%20--%3e%3csvg%20version='1.1'%20id='Nebraska_N'%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns:xlink='http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20x='0px'%20y='0px'%20viewBox='0%200%20163%20152'%20style='enable-background:new%200%200%20163%20152;'%20xml:space='preserve'%3e%3cstyle%20type='text/css'%3e%20.st0{fill:%23FFFFFF;}%20%3c/style%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M159.1,144c-2.3,0-4.1,1.8-4.1,4s1.8,4,4,4s4-1.8,4-4S161.2,144,159.1,144z%20M159,151.2c-1.8,0-3.2-1.4-3.2-3.2%20s1.4-3.2,3.2-3.2c1.7,0,3.2,1.5,3.2,3.2C162.2,149.8,160.8,151.2,159,151.2z'/%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M157.4,145.6h1.4c0.6,0,0.8,0,1.1,0.2c0.4,0.2,0.6,0.6,0.6,1.1c0,0.4-0.1,0.7-0.3,1c-0.1,0.2-0.3,0.2-0.6,0.4%20h-0.1l1.1,2.1h-0.8l-1-2h-0.6v2h-0.8L157.4,145.6L157.4,145.6z%20M158.6,147.7c0,0,0.3,0,0.4,0c0.4-0.1,0.6-0.3,0.6-0.8%20c0-0.3-0.1-0.5-0.4-0.6c-0.1,0-0.1,0-0.6,0h-0.4v1.4L158.6,147.7L158.6,147.7z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/g%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M147,0H93h-5v5v35v5h5h5v24.8L55.2,2.3L53.7,0H51H5H0v5v35v5h5h5v62H5H0v5v35v5h5h54h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V82.2%20l42.8,67.5l1.5,2.3h2.7h46h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V45h5h5v-5V5V0H147z%20M150,5v35v3h-3h-7v66h7h3v3v35v3h-3h-46h-1.6l-0.9-1.4L52,75.3%20V109h7h3v3v35v3h-3H5H2v-3v-35v-3h3h7V43H5H2v-3V5V2h3h46h1.7l0.9,1.4L100,76.7V43h-7h-3v-3V5V2h3h54h3V5z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M103,87L103,87L51,5H5v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0c0,3.3,0,68.7,0,72l0,0c-2.2,0-10,0-10,0v35h54v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0%20c0-2.6,0-47,0-47l52,82h46v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0c0-3.3,0-68.7,0-72c2.2,0,10,0,10,0V5H93v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0%20C103,42.6,103,87,103,87z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
?<?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: 23-5
?2007 High Score: 197.125 (vs. Kentucky, 3/23/07)
?Last Meet: 2nd/6, 196.675 (at NCAA West Regionals, 4/14/07)
?2006 NCAA Finish: 5th (196.125)
The sixth-ranked Nebraska women’s gymnastics team will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, Thursday, April 26 through Saturday, April 28, for its ninth straight appearance at the 2007 NCAA Championships. The 2007 Big 12 Champion Huskers will compete in Thursday’s afternoon preliminary session at the University of Utah at 2 p.m. (CST), battling No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Alabama, No. 8 Oregon State and No. 10 Oklahoma for one of three automatic berths to the NCAA Super Six Finals Friday at 8 p.m.
Session II preliminary action, which is scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday, will include No. 4 Stanford, No. 5 LSU, No. 7 Utah, No. 8 UCLA, No. 12 Michigan and No. 14 Denver. Individual event finals, for which participants are determined by their performances on the first day of competition, are scheduled for 8 p.m. on Saturday to close the weekend.
Nebraska has qualified for the national championships 18 times in program history, including nine consecutive NCAA appearances from 1999 to 2007 and eight Super Six Finals appearances overall.
With their second-place finish at the NCAA West Regional (196.675), the Huskers improved to 23-5 on the season while scoring a 49.0 or better on all four events. Nebraska netted two individual titles, as junior Emily Parsons captured her third set of regional vault (9.925) and floor (9.925) crowns in three years. Parsons finished sixth in the all-around (39.25), while sophomore Kylie Stone (39.325) placed fourth.
NCAA Gymnastics Championships Ticket & Schedule Information
Tickets for the 2007 NCAA Championships are available for purchase by calling the University of Utah Athletic Ticket Office at (801) 581-8849 or at www.utahutes.com.
