Huskers Punch Ticket to NCAA Championships

Ames, Iowa--The No. 9 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team clinched a spot to its 23rd NCAA Championships after finishing second at the Ames Regional with a 196.950.

"I was really proud of this team today," head coach Dan Kendig said. "What I liked most is how we came together as a team and stayed together as a team. We stayed engaged throughout, and it really was a great effort from everyone."

NU saw stellar performances across all classes to help the team earn its way to the national championships. Senior Jessie DeZiel put together a seamless all-around performance of 39.425 to tie for second with Nina McGee of Denver. DeZiel also took home her third consecutive regional vault title with a 9.95. Freshman Grace Williams stayed steady in the all-around, earning the fourth place spot overall with a 39.350. Senior Desire’ Stephens and junior Hollie Blanske tied for sixth place in the all-around with a 39.300, as Blanske also took a share of the floor title with a 9.925.

The Huskers began the meet on a bye in the first rotation while four teams started competition. Sixth-seed Iowa State started things off on floor and tallied a 49.15 mark. LSU took to bars to begin the night and overcame a couple of mistakes to produce a respectable 49.05, led by senior Rheagan Courville. Michigan State was on vault to begin the meet to put up a 48. 825, while Denver led off the beam rotation with a 48.750.

NU opened up the evening and came out swinging on bars to post a 49.175. Danielle Breen, DeZiel and Williams led the way for the Big Red, notching a trio of 9.85s to place third on the event. Stephens followed up with a solid 9.825, as freshman Kamerin Moore entered back into the lineup this week to score a 9.80. Blanske rounded out the rotation with a 9.675 after covering up a minor mistake.

LSU moved to beam in the second rotation and achieved a 49.20 from Jessie Jordan’s 9.90 routine. Iowa State went to vault, tallying a 49.025 with help from Caitlin Brown and Haylee Young’s 9.85 marks. Washington began their meet on floor, producing a 48.675 thanks to Allison Northey’s 9.85. Denver and Michigan State each had byes.

The Huskers took to beam in the third rotation of the night, where the team avoided counting a fall to grab an even 49.000. Blanske set the tone with her near-perfect routine, earning a 9.85 score. Williams was close behind with a 9.825, followed by a 9.80 from DeZiel. Breen and Stephens closed out the beam squad with a 9.775 and 9.75 respectively, helping the team to reach the 49 mark.

LSU and Iowa State both had byes in the third rotation, while Denver moved to floor with a 49.075 led by Nina McGee’s 9.90. Michigan State earned a 48.825 on bars, while Washington scored a 48.650 on vault. After three rotations, LSU held a slight edge with a running total of 98.250, followed by Nebraska and Iowa State (98.175), Denver (97.825), Michigan State (97.450) and Washington (97.325).

As NU and Washington went to a bye in the fourth rotation, LSU dominated the floor with a 49.450 set by a big 9.925 from Jordan. Denver went 49.200 on vault, Iowa State notched a 48.825 on bars, as Michigan State tallied a 48.800 on beam.

Nebraska came out blazing on floor in the fifth rotation, as Blanske led the team with an event-winning 9.925 to set the pace. Lambert performed her heart out to follow with her second place 9.90, while Stephens notched a career best 9.875 to keep things going. Lauer and Williams earned a pair of 9.85s for their performances, as DeZiel capped off the rotation with a 9.825 to help the Huskers to its huge 49.400 score.

LSU completed its competition on vault, scoring a 49.475 with assistance from Courville’s 9.925. LSU and Iowa State finished their meet in the fifth rotation, with team scores of 197.175 and 195.350 respectively.

In the last rotation of the evening the Huskers went to vault and grabbed a solid 49.375. Paving the way for the Big Red was DeZiel with her event-winning 9.95 score, while Lambert followed up with a 9.875. Blanske and Stephens added a pair of 9.85s, as sophomore Ariel Martin made her season debut with a matching score. Williams closed out the meet with a 9.825 vault score, solidifying the Huskers’ second-place spot in the Ames Regional.

Nebraska concluded the meet with a team score of 196.950, placing second behind LSU with a 197.175. Denver took third with a 195.950, followed by Michigan State (195.375), Iowa State (195.350) and Washington (193.675). As the top two teams, both LSU and Nebraska advanced to the NCAA Championships.

LSU’s Jessie Jordan took home the all-around crown with a 39.575 mark, while also winning beam (9.90) and sharing the floor title with the Huskers’ Blanske. Tiger Rheagan Courville and Denver’s Nina McGee shared the bars title with matching 9.90 scores. Joining the LSU and Nebraska teams, Caitlin Brown of Iowa State and Denver’s McGee both qualified as individual all-around competitors for the NCAA Championships.

The Huskers will next prepare for the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas April 17-19. The top two-placing teams of each of the six regionals from today will be scheduled to compete in either an afternoon or evening session for the preliminaries April 17. The top three teams from each preliminary session will qualify to the Super Six finals the following day in order to crown the team champion. Event finals will take place Sunday, April 19.

Name	Vault	Bars		Beam		Floor		All-Around
Hollie Blanske	9.85	9.675		9.85		9.925		39.300
Danielle Breen	--	9.85		9.775		---		---
Jessie DeZiel	9.95	9.85		9.800		9.825		39.425
Jennie Laeng	---	---		---		---		---
Ashley Lambert	9.875	---		---		9.900		---
Amanda Lauer	---	---		---		---		---
Jennifer Lauer	---	---		9.325		9.850		---
Ariel Martin	9.850	---		---		--		---
Madison McConkey	---	--		---		---		---
Kamerin Moore	---	9.800		---		---		---
Desire' Stephens	9.85	9.825		9.750		9.875		39.300
Grace Williams	9.825	9.850		9.825		9.850		39.350

Team Scores:

1. LSU- 197.175

2. Nebraska- 196.950

3. Denver- 195.950

4. Michigan State- 195.375

5. Iowa State- 195.350

6. Washington- 193.675