Nebraska Faces No. 25 Kentucky on Senior Night

?<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska Head Coach: Dan Kendig (14th Year)        <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

?Current Record: 15-4 (2-1 Big 12)

?2007 High Score: 196.975 (at Hearts Invitational, 2/17/07)

?Last Meet: Loss, 197.025-143.75 (at LSU, 3/16/07)

?2006 NCAA Finish: 5th (196.125)

                               

The seventh-ranked Nebraska women’s gymnastics team plays host to No. 25 Kentucky this Friday, March 23 in its final home meet of the season at the BobDevaneySportsCenter. Competition is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., and a Senior Night celebration to honor Stephanie Carter and Michele Zabawa will take place after the dual.

 

Nebraska boasts a 4-0 all-time series record with the Wildcats.

 

Following its final appearance of 2007 at the Devaney Center, Nebraska travels to the Big 12 Championships in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, March 31. The Huskers, who have won seven of the last 10 conference team titles, take on No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 17 Iowa State and No. 18 Missouri at MU’s HearnesCenter at 7 p.m.

 

Nebraska’s Competition Order with Kentucky

Rotation                 Nebraska              Kentucky

1                              Vault                       Uneven Bars

2                              Uneven Bars        Vault

3                              Balance Beam     Floor Exercise

4                              Floor Exercise      Balance Beam

 

Scouting the Competition: No. 25 Kentucky Wildcats

?Head Coach: Mo Mitchell (Fourth Year)        

?2007 Record: 8-10 (0-6 SEC)

?2007 High Score: 195.60 (at Arizona, 3/17/07)

?Last Meet: Win, 197.175-196.275 (vs. PennState, 3/9/07)

?2006 NCAA Finish: Did Not Qualify

A Glance at the Wildcats...

?Kentucky’s top returning gymnast is senior Krystle Cook, who won the 2006 NCAA Central Regional vault title (9.90) to advance to the NCAA Championships for a 21st-place finish on the event. Cook is ranked 22nd nationally on bars with a regional qualifying score of 9.875.

?Freshman Hillary Ferguson is ranked 25th in the nation on floor with a 9.87 RQS.

?The Wildcats posted a 49.30 on floor last weekend at Arizona, marking the third-best floor score in school history.

?UK finished seventh at the 2006 SEC Championships, posting a 191.15.

?Kentucky last met Nebraska at the 2005 Masters Classic, which NU won with a 196.725 to the Wildcats’ 194.90. After the Masters Classic win, Nebraska earned its first-ever No. 1 national ranking.

 

Reviewing the Weekend: Nebraska at LSU

?Nebraska competed at half-strength at LSU, utilizing 15 routines from five gymnasts -- seniors Stephanie Carter and Michele Zabawa, junior Desire’ Sniatynski, sophomore Tricia Woo and freshman Kathryn Howard.

?Carter finished third on vault with a season-high-tying 9.90, as well as third on floor with a 9.875.

 

Rotation Order Announced for Big 12 Championships

The Big 12 Conference announced Tuesday the draw of rotation orders for the four teams competing in the Big 12 Championships on Saturday, March 31. Missouri will begin on vault, Nebraska starts on bars, IowaState leads off on beam and Oklahoma opens on floor.

 

Rotation                 V                              UB                          BB                           FX

1                              MU                          NU                          ISU                         OU

2                              OU                          MU                          NU                          ISU

3                              ISU                         OU                          MU                          NU

4                              NU                          ISU                         OU                          MU

 

Top-Ranked Parsons Takes 13th Conference Honor

Junior Emily Parsons was named Big 12 Gymnast of the Week for the fourth time this season on March 13, earning the 13th weekly conference honor of her career. The St. Charles, Mo., native has also garnered Event-Specialist-of-the-Week nods three times in her junior campaign. Parsons, who is the nation’s top-ranked floor performer and is ranked No. 2 on vault and No. 3 on beam, was recognized after finishing first in the all-around (39.575), vault (9.925), beam (9.90) and floor (9.925) in Nebraska’s win over Iowa State at the Devaney Center on March 11.

 

Parsons earned her 10th weekly conference honor a month ago after achieving the first perfect 10.0 score of her career on vault at NC State’s Hearts Invitational on Feb. 17. She has claimed 76 event crowns in three seasons at Nebraska.

 

Parsons has earned seven All-America awards in the last two seasons and finished fourth on vault and sixth on floor in the individual event finals at the 2006 NCAA Championships. Parsons was also named the South Central Regional Gymnast of the Year and snagged Big 12 Conference crowns on vault and beam in 2006. In a sophomore season that saw her earn four All-Big 12 nods (vault, beam, floor and all-around), Parsons went on to claim NCAA regional titles on vault, floor and all-around for the second straight year.