Type Price
Adult/Youth Premium (Rows 1-20) $51 (SOLD OUT)
Adult Reserved (Rows 21-31) $36
Youth Reserved (Rows 21-31) $30
Adult General Admission (Rows 32-44) $15
Youth General Admission (Rows 32-44) $12
All 12 teams and the individual competitors will practice at the HuntsmanCenter on Wednesday, April 25 from Noon to 7 p.m. (CST). Oregon State (vault), Nebraska (bars), Georgia (beam) and Alabama (floor) will begin on their indicated first events and will practice from Noon to 1:40 p.m., followed by Oklahoma (vault), Denver (bars), Utah (beam) and Florida (floor) from 2 to 3:40 p.m. Michigan (vault), LSU (bars), UCLA (beam) and Stanford (floor) will follow from 5:20 to 7 p.m. Individual event specialists will practice from 4 to 5 p.m.
During the practice sessions, a pre-meet press conference will be held in room HPER East 109 off the north tunnel of the HuntsmanCenter. The head coach of each team and one gymnast will represent each school. Each team’s representatives will be available from 4 to 5 p.m.
Thursday’s team competition will begin with Preliminary Session I at 2 p.m., followed by a press conference featuring the head coach and one gymnast from the top three teams. Requests for other participants will also be taken at this time. Preliminary Session II is scheduled for 8 p.m., with a press conference following in the same manner as SessionI.Nebraska will participate in the Session I team competition, along with Florida, Georgia, Alabama, OregonState and Oklahoma. The Huskers will also compete alongside a familiar face in individual all-around competitor Janet Anson of IowaState, who qualified to nationals with a score of 39.425 at the NCAA Central Regional. Anson, a senior, was honored as the 2007 Big 12 Co-Gymnast of the Year with Nebraska’s Emily Parsons.
The Super Six Finals will take place on Friday at 8 p.m. and will include the top three teams from each preliminary session. Following competition, team and all-around awards, a press conference will take place with each team’s head coach, selected gymnast and additional competitors upon request.
Individual event finals competition will begin at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 28. Although no all-around competition is included in the individual event finals, competitors will perform on vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. Following the competition and individual events awards ceremonies, head coaches and event champions will be available for comment in a press conference.
Rotation Order for NCAA Championships Preliminary Session I
The rotation order for the six teams and selected individuals competing in the afternoon preliminary session of the NCAA Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah, will feature Nebraska opening on bars, followed by beam, bye, floor, vault and bye.
Rotation Vault Bye 1 Bars Beam Bye 2 Floor
1 OSU Oklahoma Nebraska Georgia Florida Alabama
K. Burke A. Arlotta J. Anson C. Magee R. Robinson J. Dwyer
2 Alabama OSU Oklahoma Nebraska Georgia Florida
J. Dwyer K. Burke A. Arlotta J. Anson C. Magee R. Robinson
3 Florida Alabama OSU Oklahoma Nebraska Georgia
R. Robinson J. Dwyer K. Burke A. Arlotta J. Anson C. Magee
K. Clevinger A. Sacramone
4 Georgia Florida Alabama OSU Oklahoma Nebraska
C. Magee R. Robinson J. Dwyer K. Burke A. Arlotta J. Anson
5 Nebraska Georgia Florida Alabama OSU Oklahoma
J. Anson C. Magee R. Robinson J. Dwyer K. Burke A. Arlotta
6 Oklahoma Nebraska Georgia Florida Alabama OSU
A. Arlotta J. Anson C. Magee R. Robinson J. Dwyer K. Burke
Rotation Order for NCAA Championships Preliminary Session II
The rotation order for the six teams and selected individuals competing in the afternoon evening session of the NCAA Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah, will feature Stanford, LSU, Utah, UCLA, Michigan and Denver.
