Blanske Named Gymnast of the Week

After leading Nebraska to a victory in its home opener against Rutgers, senior Hollie Blanske has been named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week, the conference announced Monday.

Blanske, from Oak Grove, Minn., earned her second consecutive all-around and floor exercise titles last Saturday against the Scarlet Knights, scoring a 39.500 in the all-around and tying her career high with a 9.95 on floor. The Huskers moved to 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in Big Ten competition.

The honor is the second of Blanske’s career, as she was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week for the week of Jan. 19, 2015. It is the second weekly honor for the Huskers this year, as junior Jennie Laeng earned Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Week honors for the week of Jan. 11.

Blanske is a three-time All-American, earning first team honors on balance beam in 2014 and floor exercise in 2015. She was named a second-team All-American in the all-around in 2015. Last season, she also earned second-team NACGC/W All-America honors in the all-around. Blanske is also a two-time All-Big Ten performer.

Her all-around title Saturday was the third of her career, while her floor exercise title was her 12th at Nebraska.

A standout outside the gym as well, Blanske is a three-time member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll and has been named to the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in both 2014 and 2015 for her outstanding work in the community.

Minnesota’s Hanna Nordquist was named Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week while Michigan’s Olivia Karas earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for the fourth consecutive week.

The Huskers return to action Friday against No. 3 Michigan. The meet is set to begin at 6 p.m. CT at the Devaney Center, and will be televised on a one-hour delay on NET. The theme of the evening is Light Up the Night, as 1,500 LED bracelets will be given away at entrances.