 

Carter Takes First Big 12 Weekly Honor for Awards Sweep

Senior Stephanie Carter was honored as Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week for the first time in her career, the conference office announced on March 13. Carter joined teammate Emily Parsons, the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week, in a sweep of the weekly conference awards.

 

Carter was recognized after achieving career highs on bars (9.85) and floor (9.90) to finish second on both events against IowaState on March 11. The Bryn Athyn, Pa., native also contributed a 9.875 on vault to earn third-place honors.

 

Last Friday at LSU, Carter contributed a season-high 9.90 on vault and a 9.875 on floor to finish third on the two events.

 

A second-team All-American on floor in 2006, Carter earned All-Big 12 accolades on vault in her junior year.

 

Parsons Moves Up to No. 2 on Nebraska’s All-Time Titles Chart

After earning four individual event titles against IowaState on March 11, junior Emily Parsons owns a total of 76 event crowns in three years at NU, placing her at No. 2 on Nebraska’s all-time career individual titles chart. Parsons now trails only Richelle Simpson, who garnered 77 individual crowns at Nebraska. With 72 titles following the Utah meet, Parsons passed former Husker Heather Brink, who earned a total of 70 in her career. Two of Nebraska’s most decorated gymnasts, Simpson and Brink were both two-time NCAA champions in their four-year Husker careers.

 

Gymnast                Years at NU          Year 1    Year 2    Year 3    Year 4    Total Career Titles

Richelle Simpson               2002-05                 9              39           6              23           77

Emily Parsons     2005-present       16           34           26           ---            76

Heather Brink       1997-2000            7              19           10           34           70

   

Kendig Builds One of Nation’s Top Programs at Nebraska

Head Coach Dan Kendig is the all-time winningest coach in the 30 years of Nebraska women's gymnastics history. In 14 seasons at Nebraska, Kendig is 326-119-4 overall and 230-45-2 in regular-season meets. Kendig is in his 24th year of coaching and owns a career record of 439-232-4.

 

A six-time Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year, Kendig has guided the Huskers to eight conference championships and three straight regional championships from 2000 to 2002.

 

He has also led Nebraska to 10 NCAA Championships appearances in the past 12 seasons, including NCAA Super Six Finals appearances in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. Kendig was honored as the NCAA Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2003, a year in which the Huskers finished fourth nationally.

 

Under Kendig's guidance in 2006, Nebraska finished with a 26-11-1 overall record. The Huskers placed second (196.275) in the NCAA Southeast Regional behind Georgia and also placed fifth (196.175) in their eighth consecutive NCAA Championships appearance. Seven of Kendig's gymnasts -- Emily Parsons (AA, V, FX), Tricia Woo (BB, FX), Vanessa Meloche (UB), Michele Zabawa (UB), Desire’ Sniatynski (UB), Stephanie Carter (FX) and Kylie Stone (V) -- earned a total of 10 All-America honors.

 

Kendig is assisted by associate head coach Danna Durante, who is in her fifth season with Nebraska, and assistant coach Tim Garrison, who is in his first year on the Husker staff.

 

Sniatynski Emerges as All-Arounder in Husker Lineup

Junior Desire’ Sniatynski has emerged as one of Nebraska’s top all-around competitors, as she ranks 24th nationally in the all-around standings with a regional qualifying score of 39.20. She is also rated 22nd nationally on bars with a 9.875 RQS. After her career-high 39.375 performance at Missouri, Sniatynski was recognized with her first career Big 12 Gymnast-of-the-Week award on Jan. 31.

 

The Kenosha, Wis., native followed with a 39.25 score to place second against Oklahoma on Feb. 2, when she also took a share of the floor title with teammates Emily Parsons and Kylie Stone with a 9.85. In addition, Sniatynski finished second on bars (9.85), third on vault (9.80) and seventh on beam (9.75). She took second in the all-around with a 39.225 against Utah, while also finishing second on bars (9.875). Against IowaState the following week, Sniatynski placed fourth on vault with a career-high-tying 9.825, as well as sixth on beam (9.80) and fifth on floor (9.825).

 

A two-time All-American on bars, Sniatynski is the defending co-Big 12 bars champion. She has earned a total of 12 individual event crowns in three seasons of competition for the Huskers.

 

Rock-Solid Stone Notches Career High All-Around at NC State

Sophomore Kylie Stone has had a breakout season as a sophomore, as she scored a career-high all-around score at NC State’s Hearts Invitational on Feb. 17 with a 39.425 to pass her previous record of 39.40 set at the 2006 NCAA Super Six Finals. Against IowaState last Sunday, Stone won her fifth individual event title of the season with a career-best 9.90 on bars.

