Jamie Saas Season 2004-05

• Second-Team All-American (2004: BB)<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>
• All-Big 12 (2005: FX; 2003: BB)
• First-Team Academic All-District VII (2005)
• First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (2003, 2004, 2005)
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Spring Honor Roll (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)
• NACGC Scholastic All-American (2003, 2004, 2005)

Jamie Saas was a four-year letterwinner at <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska from 2002 to 2005. A two-time All-Big 12 honoree, she was a second-team All-American on beam in 2004.

 

2005 - Senior Season

One of two seniors on the 2005 team, Jamie Saas brought tremendous experience to the Huskers' beam and floor lineups and was an integral part of the Huskers' success at the NCAA Championships. In helping NU claim its seventh conference team title, Saas finished third on floor exercise at the meet to become an All-Big 12 selection for the second time in her career.

 

Saas scored a season-high 9.90 on balance beam three times in her final campaign, first at Florida, then the following week at Missouri and finally in NU's key home win over national power Utah. She tied her season-best floor score, 9.825, six times throughout the course of the year. The Aurora, Ill., native's finest showing came against Missouri, as she posted a 9.90 on beam and a 9.825 on floor to give the Huskers their first win of a four-meet road schedule in January. Saas closed her Nebraska career with a fine performance on beam, scoring a 9.825 on the event in the Super Six Finals.

 

2004 - Junior Season

As a junior, Saas provided leadership to NU's balance beam lineup, setting a career high on the event with a 9.975 against Missouri. She also performed on the floor exercise in four meets for NU, making her season debut on the event at Denver and scoring a 9.60. While at Minnesota, Saas improved her season-high score to 9.85 and also took first place on beam with a 9.925 against the Gophers.

 

Saas' most impressive floor exercise routine took place in the Huskers' final home meet against IowaState, where she helped tie the score at 198.00 with the Cyclones. Despite having competed on the floor exercise just three times in 2004, Saas came through with a career high of 9.875.

 

In addition, Saas led the Huskers on beam at the Southeast Regional, tying for eighth place (9.875) with teammate Michele Zabawa. At the 2004 NCAA Championships, Saas posted a 9.80 in the preliminary session, garnering second-team All-America honors on the balance beam.

 

2003 - Sophomore Season

Saas was a solid force on the balance beam for the Huskers in 2003, making her season debut on the event against Missouri, when she scored a 9.70. Saas improved throughout the year, scoring a 9.85 or above in the Huskers' last four meets of the season.

 

She played a decisive role in NU's win over Michigan, as it came down to her routine on the beam to secure the Husker win. Saas came through for the Huskers, capturing a 9.85 on the event. She then went on to set a then-career high against Big 12 rival IowaState, scoring a 9.95 on beam to earn runner-up honors against the Cyclones.

 

At the Big 12 Championships, Saas found continued success on beam, as she scored a 9.925 and took runner-up honors for the second week in a row to earn All-Big 12 honors. Finally, at the NCAA Super Six Finals, Saas was a significant contributor to the team's excellent performance on beam, where she scored a 9.875.

 

2002 - Freshman Season

Saas made the most of her opportunities as a freshman. After competing on vault against Georgia, where she received a 9.65, Saas was in both the Huskers' vault and beam lineups against Iowa. Saas, who anchored the Huskers' beam unit, found herself in a tough situation after two of Nebraska's first five gymnasts fell. Despite the pressure, she produced a solid routine and scored a 9.675.

 

Against IowaState, Saas again competed on vault and beam. This time she found herself in the second position on beam and scored a 9.70. Saas continued to improve in every meet on beam throughout the season, turning in an impressive performance at Alabama. After falling on a tumbling pass in her exhibition routine on floor, Saas rebounded to post a then-career high 9.825, which tied teammates A.J. Lamb and Richelle Simpson for third. However, it was in the Masters Classic that Saas produced her best beam

performance, earning a 9.875, a mark that helped propel the Huskers to a school record of 49.675 on beam that day.

 

Saas continued her steady performances throughout the season, helping Nebraska capture the Big 12 and NCAA Northeast Regional championships. Saas once again turned in a solid routine in the NCAA Preliminaries, posting the Huskers' third-highest beam score and pushing NU to advance to its fourth straight Super Six Finals appearance. She closed out her year with a 9.75 on beam at the Super Six Finals, and the Huskers recorded a fifth-place finish.

 

Before Nebraska

Originally from Aurora, Ill., Saas competed for Geri Griffith and Bill Etheridge at Westside Gymnastics in Nashville, Tenn. At the 2001 AAU national meet, she finished first on the uneven bars en route to a fourth-place finish in the all-around. She finished sixth in the all-around at the 2001 USAIGC meet in Haines City, Fla., on the strength of a fourth-place finish on bars and sixth-place finishes on vault and beam. At the 2001 Region 8 meet in Suwanee, Ga., in April, Saas finished sixth on bars and ninth on the balance beam.

 

Personal

The daughter of Phillip Saas and Tomi and Judd McCormack, Jamie was born Sept. 30, 1982. She has two sisters, Brandi and Jillian, and three brothers, Jared, Jeremy and Josh. Saas graduated in December of 2004 with a bachelor's degree in special education (deaf education). While at Nebraska, she was a three-time NACGC Scholastic All-American and was named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll in eight semesters.

 

Career/Season Highs at Nebraska

Career Highs

    Vault: 9.70 (at OhioState, 2/14/03)

    Beam: 9.975 (vs. Missouri, 1/31/04)

    Floor: 9.90 (at Big 12 Championships, 3/26/05)

2005 Season Highs

    Beam: 9.90 (3 times, vs. Utah, 2/20/05)

    Floor: 9.90 (at Big 12 Championships, 3/26/05)

2004 Season Highs

    Beam: 9.975 (vs. Missouri, 1/31/04)

    Floor: 9.875 (vs. IowaState, 3/14/04)

2003 Season Highs

    Vault: 9.70 (at OhioState, 2/14/03)

    Beam: 9.95 (vs. IowaState, 3/23/03)

2002 Season Highs

    Vault: 9.65 (at Georgia, 1/6/02)

    Beam: 9.875 (Masters Classic, 2/23/02)