Huskers to Take On Sooners

Lincoln -- Coming off a record-setting performance at Missouri over the weekend, the fifth-ranked Nebraska women’s gymnastics team returns to the friendly confines of the Bob Devaney Sports Center this weekend for an important showdown with ninth-ranked Oklahoma this Saturday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m.

For the 4-1 Huskers, Saturday’s meet with the Sooners begins a difficult month of February, as all but one NU opponent is ranked in the top-25, including a trio in the top 15 (Oklahoma, No. 9 Penn State and No. 11 LSU).

The Huskers will have a difficult chore on its hands, as NU looks to extend its regular-season home winning streak to 33 against the Sooners. Both teams are ranked in the top 25 in all four events, while the meet will feature three of the nation’s top all-arounders in Nebraska freshmen Alecia Ingram (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Gina Bruce (Champlin, Minn.), and Oklahoma sophomore Leticia Ishii. Ingram and Ishii lead the Big 12 with three all-around titles apiece, while Ingram’s all-around score of 39.625 at Missouri is the best in the conference this season.

The Huskers enter the week with a full head of steam after breaking the school record of 196.875 against the Tigers. Nebraska and UCLA are the only two teams to score above 197 this season, while the Huskers score at Missouri is the highest road score in the nation this season, topping the 196.975 set by Alabama over the weekend.

The Huskers will get an added boost with the improved health of sophomore A.J. Lamb (Lincoln, Neb.), who made her 2001 debut against Missouri and tied her career high with a 9.90 on balance beam.

Scouting Oklahoma
Under the direction of co-coaches Steve Nunno and Becky Switzer, the Sooners improved to 8-1 on the season with a first-place finish at the Texas Woman’s Triangular Jan. 28. OU finished with a season-high score of 196.60, to easily top Texas Woman’s University (191.60) and Wisconsin-Eau Claire (173.45). The Sooners were led by sophomore Leticia Ishii, who won her third all-around title of the season with a score of 39.45, while also placing first on beam. In all, four different OU gymnasts placed first, as the Sooners improved to a league-best 8-1 record. Ishii is ranked 12th in the all-around and on the uneven bars, while Leah Mueller is 10th on vault. NU leads the all-time series with Oklahoma, 17-5-1, and have won five straight meetings dating back to the 1998 season.

While Nunno is in his first season as OU’s co-coach, he tutored NU freshman Alecia Ingram as the coach of Dynamo Gymnastics, the same club of former Husker NCAA champion Heather Brink and U.S. Olympian Shannon Miller, in Oklahoma City last season.

Missouri Recap
Alecia Ingram earned top-two finishes in all four events, as the ninth-ranked Nebraska women’s gymnastics team topped the 197-point plateau for the first time in school history with a 197.025-194.425 victory over Missouri at the Hearnes Center on Jan. 28.

Ingram’s performance propelled the Huskers to their record-setting outing, as NU broke the previous school record of 196.875 set twice last season, most recently at the NCAA Region 3 Championships on April 1, 2000. In all, NU hit all 24 routines and scored 49 or better on all four events en route to its third straight victory. Nebraska’s team score is the second highest in the nation this season, trailing only the 197.50 by UCLA on Jan. 21. The Bruins handed the Huskers their only loss of the season at the Maui Invitational earlier this month.

Ingram won the all-around with a score of 39.625, the third-highest score ever by a Husker gymnast, in breaking the freshman all-around record for the second time this season. The rookie set freshman records on vault (9.925) and balance beam (9.925) and also placed first on floor exercise (9.875) and second on uneven bars (9.925).

Ingram’s heroics overshadowed outstanding performances by freshman Gina Bruce and sophomore A.J. Lamb. Making her all-around debut, Bruce earned a trio of top-three finishes, tying or setting career highs on all four events, including a runner-up finish on vault (9.90) and a third-place score on floor exercise (9.85) en route to a score of 39.325 to place second in the all-around to Ingram.

Lamb, who had not competed all season because of a back injury, made her 2001 debut on balance beam, placing second as she tied her career best with a 9.90.

Sophomore Julie Houk (Hamilton, Ohio) rounded out the individual winners, as she took first on uneven bars, tying her career best with a 9.95 for her second event title of the year.

Huskers Remain Perfect at Home Under Kendig
The Huskers have won 32 straight regular-season meets at the Devaney Center, including all 27 under head coach Dan Kendig. The last time the Huskers did not win a regular-season home meet was at the 1993 Masters Classic. The only times Nebraska has not taken first at home under Kendig were the 1995 Midwest Regional, when Nebraska finished second to NCAA champion Utah, and at the 1999 Region 3 Championships when the Huskers finished second to NCAA runner-up Michigan.

Nebraska Coach Dan Kendig
University of Nebraska Coach Dan Kendig reached a milestone last season, becoming the winningest coach in school history. Kendig now has a 127-27 (.825) record in eight seasons at Nebraska, passing Rick Walton, who compiled a 121-52 (.628) record from 1984 to 1993.

A six-time conference coach of the year, Kendig has guided the Huskers to six straight conference titles (1994-99) and five NCAA Championship appearances in the past six seasons, including NCAA Super Six Finals appearances in 1997, 1999 and 2000. He was selected as the Region 3 Coach of the Year last season, guiding the Huskers to a 25-5 regular-season record and a No. 5 national ranking.

Kendig is assisted by third-year coach and former U.S. Olympian Rhonda Faehn and former men’s NCAA all-around champion Dennis Harrison, who is entering his second year at NU.

Husker Gymnastics Live on the Web
Fans can follow Husker gymnastics live on the official website of Nebraska athletics – www.huskers.com. All of Nebraska’s home meets and selected road meets will be updated live. The 2001 season will mark the fourth consecutive season with live scoring during home meets.

Noting the Huskers
* - Nebraska scored 49 or better on all four events for the seventh time in school history against the Tigers on Saturday.

*- Nebraska’s beam score of 49.35 was the second-highest total in school history, trailing only the school record of 39.45 at the 1997 Big 12 Championships.

*- Alecia Ingram leads the Huskers with eight individual victories this season, including three all-around and vault titles. In all four different Husker gymnasts have won at least one event title in the first four meets of the season. Other individual event winners this year include Amy Ringo (3), Julie Houk (2) and Gina Bruce (1).

*- Nebraska has swept both Big 12 Gymnast-of- the-Week honors this season, as Alecia Ingram (1/16) and Amy Ringo (1/23) were the league’s first two recipients.

Next Week
The Huskers travel to Morgantown, W.V., for a quadrangular meet with West Virginia, Penn State and James Madison on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m