earns Gymnast of the Week Honors
Junior Hollie Blanske capped her stellar weekend by earning Big Ten Gymnast of the week  honors Jan. 19. The award marks the first of Blanske’s career and comes after a solid performance in which the Oak Grove, Minn., native, posted a season high on every event including the all-around.

Blanske led the Huskers in their 197.125-196.025 rout of Penn State Saturday Jan. 17. Blanske’s victory including winning event titles on bars and floor en route to capturing top honors in the all-around. Her victory included two 9.925 scores on vault and floor, while chipping in a 9.85 mark on bars and a 9.80 on beam to give her an all-around score of 39.50.