A.J. Lamb Season 2002-03

• First-Team All-American (2002: V)
• Co-record holder on vault (10.00)
• 2002 Big 12 Vault Co-Champion
• All-Big 12 (2001: V; 2002: V)
• Two-Time First Team Academic All-Big 12 (2001, 2002)
• 2001 Big 12 Vault Co-Champion
• Big 12 Gymnast of the Week (3/21/00)
• Featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” (4/9/01)
• Four-Time NACGC Scholastic All-American (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003)

A.J. Lamb was a Husker letterwinner from 2000-2003. A seven-time All-American, Lamb is a co-record holder on vault (10.00) and tallied 32 event titles during her time at Nebraska. She was also a four-time NACGC Scholastic All-American.

As a senior: With four NCAA All-America honors to her credit, A.J. Lamb added three more in her senior season, making her a seven-time All-American. She totaled three first-team honors in 2003 (all-around, floor and beam) en route to a fourth-place finish in the all-around (39.475) at the 2003 NCAA Championships. Lamb also took eighth on beam (9.762) and fourth on floor (9.912).

Lamb tied for the vault crown at the 2003 Big 12 Championships with a mark of 9.90. She took second on floor (9.95) and finished in sixth in the all-around (39.175). Lamb earned All-Big 12 honors on vault and floor.

At the 2003 NCAA West Regional, Lamb took the vault crown (9.90) and came in third on beam (9.90) and floor (9.90). She finished second in the all-around, behind teammate Richelle Simpson (39.525).

Lamb totaled nine event titles in 2003, including four on vault, one on beam, three on floor and one in the all-around. She posted a perfect 10.00 on vault against Alabama and narrowly missed the perfect mark on floor against the Crimson Tide, scoring a 9.975. She hit a season-high 9.90 on bars at the NCAA Super Six Finals and posted a 9.95 at the Masters Classic on Feb. 23. She hit her top all-around score of the year against Alabama with a 39.75.

She ended her career with 32 event titles at Nebraska.

As a Junior: Lamb made an impressive return to all-around competition after only competing on the beam and floor in 2001 due to injury. In 13 meets in her sophomore season, she scored at least a 39.20 in the all-around nine times. Lamb bettered her career high in the all-around with a 39.525 against Penn State, a mark that ranked 12th on Nebraska’s all-time charts. The score was also a junior class school record, breaking the 1999 mark of 39.40 set by 2000 NCAA All-Around Champion Heather Brink. She also tied the junior class event record on beam (Masters Classic) and floor (vs. Missouri and vs. Iowa State) with 9.95s. Lamb posted a 39.45 at the Big 12 Championships, the second-highest all-around score of her career, to finish fourth.

She won the floor exercise four times, including back-to-back meets against Penn State and Iowa State. A 2000 All-American on floor, Lamb was also impressive on the balance beam. She tied her career high of 9.95 at the Masters Classic and bettered 9.80 eight times last season, including a string of seven straight scores of at least 9.825.

At the Big 12 Championships, Lamb posted a then-career high 9.90 on vault to share the title with teammate Jess Wertz. She also earned All-Big 12 honors on floor and in the all-around. At the NCAA Northeast Regional, Lamb increased her career-high vault score to a 9.925 to earn a share of the title with Michigan’s Elise Ray.

Lamb won first-team All-America honors on the vault and bars at the NCAA Championships, while garnering second-team recognition in the all-around. She went on to finish fifth on the vault and ninth on the bars at the NCAA Event Finals.

Lamb won 10 event titles in 2002 to lead the team with two coming in the all-around, two on vault, two on beam and four on floor.

As a sophomore: Despite missing the Huskers’ first three meets of the season with a back injury, Lamb returned to form and posted several key scores on beam and floor for the Huskers.

Lamb’s performance at the Big 12 Championships helped the Huskers capture their seventh conference title in the last eight years. Her 9.95 on the balance beam tied the school record and gave her a share of the Big 12 title, while her 9.90 on floor tied for fourth.

One of Nebraska’s top all-arounders as a freshman, Lamb was limited to two events in 2001, but earned All-Big 12 honors on both, capturing her second conference honor on floor and her first on beam.