 

After a superb showing at Michigan on Feb. 9, Stone was named Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week for the first time in her career. She was recognized after garnering the floor title against the Wolverines with a 9.925, while tallying an outstanding career-high 9.90 on vault.

 

A second-team All-American on vault, Stone headlined the steady 2006 freshman class and was an All-Big 12 honoree in the all-around with a 39.25 performance at the Big 12 Championships in Lincoln. She came to Nebraska with an impressive list of accomplishments, having been a 2004 Canadian Olympian and a four-time Canadian senior national champion.

 

Zabawa Ties Career Night in Raleigh

Senior Michele Zabawa tied her career-best mark on vault and captured her first event title of the season on bars at the Hearts Invitational at NC State on Feb. 17. Zabawa notched a 9.90 to take second on vault and tie her career high, which was established in her freshman year on March 6, 2004 in a dual with Minnesota. The Omaha, Neb., native and three-time All-American also tied with teammate Kylie Stone for her first bars title of the season.

 

A three-time All-American, Zabawa was the 2005 Big 12 uneven bars champion and is a two-time all-conference honoree on bars.

 

A Bright Future: The New Husker Class Contributes to NU Lineup

Nebraska welcomed three true freshmen to its roster this season, as Maria Scaffidi, Kathryn Howard and Molly Ohnoutka joined the Huskers for 2007. A native of Sussex, Wis., Scaffidi is a former junior international elite gymnast. At the 2000 Junior Pan American Championships, Scaffidi led the U.S. team to a first-place finish, while also taking the all-around and beam crowns. Scaffidi finished fifth on floor (9.825) in a strong meet against Utah on March 4, while also competing on vault (9.675) and beam (9.625).

 

Howard joined NU after the fall semester, having graduated early from KeystoneNationalHigh School. The Huntsville, Texas, native has made an immediate impact on the beam lineup, as she finished second on the event at Missouri on Jan. 26 with a career-high score of 9.875. Howard also finished fourth on beam against IowaState, scoring a 9.825 and tying fellow Husker Michele Zabawa.

 

Ohnoutka, who hails from Omaha, Neb., will redshirt in 2007 while she rehabilitates an injury suffered during her senior year of high school.

 

Sophomore All-Americans Become Seasoned Veterans

Nebraska’s sophomore class includes a trio of returning All-Americans in Tricia Woo, Kylie Stone and Vanessa Meloche. Woo took first-team honors on floor at the NCAA Championships by finishing 10th, and second-team honors on beam. She has been as solid in her second year, as she tied with teammate Emily Parsons for first on beam with a 9.90 against Oklahoma. At the Masters Classic, Woo won her second beam title of the year by tying with Parsons (9.875), and just one week later against Utah, Woo set a career best on beam with a 9.925 to finish second. The Milpitas, Calif., native took second-place honors on beam at LSU last Friday, posting a 9.875, while adding a 9.775 on floor and a 9.625 in her first vault appearance of the season.

 

The class also boasts a pair of former Canadian National Team members in Meloche and Stone. Meloche, a first-team All-American and the reigning Big 12 champion on bars, came out strong in her inaugural season as a Husker to win six individual bars titles. A seven-year member of the national team, she was the 2002 Canadian National bars champion. Meloche has claimed three bars titles in 2007, but suffered an injury on her landing on bars at Michigan five weeks ago. After determining that she sustained the third ACL tear of her gymnastics career, Meloche underwent her 11th overall surgery and will be out for the remainder of the season.

 

A second-team All-American on vault in 2006, Stone grabbed an all-around crown and a floor title at PennState in 2006 to break into the NU lineup full-time. Before beginning her career at Nebraska, Stone competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, and finished 14th in the all-around at the 2003 World Championships in Anaheim, Calif., making her the highest-finishing Canadian female all-arounder in World Championships history.

 

Six Huskers Named to Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll

Six current or former Nebraska women’s gymnasts were placed on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll, the conference office announced Feb. 5. The honor roll recognizes student-athletes with a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher during the previous semester, and within Nebraska’s 270 selections, 33 earned perfect 4.0 GPAs.

 

Former Husker Jamie Saas led the impressive contingent of women’s gymnasts on the list. Seniors Stephanie Carter and Michele Zabawa were honored for the seventh and sixth time, respectively. Sophomores Vanessa Meloche and Tricia Woo, as well as freshman Molly Ohnoutka, also achieved the conference academic honor. Meloche has been selected three times, while Woo and Ohnoutka both earned the honor for the first time in their careers.