Jennie Laeng

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Honors & Awards

• First-Team All-Big Ten (2017)
• Second-Team All-Big Ten (2016)
• Big Ten Co-Champion (2015: UB)
• Big Ten All-Championships Team (2015: UB; 2016: UB; 2017: UB)
• Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Week (1/11/16, 3/13/17)
• Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week (2/1/16)
• NACGC/W Scholastic All-American (2014, 2015, 2016)
• NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship (2017)
• Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship (2017)
• Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award (2015, 2016, 2017)
• Academic All-Big Ten (2015, 2016, 2017)
• Nebraska Outstanding Scholar Award (2017)
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016; Spring 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
• Nebraska Heart & Soul Award (2017)
• Nebraska HERO Leadership Award (2015)
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)

2017 (Senior)
Jennie Laeng capped her career at Nebraska with a strong senior season, leading the Huskers back to the NCAA Championships and helping NU to a Big Ten regular-season championship. She competed in the all-around in 10 of Nebraska's 12 meets in 2017, hitting three career-high marks and winning seven event titles on the year. Laeng earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and was named to the Big Ten All-Championships team as she tied for second on bars with a 9.90 at the conference meet.

Laeng was at her best during two of NU's most important meets of the season, as she posted back-to-back career-high 39.400s at the B1G Five meet and the Big Ten Championships. She won the all-around title at the B1G Five meet and earned Big Ten Gymnast-of-the-Week honors as she helped NU clinch the regular-season title. She also posted a strong 39.3750 in the all-around at the NCAA Semifinal to finish 10th and help the Huskers to a seventh-place national finish.

The 2015 Big Ten uneven bars co-champion was again strong on the event in 2017, as she hit a season-high 9.925 to open the season against Penn State and anchored the Huskers on the event in 11 meets, including each of the last 10.

Laeng tied her career high on vault with a 9.90 at the Oklahoma quad meet, and she also tied a career high with a 9.925 on floor at the Masters Classic. She posted a season best of 9.875 on beam twice, at the B1G Five meet and at the NCAA Semifinal.

Laeng's leadership extended from the gym to the classroom and the community, as she was recognized for her outstanding commitment to academics and service throughout her career. In the classroom, Laeng was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and an Academic All-Big Ten selection for the third year in a row, and Laeng earned a spot on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the fall and spring semesters. A May 2017 graduate with a degree in psychology, Laeng earned a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and added a Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship. She also received a Nebraska Outstanding Scholar Award as one of five NU student-athletes in their final season of eligibility who were graduating with a GPA of 3.90 or better. She was honored as one of three Nebraska Heart & Soul Award winners for her commitment to Nebraska's Life Skills program and she was named to the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team for a fourth consecutive year.

2016 (Junior)
Following a strong sophomore campaign, Laeng pushed through to compete as an all-around performer in her junior season. She was a consistent contributor on vault and was able to provide strong scores on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise for the Big Red in 2016, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors.

She was at her best to begin the season at Arizona State, winning each event and hitting a career-high score of 39.350 to win her first all-around title. She was named Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Week on Jan. 11 for her performance.

Known for her beautiful uneven bars routine, Laeng earned Big Ten All-Championships Team accolades for her 9.90 bar routine at the championships. She produced career highs on beam with scores of 9.90 twice throughout the season and on floor with a 9.925 routine at the B1G Five meet in Columbus, Ohio.

Laeng was also named Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week on Feb. 1 after winning vault and bars titles in helping Nebraska take down third-ranked Michigan.

She continued her strong work outside of the gym, earning NACGC/W Scholastic All-America honors for a third time. Laeng also earned a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award in 2016. She was named Academic All-Big Ten for the second-consecutive season, and was a member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll both semesters. Laeng also grabbed a spot on the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team for the third consecutive year.

2015 (Sophomore)
Coming off a strong freshman campaign, Laeng provided the Huskers with strong routines to boost them to a top-10 national finish. As a three-event specialist, Laeng consistently contributed solid scores across the board and was especially prominent on bars. 

At the 2015 Big Ten Championships, Laeng took home her first conference crown after posting a career-high 9.95 routine on bars. She also earned Big Ten All-Championships Team accolades, the only Husker to achieve such an honor. A strong vaulter, Laeng posted personal bests of 9.90 in the leadoff position twice in 2015. She also tallied a season-best 9.875 on beam twice.