Lamb competed only on beam in her first three meets in 2001, but performed a new floor routine for the first time in competition at the Masters Classic on Feb. 24, and tied a meet record with a career-high score of 9.925. On the season, Lamb was one of the Huskers’ top floor performers, capturing two titles and posting a 9.875 or better in six of her eight routines.

As a freshman: Lamb quickly stepped into the Huskers’ all-around lineup, filling the void after replacing a pair of All-Americans from 1999. Following the conference championships, Lamb was selected as the co-Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, along with Iowa State’s Betsy Hamm. Lamb finished second in the all-around at the Region 3 Championships with a score of 39.325, including top-10 finishes on all four events.

She earned All-Big 12 honors on vault, where she tied for third with a 9.85, and on floor exercise, where she tied for third with a 9.90. She finished the season ranked 14th nationally on floor (9.905 RQS), and captured every event title, but vault during the season. She also placed first on the uneven bars (9.875), balance beam (9.90) and floor exercise (9.925) against Missouri, earning Big 12 Gymnast-of-the-Week honors for her performance.

She recorded a pair of season bests at Oregon State, placing second on the uneven bars with a 9.90 and fifth on vault with a 9.875. She set her season best on floor with an NU freshman record of 9.925 against Missouri, before tying the mark against both Iowa State and Iowa. In all, Lamb hit 44-of-49 routines (90 percent) on the season.

Prior: A Level 10 gymnast under former Husker gymnast and coach Duane West at Capital City Gymnastics in Lincoln, Lamb was a four-time Junior Olympic National qualifier and three-time J.O. National champion, winning national titles on vault, uneven bars and floor exercise in 1997. She was selected to the Junior Olympic National Team in 1995 and 1997, and earned runner-up finishes on both floor and vault at the 1998 J.O. Nationals in Seattle, Wash. She placed third on vault and 13th in the all-around at the 1999 J.O. Nationals in Austin, Texas.

Personal: The daughter of Dave and Janelle Lamb, A.J. was born on June 22, 1981, in Lincoln. A 1999 graduate of Lincoln Northeast High School, A.J. was a member of the National Honor Society and graduated in the top three percent of her class. Her older sisters, Alisha (1997-1999) and Arica (1997-2000) were also members of the Husker gymnastics team. A.J. also has a younger sister, Mandy, who served as the Huskers’ team manager in 2003. A business administration major, A.J. earned her bachelor's degree from Nebraska in May of 2021. She was named to the academic All-Big 12 team in 2001 and 2002.

Lamb’s Career/Season Highs at Nebraska

Career Highs

   Vault: 10.00 (vs. Alabama, 1/26/03)

   Bars: 9.90 (five times, last at NCAA Super Six Finals, 4/25/03)

   Beam: 9.95 (two times, last at Masters Classic, 2/23/03)

   Floor: 9.975 (two times, last at Michigan, 3/14/03)

   All-Around: 39.75 (vs. Alabama, 1/26/03)

2003 Season Highs

   Vault: 10.00 (vs. Alabama, 1/26/03)

   Bars: 9.90 (two times, last at NCAA Super Six Finals, 4/25/03)

   Beam: 9.95 (Masters Classic, 2/23/03)

   Floor: 9.975 (two times, last at Michigan, 3/14/03)

   All-Around: 39.75 (vs. Alabama, 1/26/03)

2002 Season Highs

   Vault: 9.925 (at NCAA Northeast Regional, 4/6/02)

   Bars: 9.90 (vs. Iowa Sate, 3/10/02)

   Beam: 9.95 (Masters Classic, 2/23/02)

   Floor: 9.95 (two times, last vs. Iowa State, 3/10/02)

   All-Around: 39.525 (vs. Penn State, 3/3/02)

2001 Season Highs

   Beam: 9.95 (at Big 12 Championships, 3/24/01)

   Floor: 9.925 (Masters Classic, 2/24/01)

2000 Season Highs

   Vault: 9.875 (at Oregon State, 3/3/00)

   Bars: 9.90 (two times, last at Region 3 Championships, 4/1/00)

   Beam: 9.90 (vs. Missouri, 1/29/00)

   Floor: 9.925 (vs. Missouri, 1/29/00)

   All-Around: 39.425