Rotation Vault Bye 1 Bars Beam Bye 2 Floor
1 Michigan Denver LSU UCLA Utah Stanford
J. Cox C. Bakken K. Wurm B. Morgan B. Personett A. Perry
2 Stanford Michigan Denver LSU UCLA Utah
A. Perry J. Cox C. Bakken K. Wurm B. Morgan B. Personett
3 Utah Stanford Michigan Denver LSU UCLA
B. Personett A. Perry J. Cox C. Bakken K. Wurm B. Morgan
J. Holton
4 UCLA Utah Stanford Michigan Denver LSU
B. Morgan B. Personett A. Perry J. Cox C. Bakken K. Wurm
5 LSU UCLA Utah Stanford Michigan Denver
K. Wurm B. Morgan B. Personett A. Perry J. Cox C. Bakken
6 Denver LSU UCLA Utah Stanford Michigan
C. Bakken K. Wurm B. Morgan B. Personett A. Perry J. Cox
Nebraska Enjoys Rich Tradition of Success in NCAA Competition
Nebraska will appear in its ninth consecutive NCAA Championships this weekend. The Huskers made their first appearance at the NCAA Championships in 1982, when they finished eighth nationally. Overall, the Huskers have made 18 trips to the NCAA Championships since 1982, while advancing to NCAA Regional competition in each of Dan Kendig’s 14 seasons as Nebraska’s head coach. Overall, Nebraska made its 24th consecutive appearance and 26th overall trip to NCAA Regional action with the West Regional at California on April 14.
Scouting the Competition: No. 1 Florida Gators
?Head Coach: Rhonda Faehn (Fifth Year)
?2007 Record: 21-0-1
?2007 High Score: 197.875 (vs. Kentucky, 2/16/07)
?Last Meet: at NCAA Northeast Regionals, 4/14/07 (1st/6, 197.325)
?2006 NCAA Finish: 4th (196.275)
A Glance at the Gators...
?Florida returned seven All-Americans with a total of 11 All-America honors to its lineup in 2007, including three-time All-American sophomore Corey Hartung.
?Freshman Amanda Castillo was named the 2007 SEC Gymnast of the Year last month.
?UF and Nebraska last met at the Super Six Challenge on Jan. 5, which Florida won with a 196.55, ahead of second-place NU (195.20). Florida has a narrow 10-9 all-time series lead over the Huskers, as well as an 8-4 advantage in the postseason.
?The Gators narrowly finished ahead of Nebraska at the 2006 NCAA Championships, where they placed fourth (196.275) to Nebraska’s fifth-place 196.175 in the Super Six Finals.
?Two-thirds of Florida’s coaching staff has strong ties to Nebraska, as Rhonda Faehn served as an assistant from 1999 to 2002, while Adrian Burde called Lincoln home from 2001 to 2006. Faehn, the 2007 SEC Coach of the Year, was honored as 2007 Southeast Regional Coach of the Year, and Burde was awarded Southeast Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.
Scouting the Competition: No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs
?Head Coach: Suzanne Yoculan (24th Year)
?2007 Record: 21-2-1
?2007 High Score: 198.00 (vs. Alabama, 2/10/07)
?Last Meet: at NCAA North Central Regionals, 4/14/07 (1st/6, 197.275)
?2006 NCAA Finish: 1st (197.75)
A Glance at the Bulldogs...
?Georgia, the two-time defending NCAA Champion, returns six All-Americans who have combined for 30 All-America awards over their careers.
?UGA’s top returning gymnast is sophomore Courtney Kupets, the 2006 NCAA all-around champion who also took national titles on bars and beam in her freshman season.
?Junior Katie Heenan was honored as the 2007 SEC Gymnast of the Year and Southeast Regional Gymnast of the Year.
?Suzanne Yoculan is second to only Utah’s Greg Marsden in career wins, as she boasts a record of 763-114-7.
?Nebraska and Georgia last squared off at the 2006 NCAA Super Six Finals, where the Gym Dogs took first (197.75) to Nebraska’s fifth (196.175). UGA claims an all-time record of 29-4 over the Huskers, in addition to a 20-2 mark in the postseason.
Scouting the Competition: No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide
?Head Coach: Sarah Patterson (29th Year)
?2007 Record: 17-4
?2007 High Score: 197.475 (vs. Auburn, 1/26/07)
?Last Meet: at NCAA Central Regionals, 4/14/07 (1st/6, 196.70)
?2006 NCAA Finish: 3rd (196.725)
A Glance at the Crimson Tide...
?UA’s top returning gymnast is junior Terin Humphrey, the 2005 NCAA bars champion.
?Alabama finished third (197.00) at the SEC Championships behind Florida (197.325) and Georgia (197.175), then won the NCAA Central Regional with a 196.70.