Laeng continued to provide leadership in the classroom and the community in 2015, earning the Nebraska HERO Leadership Award for outstanding service. Laeng was also one of six Huskers to earn NACGC/W Scholastic All-America honors in 2015. She was named Academic All-Big Ten for the first time, in addition to earning spots on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll both semesters and the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2015.

2014 (Freshman) 
Laeng provided a surprising spark to the Husker lineup during the 2014 season. She started her freshman campaign outside of every Husker lineup and finished the season competing as a three-event specialist on vault, bars and beam. In her collegiate debut against Michigan, Laeng took second place on bars behind All-American Emily Wong by hitting a 9.875 and remained in the rotation for the rest of the season. 

Laeng showed her prowess on bars early in the year, as she became one of the Huskers' most consistent performers on the event by scoring a 9.80 or better seven times throughout the season. In addition, Laeng competed in the all-around competition three times, earning her best performance at the Big Ten Quad with a 39.325 to boost the Huskers' efforts to claim the Big Ten regular-season conference title.

She contributed important floor routines as well, recording her season-high 9.85 against Arkansas in the final home meet. Laeng capped her freshman season at the Super Six Finals where she notched a personal-best 9.90 on beam.

In the classroom, Laeng earned NACGC/W Scholastic All-America honors, and she earned a spot on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the fall and spring semesters. She was also named to the inaugural Tom Osborne Citizenship Team for her work in the community.

Before Nebraska
Laeng joined the Huskers after training with Olympic Dreams Gymnastics under coaches Gary and Dawn Toussaint. At the 2011 Junior Olympic National Invitational Laeng had a breakout performance taking the vault (9.575) and beam titles (9.575). Those titles as well as strong performances on floor and bars gave her the all-around title with a score of 37.100. Laeng was also the 2012 state bars champion in Pennsylvania. A competitor at the 2012 Junior National Championships, Laeng posted her best all-around score of 37.425. 

Personal
Laeng was born on June 2, 1995 in Sharon, Pa. She is the daughter of Jack and Joni Laeng, and has one sister, Jacalyn, and one brother, Scotty. In high school, she was a part of the National Honor Society, Honor Roll, Environmental Science Club and Student Council. A three-time NACGC/W Scholastic All-American, Laeng graduated from Nebraska in May of 2017 with a degree in psychology. She earned prestigious NCAA and Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarships in 2017. Laeng was a three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2015, 2016, 2017) and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. Laeng is an eight-time member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. She earned a Nebraska HERO Leadership Award in 2015 and is a four-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.

Laeng's Career Highs at Nebraska 

• Vault: 9.90 (3 times, last at Oklahoma, 2/3/17)
• Bars: 9.95 (at Big Ten Championships, 3/21/15)
• Beam: 9.90 (2 times, last at Penn State, 1/16/16)
• Floor: 9.925 (2 times, last at Masters Classic, 2/25/17)
• All-Around: 39.400 (2 times, last at Big Ten Championships, 3/18/17)

2017 Season Highs:

• Vault: 9.90 (at Oklahoma, 2/3)
• Bars: 9.925 (vs. Penn State, 1/15)
• Beam: 9.875 (2 times, last at NCAA Semifinal, 4/14)
• Floor: 9.925 (at Masters Classic, 2/25)
• All-Around: 39.400 (2 times, last at Big Ten Championships, 3/18)

2016 Season Highs: 

• Vault: 9.875 (3 times, last vs. Utah State, 3/6/16)
• Bars: 9.925 (vs. Michigan, 1/29/16)
• Beam: 9.90 (at Penn State, 1/16/16)
• Floor: 9.925 (at B1G Five, 3/12/16)
• All-Around: 39.350 (at Arizona State, 1/8/16)

2015 Season Highs:

• Vault: 9.90 (2 times, last at Masters Classic, 3/1/15)
• Bars: 9.95 (at Big Ten Championships, 3/21/15)
• Beam: 9.875 (2 times, last at Big Ten Five, 3/14/15)
• Floor: 9.825 (2 times, last vs. Oregon State, 3/7/15)

2014 Season Highs: 

• Vault: 9.875 (at Big Ten Quad, 3/15/14)
• Bars: 9.875 (vs. Michigan, 2/14/14)
• Beam: 9.90 (at NCAA Super Six, 4/19/14)
• Floor: 9.85 (vs. Arkansas, 3/8/14)
• All-Around: 39.325 (at Big Ten Quad, 3/15/14)