Huskers Set for Big Ten Championships

No. 14 Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-6 Overall, 6-3 Big Ten) at Big Ten Championships
Saturday, March 24, 2 p.m. CT – Champaign, Ill., State Farm Center
TV: BTN/BTN2Go
Live Scoring: FightingIllini.com
Big Ten Tournament Central | Host Tournament Central 

LINCOLN, Neb. – No. 14 Nebraska women’s gymnastics will travel to Champaign, Ill., on Saturday March 24 for the 2018 Big Ten Championships, hosted by Illinois at the State Farm Center at 2 p.m. The meet will be broadcast live on BTN and BTN2Go.

Nebraska will compete in the afternoon session of the Big Ten Championships at 2 p.m., alongside Michigan State, Rutgers and Penn State. No. 7 Michigan, No. 23 Minnesota, No. 24 Ohio State, Iowa, Illinois and Maryland will compete in the evening session at 7 p.m. The Big Ten Champion and awards will be crowned and distributed following the evening session.  

Nebraska will begin the meet on floor, before rotating to vault and bars, and finishing on beam. Penn State will begin on vault and proceed through Olympic order. Michigan State will begin on bars and rotate to beam and floor and end on vault, while Rutgers will begin on beam, rotate to floor and vault and end on bars.

Last Routine
No. 11 Nebraska women’s gymnastics faced adversity in the form of six falls or missed routines at the Big Five meet hosted by Michigan State on Saturday afternoon, but managed to finish in fourth place with a team score of 194.900. On the season, Nebraska slipped to 12-6 overall, and 6-3 in the Big Ten. 

Illinois won the Big Five meet with a 196.850, Maryland finished in second with a 195.700, Ohio State snuck into third with a 195.150, Nebraska finished in fourth with a 194.900 and Michigan State rounded out the five-team-meet-up with a 192.825. 

Freshman Kynsee Roby and junior Megan Schweihofer were bright spots on the day, as Schweihofer tied her career high in the all-around with a 39.475 and won the floor title out of nearly 30 competitors with a 9.95. Roby posted a career-high on bars with a 9.90 and two other scores over 9.80 as the Huskers depended on the freshman’s stability throughout the tough day.

The B1G Stage
The Big Ten Championships will be a podium meet, the third podium meet for the Huskers in 2018.

Nebraska Versus the B1G Field
Nebraska will be joined in the afternoon session by Michigan State, Rutgers and Penn State. Nebraska has defeated each opponent, respectively, this season. Most recently, the Huskers defeated Michigan State at the Big Five meet, 194.900 – 192.825. Nebraska opened the 2018 season at Penn State and narrowly escaped the Nittany Lions 195.550 – 195.500. The second weekend, Nebraska welcomed Rutgers for the home-opener in Lincoln and defeated the Scarlet Knights 196.300 – 192.975. 

For teams in the evening session, Nebraska met three teams at the Big Five meet and three teams in the conference schedule. Nebraska also met Illinois at the Big Five meet, where they fell 196.850 – 194.900, but met them earlier in the season outside of the conference schedule at Elevate the Stage 2018, where the Huskers came out on top 196.700 – 195.900. At the Big Five meet, Nebraska fell to Maryland 195.700 – 194.900, and Ohio State 195.150 – 194.900. Nebraska defeated Michigan in January 196.875 – 196.525 and Minnesota 196.850 – 196.375. Nebraska’s last regular season conference opponent was Iowa and the Huskers came away with the victory 195.675 – 194.900.

Last Time at the B1Gs
In 2017 at the Big Ten Championships, Nebraska finished in fourth place and posted a score of 196.475. Taylor Houchin was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and three Huskers were named to the All-Championships team: Houchin, Sienna Crouse, and Jennie Laeng. Laeng posted the highest finish by a Husker in 2017 at the championships, finishing in second on bars with a score of 9.90.

Five Huskers Earn All-Big Ten Recognitions
Five Nebraska women's gymnasts were named All-Big Ten, announced by the conference on Monday, March 19. Seniors Abbie Epperson and Grace Williams, juniors Sienna Crouse and Megan Schweihofer were named first team All-Big Ten, while sophomore Taylor Houchin was named second-team All-Big Ten for the 2018 season. 

Crouse, a junior from Fargo, N.D., had a breakout season, setting career-highs in every event including the all-around. Crouse a highly regarded vault competitor was undefeated by opponents on vault until last weekend, she posted a career-high 9.975 in just her third meet this season.

Epperson, a senior from Allen, Texas, posted career-highs in three events this season, including a lifetime-best 39.450 in the all-around twice this season, against Michigan and at the 2018 Masters Classic. Epperson scored a career-high 9.90 on vault at the Masters Classic, and scored a career-high 9.875 on floor against Minnesota.

Williams, a senior from Linden, Mich., has posted a score of 9.85 or better in three events this season: vault, balance beam and floor. Williams has been a beam queen for Nebraska throughout her four years and posted a season-high 9.925 two times this season. 

Schweihofer, a junior from China, Mich., has competed in the all-around for the Huskers in every meet she's participated in and is a major contributor to overall team success. The junior has posted season-highs of 9.85 or better in every event this season and set career-highs in three events in 2018

Houchin, a sophomore from Republic, Mo., has posted impressive scores this season, despite resting and rehabbing for much of the early season. Houchin boasts career-highs of 9.90 or better in every event, and has posted scores of 9.825 or better this season.

Nine Nebraska Gymnasts earn Academic All-Big Ten
Nine Nebraska women's gymnasts earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, announced by the conference on Wednesday.

The list of honorees is headlined by senior Danielle Breen, a 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-American and now three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. Breen is joined by fellow seniors Abbie Epperson, a two-time selection, and Grace Williams, a three-time honoree. 

Juniors Sienna Crouse, Kelli Chung and Megan Schweihofer each earned Academic All-Big Ten for the second time in their Husker careers. Redshirt sophmore Catelyn Orel was named to the academic team, alongside sophomores Sierra Hassel and Taylor Houchin for their first career selections. 

Chung Earns Big Ten Sportsmanship Award
Redshirt sophomore Kelli Chung was awarded the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, announced by the conference on Friday. Chung has played an integral part in team unity, positivity and overall culture within Nebraska women's gymnastics, supporting her teammates with her infectious energy and smile. 

Up Next
Nebraska will await the NCAA Selection Show on Monday, March 26 at 3 p.m. CT, where regional selections will be announced. Nebraska could head to one of six regional sites on April 7: Salt Lake City, Utah; Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Raleigh, N.C.; Columbus, Ohio; University Park, Pa.; and Minneapolis, Minn.