?The Crimson Tide last met Nebraska at the 2006 NCAA Super Six Finals, where Alabama finished third (196.725) to Nebraska’s fifth (196.175). UA has an all-time series record of 23-4 over the Huskers, as well as an 11-2 postseason mark.
Scouting the Competition: No. 8 OregonState Beavers
?Head Coach: Tanya Chaplin (10th Year)
?2007 Record: 22-8
?2007 High Score: 197.10 (vs. Cal State Fullerton, 3/23/07)
?Last Meet: at NCAA South Central Regionals, 4/14/07 (2nd/6, 196.075)
?2006 NCAA Finish: 11th (195.15)
A Glance at the Beavers...
?OregonState’s top returning gymnast is sophomore Jami Lanz, who ranks eighth nationally in the all-around with an RQS of 39.465.
?The Beavers returned one All-American to their lineup in sophomore Tasha Smith, a second-team honoree on vault in 2006.
?OSU qualified for its second consecutive NCAA Championships appearance, as the Beavers hosted the competition in Corvallis, Ore., in 2006.
?The Beavers finished third at the Pac-10 Championships with a score of 196.30.
?Nebraska and Oregon State last met in 2005 at a quadrangular at Arkansas, where Nebraska took second (196.65) and OSU placed fourth (195.55). OSU leads Nebraska with an all-time series record of 11-10 and a postseason record of 5-3.
Scouting the Competition: No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners
?Head Coach: K.J. Kindler (First Year)
?2007 Record: 19-4
?2007 High Score: 197.175 (vs. Pittsburgh, 3/24/07)
?Last Meet: at NCAA Central Regionals, 4/14/07 (2nd/6, 195.925)
?2006 NCAA Finish: 10th (195.525)
A Glance at the Sooners...
?OU’s top returning gymnast is senior Brittney Koncak-Schumann, a two-time All-American who captured the 2006 Big 12 all-around title (39.425). Koncak-Schumann was named Big 12 Gymnast of the Week three times this season and tied Nebraska’s Emily Parsons for the 2007 conference floor title (9.90).
?OU last met Nebraska at the Big 12 Championships on March 31, when NU won the meet with a 196.475 to the Sooners’ second-place 195.35.
?Oklahoma head coach K.J. Kindler is in her first year at OU, having served as head coach at IowaState for the six seasons. Kindler coached ISU to the 2006 Big 12 team title.
?Junior Stephanie LoPiccolo, the 2006 co-Big 12 bars champion with Nebraska’s Vanessa Meloche and Desire’ Sniatynski, was an alternate for her native Australia’s 2004 Olympic team.
?Freshman Hollie Vise was the 2003 world champion on bars and helped lead the U.S. team to a gold medal at the World Championships.
?Junior Kiara Redmond scored the first 10.0 in the Big 12 this season, recording a perfect score on vault on Jan. 27.
Top-Ranked Parsons Named Regional Gymnast of the Year
Junior Emily Parsons was honored as the 2007 South Central Regional Gymnast of the Year on April 17, marking the second consecutive year she earned the award. Parsons joins former Husker Richelle Simpson as the only Nebraska gymnasts to earn regional gymnast-of-the-year twice in their careers, as Simpson achieved the top honor after outstanding campaigns in 2003 and 2005. A native of St. Charles, Mo., Parsons claimed two event wins at the NCAA West Regional on April 14, earning first-place honors on vault (9.925) and floor (9.925).
Parsons won four Big 12 event titles for a total of seven career conference crowns at the 2007 Big 12 Championships, finishing first in the all-around (39.65), vault (9.95), beam (9.95) and floor (9.90). Parsons, who was named the Big 12 Co-Gymnast of the Year with IowaState’s Janet Anson, set or tied career highs on bars and the all-around. She also earned All-Big 12 accolades on every event, becoming just the second Husker to accomplish the feat. Richelle Simpson is the only other NU gymnast to take five all-conference awards in one year, accomplishing the feat at the 2005 Big 12 Championships.
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 beam performer and is ranked No. 2 on vault and No. 3 on floor, 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 on Feb. 20 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 85 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.
Zabawa Takes Second Big 12 Bars Title
Senior Michele Zabawa was Nebraska’s top performer on bars at the Big 12 Championships on March 31, when she notched a season-high 9.90 to take a share of her second career Big 12 bars crown with IowaState’s Janet Anson. Zabawa added a 9.85 on vault to finish fifth with fellow Husker Stephanie Carter.
