Jess Wertz Season 2002-03

• First-Team All-American (2002: V)<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>
• 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)

Jess Wertz was a letterwinner for the Huskers from 2000-03. An All-American on vault, Wertz posted two perfect 10.00’s during her Husker career. She was the Big 12 Vault Champion in back-to-back seasons (2001-02) and was a four-time NACGC Scholastic All-American (2002, 2001, 2002, 2003).

As a Senior: Jess Wertz headed into her senior campaign with the potential to be an all-arounder for the Huskers. The All-American on vault continued her impressive career on the event in her senior campaign. She totaled two event titles, at Iowa (9.90) and against Oklahoma (10.00). Her perfect 10.0 on vault against Oklahoma was the second of her career and put her in a tie for the individual event record at Nebraska.

Wertz also earned the floor title at Iowa with a mark of 9.875. She tied that score the following week at Missouri. She also hit a season-high 9.85 on bars twice in 2003, last against Iowa State on March 23.

At the 2003 NCAA West Regional, Wertz posted a 9.80 on vault for a 9th-place finish. With her contributions, Nebraska finished on top at the regional and headed to the 2003 NCAA Championships in Lincoln. Wertz hit a 9.85 at the NCAA Super Six Team Finals, aiding Nebraska in a fourth-place finish in front of a hometown crowd. Wertz was also a leader in the classroom, as she was named a NACGC Scholastic All-American for the fourth-straight year in 2003.

As a Junior: After missing the first month of the season because of an ankle injury, Wertz slowly worked her way back into the Huskers’ vault and bars lineups.

The Lebanon, Ohio, native saw her first action of the season at Alabama, where she competed on bars and exhibitioned on vault. Following another exhibition routine on vault at the Hearts Invite on Feb. 15, Wertz was pressed into action at the Masters Classic after Gina Bruce was injured in warm-ups. Although Wertz struggled with her vault landings, her bars scores continued to improve, and she posted back-to-back scores of 9.875. But it was at the Big 12 Championships that Wertz finally pieced everything together on vault. The 2001 Big 12 vault champion, Wertz successfully defended her title with a season-high score of 9.90, which tied teammate A.J. Lamb for first place.

Although she was forced to take extra swings on her bar routine at the league championships, Wertz was one of NU’s strongest bars workers, averaging 9.767 on the event. She continued her impressive vaulting at the NCAA Championships. Wertz turned in a 9.90 at the qualifier to earn first-team All-America honors. She just missed a perfect landing on her vault at the individual event finals, placing her eighth with a score of 9.740.

As a sophomore: In the middle of the 2001 season, it became apparent that Wertz would play an important role in the Huskers’ national championship run. At the Arizona State Invitational, Wertz did what only one other Husker had ever done before: score a perfect 10.0 on vault.

Wertz, who joined former All-Americans Heather Brink and Bree Dority O’Callaghan as the only gymnasts in school history to record a 10.0, had never before performed the vault, a Yurchenko layout half front, in competition. In fact, she had only competed on vault one previous time during the 2001 season, and only four times as a freshman. Her score helped the Huskers to their highest vault total of the season (49.40). In addition, Wertz scored a 9.875 on bars and a 9.80 floor to earn Co-Big 12 Gymnast-of-the-Week honors with Iowa State’s Shelly Kringen, who also scored a 10.0 on vault that week.

Wertz proved she would be a force on vault by tying Kringen for the Big 12 title. With the victory, Wertz earned her first All-Big 12 honor. At the Masters Classic, she tied the meet record on floor with a career-high 9.925, sharing the title with teammates A.J. Lamb and O’Callaghan.

Wertz also played an important role in the Huskers’ regional win, scoring a 9.90 on floor to tie for fourth and helping the Huskers tie their season high on the event with a 49.475.

On the season, Wertz hit 32-of-33 routines (97 percent), and captured two vault and two floor titles.

As a freshman: One of four newcomers forced into the Husker lineup in 2000, Wertz became one of the Huskers’ most consistent performers. She usually competed on uneven bars and floor exercise, but was also the Huskers’ top reserve on both vault and balance beam. Wertz sprained her left ankle before NCAAs and competed only on uneven bars, scoring a 9.775 at the Super Six Finals.

She scored 38.80 or better in two of her three all-around appearances, including a career high of 39.075 to place fourth at the Masters Classic. She placed second in the all-around at the Bermuda Triangle Challenge (38.80), earning NU?s nomination for Big 12 Gymnast-of-the-Week honors. Wertz scored 9.825 or better on eight of her last 10 uneven bars performances, including a season best of 9.90 to place third at the Masters Classic.

She recorded scores of 9.80 or better on seven of her 14 floor exercise routines, including four of the final five. Wertz posted her career-best mark of 9.875 at the Big 12 Championships. She vaulted four times during the season, scoring a season best of 9.725 at the Bermuda Triangle Challenge to place third.

Prior: Wertz competed for Coach Mary Lee Tracy and current University of Iowa Coach Mike Lorenzen at Cincinnati Gymnastics. She was a two-time qualifier who placed 13th and 15th in the all-around at the 1998 and 1999 Junior Olympic National Championships, respectively, Wertz also placed third on floor exercise at the 1999 J.O. Nationals in Austin, Texas. She won the Ohio Level 10 all-around and floor exercise as a junior, and competed for her regional all-star team at the Malar Cup in Stockholm, Sweden, in the fall of 1998. She was the Bermuda Triangle Challenge all-around champion. Wertz was a club teammate of fellow Husker Julie Houk.

Personal: The daughter of Fred and Joan Wertz, Jess was born Nov. 30, 1980, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. She has an older sister, Wendy, and four brothers, Scotty, Nicholas, Jordan and Zach. A biological sciences major, Jess is a three-time NACGC Scholastic All-American and carries a 3.57 grade-point average in biological sciences.

Wertz’s Career/Season Highs at Nebraska

Career Highs

   Vault: 10.00 (two times, last vs. Oklahoma, 2/1/03)

   Bars: 9.925 (vs. Iowa State, 3/12/01)

   Beam: 9.825 (Masters Classic, 2/27/00)

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

2003 Season Highs

   Vault: 10.00 (vs. Oklahoma, 2/1/03)

   Bars: 9.85 (vs. Iowa State, 3/23/03)

   Floor: 9.875 (at Missouri, 1/24/03)

2002 Season Highs

   Vault: 9.90 (Big 12 Championships, 3/23/02)

   Bars: 9.90 (NCAA Preliminaries, 4/18/02)

2001 Season Highs

   Vault: 10.00 (at Arizona State Invite, 3/16/01)

   Bars: 9.925 (vs. Iowa State, 3/12/01)

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

2000 Season Highs

   Vault: 9.75 (at Bermuda Triangle Challenge, 1/21/00)

   Bars: 9.90 (Masters Classic, 2/27/00)

   Beam: 9.825 (Masters Classic, 2/27/00)

   Floor: 9.875 (at Big 12 Championships, 3/18/00)