Huskers to Host Last Dress Rehearsal Before 2019 Season

Lincoln, Neb. -- The No. 11 Cornhuskers will host an intrasquad open practice before the start of the 2019 season on Thursday, December 20 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center with doors opening at 11 a.m.

The event is free to the public and fans will get an inside look into the Huskers’ routines before the season begins in January. The Huskers will test out their talent in Olympic order, beginning with vault, followed by uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise at the intrasquad meet. No official individual or team scores will be given out. 

Schedule cards and posters will be available at the meet and the gymnasts will sign autographs after the meet. 

NU opens the season at No. 11 in the WCGA preseason poll, the eighth-consecutive season the Huskers are ranked among the nation’s top 12 teams in the preseason poll. The only Big Ten team ranked higher than Nebraska is Michigan, which checked in at No. 9. In the Big Ten, coaches around the conference have picked Nebraska second in the Big Ten for the sixth consecutive year in the annual Big Ten Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Since joining the conference before the 2012 season, Nebraska has been selected first or second in every preseason poll. The Huskers came in second last season in the Big Ten Championships to Michigan, who is on top of this year’s preseason poll. Illinois comes in third, while Ohio State and Minnesota round out the top five.

Senior Sienna Crouse was selected as one of the 2019 Gymnasts to watch by the Big Ten conference for the second straight year. Sienna Crouse earned first team honors on floor, and second team All-America honors on vault, adding to her first team All-America honors on vault in 2017 and was also first team All-Big Ten, First Team Big Ten All-Championships and Academic All-Big Ten last season. Junior Taylor Houchin also joins Crouse as a 2019 Gymnast to watch. Houchin earned first team All-American status on vault, and second-team honors on balance beam, last season, the first of her career. She was also named Big Ten vault co-champion, Second Team All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten.

Nebraska will begin their 2019 season with a road trip to defending national champions UCLA on Friday January 4, beginning at 8 p.m. CT with national television coverage provided by ESPN2.