A three-time All-American, Zabawa was also the 2005 Big 12 uneven bars champion and is a three-time all-conference honoree on bars.
Kendig Named Big 12 Coach of the Year
Head coach Dan Kendig was honored by his peers as 2007 Big 12 Coach of the Year at the Big 12 championships on March 31. The award was Kendig’s seventh of his career after guiding No. 6 Nebraska to its eighth Big 12 team championship and 20th overall conference crown in program history.
All-Big 12 Carter Takes Second Weekly Conference Honor
Senior Stephanie Carter earned her second career all-conference award after tying for fourth on bars (9.85) at the Big 12 Championships. A second-team All-American on floor in 2006, Carter took All-Big 12 accolades on vault in her junior year.
Carter was also honored as Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week for the second time in her career on March 26. The Bryn Athyn, Pa., native was recognized after scoring a season-high-tying 9.90 to finish second on vault against Kentucky, while also placing third on floor (9.875) and adding a 9.60 in just her second bars appearance of the year.
Carter was previously named Event Specialist of the Week on March 13, joining teammate Emily Parsons, the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week, in a sweep of the weekly conference awards.
Parsons Moves Up to No. 1 on Nebraska’s All-Time Titles Chart
After earning two individual event titles at the NCAA West Regional on April 14, junior Emily Parsons owns a total of 85 event crowns in three years at NU, placing her first on Nebraska’s all-time career individual titles chart. Parsons passed 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
Emily Parsons 2005-present 16 34 35 --- 85
Richelle Simpson 2002-05 9 39 6 23 77
Heather Brink 1997-2000 7 19 10 34 70
Three Huskers Named Academic All-Big 12
The Big 12 Conference named 21 student-athletes to the 2007 Academic All-Big 12 Gymnastics Team, including Nebraska seniors Stephanie Carter and Michele Zabawa and sophomore Vanessa Meloche, the league office announced March 27.
Carter, who was a first-team honoree the last two seasons, is a business administration major at Nebraska. She will graduate with her bachelor’s degree in May 2007. Zabawa, an Omaha native and elementary education major, earned a spot on the All-Big 12 first team for the second time in her career. She is scheduled to earn her bachelor’s degree in December 2007. Meloche, who majors in nutritional science and dietetics, was included on the second team for the first time.
The league academic all-conference first team consists of student-athletes with a 3.20 grade-point average or higher, while the second team is those who have earned a 3.00-3.19 GPA.
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 334-120-4 overall and 231-45-2 in regular-season meets. Kendig is in his 24th year of coaching and owns a career record of 447-233-4.
A seven-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 first-year assistant coach Tim Garrison.
Sniatynski Emerges as All-Arounder in Husker Lineup
Junior Desir? Sniatynski has emerged as one of Nebraska’s top all-around competitors in 2007. She is ranked 24th nationally on bars with a 9.88 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). She took all-conference honors on bars after placing fourth (9.85) at the Big 12 Championships, followed by a fifth-place showing on floor (9.85) and a seventh-place finish in the all-around (39.10) at the NCAA West Regional.
A two-time All-American on bars, Sniatynski was the 2006 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 Kentucky on March 23, Stone won her sixth individual event title of the season with a 9.90 on floor and finished second in the all-around (39.375). She finished fourth on vault (9.875) at the Big 12 Championships, earning all-conference honors on the event. Stone followed one of Nebraska’s top overall performances at the NCAA West Regional, placing fourth in the all-around (39.325), second on floor (9.90), fourth on bars (9.85) and sixth on vault (9.85).
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 a 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.
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., and a former junior international elite gymnast, Scaffidi led the U.S. team to a first-place finish at the 2000 Junior Pan American Championships, 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). Against Kentucky on March 23, Scaffidi shined for NU, scoring a season-high 9.875 on floor to tie for third-place honors with teammate Stephanie Carter, and adding a fifth-place 9.80 on vault. At the Big 12 Championships, Scaffidi placed seventh on floor (9.825) and 10th on vault (9.80), followed by scores of 9.825 on vault and floor, where she finished eighth, at the NCAA West Regional.
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. She finished third on beam with a 9.875 at the Big 12 Championships, earning her first career All-Big 12 honors on the event, followed by a fourth-place showing (9.85) at regionals.