No. 12 Nebraska Gears Up for No. 5 Michigan

?<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska Head Coach: Dan Kendig (15th Year)        <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

?Current Team Record: 3-2 (2-1 Big 12)

?2008 High Score: 196.675 (vs. Missouri, 1/25/08)

?Last Meet: Loss, at #6 Oklahoma, 2/1/08 (195.275-194.95)

?2007 NCAA Finish: 6th (195.975 at Super Six Finals)

                               

The No. 12 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team takes on fifth-ranked Michigan this Thursday, Feb. 7, at the DevaneyCenter. Competition is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., with a special “Think Pink”-themed night to support breast cancer awareness. In addition to Think Pink giveaways for fans, Thursday is NU’s “Dollar Days” promotion, with $1 admission, hot dogs and Pepsi products at the Devaney.

 

NU is 3-2 on the year after a 195.275-194.95 loss at No. 6 Oklahoma in Norman last Friday. Senior Emily Parsons won her fifth straight vault title (9.925), while senior Desire’ Sniatynski and sophomore Kathryn Howard tied for the beam title ? marking the first event crown of Howard’s Husker career ?  with a pair of 9.875 scores in NU’s final event.

 

After a week off, the Huskers return to action with Denver on Saturday, Feb. 23, at the DevaneyCenter at 7 p.m.

 

Scouting the Competition: No. 5 Michigan Wolverines

?Head Coach: Bev Plocki (19th Year)             

?2008 Record: 8-0 (3-0 Big Ten)

?2008 High Score: 196.80 (at State of Michigan Classic, 2/2/08)

?Last Meet: 1st/5 (196.80), at State of Michigan Classic, 2/2/08

?2007 NCAA Finish: 11th (195.10 at NCAA Preliminaries)

 

A Glance at the Wolverines...

?Michigan’s top returning gymnast is fifth-year senior Lindsey Bruck, a two-time All-American. Bruck finished fourth on floor and eighth on vault in event finals at the 2007 NCAA Championships.

?Bruck was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week on Jan. 30, after winning the all-around (39.325) and floor (9.875) titles against MichiganState. At last weekend’s State of Michigan Classic, she captured the all-around with a season-high 39.375, as well as the bars title (9.85).

?Freshman Kylee Botterman scored a 9.975 on vault last weekend to earn the event title.

?Sophomore Sarah Curtis is ranked fifth nationally in the all-around with an average of 39.425, as well as fifth on floor (9.90).

 ?Nebraska and Michigan last met at a triangular in Ann Arbor with Illinois on Feb. 9, 2007, where UM finished first (195.825) and the Huskers placed second (195.35).

 

Nebraska’s Competition Order vs. Michigan

Rotation                 Nebraska              Michigan

1                              Vault                       Uneven Bars

2                              Uneven Bars        Vault

3                              Balance Beam     Floor Exercise

4                              Floor Exercise      Balance Beam

 

Woo Named Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week

Junior Tricia Woo was honored as Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday. Woo was recognized for the second time this year after her performance at Oklahoma last Friday. The three-time All-American recorded a third-place finish on floor with a season-high 9.875, while also placing fourth on beam (9.825). Woo was previously honored as Event Specialist of the Week on Jan. 15.

 

Parsons Leads Huskers into 2008 Season

Senior Emily Parsons leads Nebraska in 2008 after earning nine All-America awards in her first three seasons at NU. The St. Charles, Mo., native finished third on vault and fourth on floor in the individual event finals at the 2007 NCAA Championships to garner first-team All-America honors on both events.

 

In 2007, Parsons was also named the South Central Regional Gymnast of the Year for the second time and was one of four finalists for the Honda Award. Parsons snagged Big 12 Conference crowns in the all-around, vault, beam and floor, as well as five all-conference nods. She also claimed NCAA regional titles on vault and floor. During her career, Parsons has run away with a total of 98 event crowns, including her fifth straight vault title (9.925) last week at Oklahoma.

 

Parsons is ranked second nationally on vault with an average of 9.925, as well as third on beam (9.855) and 12th in the all-around (39.29) in this week’s GymInfo national rankings.

 

Parsons Nears Career 100-Title Mark

Just five meets into her senior year, Emily Parsons owns a career total of 98 event titles in three-plus years at Nebraska, continuing her reign in the No. 1 spot on NU’s all-time career individual titles chart. Last season, Parsons passed Richelle Simpson, who garnered 77 individual crowns at Nebraska, and 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           13           98

Richelle Simpson               2002-05                 9              39           6              23           77

Heather Brink       1997-2000            7              19           10           34           70

 

Meloche Returns to NU Bars Lineup

Junior Vanessa Meloche returned to the bars lineup on Jan. 25 after nearly one year of rehabilitating a season-ending knee injury suffered in February 2007. Meloche, a first-team All-American and the 2006 Big 12 champion on bars, came out strong against Missouri, finishing second with a 9.875. A seven-year member of the Canadian National Team, she was the 2002 Canadian National bars champion.

 

Howard Earns First Career Event Title

Sophomore Kathryn Howard won the first event title of her career last Friday at Oklahoma, tying for the beam crown with senior Desire’ Sniatynski. The duo matched scores of 9.875, marking a season high for Howard and a career best for Sniatynski.

 

As a freshman in 2007, Howard earned All-Big 12 honors at the Big 12 Championships, where she finished third.

 

Junior All-Americans Become Seasoned Veterans

Nebraska’s junior class includes a trio of returning All-Americans in Tricia Woo, Kylie Stone and Vanessa Meloche. Woo, a three-time All-American, took first-team honors on beam (2007) and floor (2006), as well as a second-team award on beam in 2006. In NU’s two-dual opening weekend, Woo was stellar for the Huskers, as she competed on three events -- vault, beam and floor. The Milpitas, Calif., native earned strong marks of 9.80 and 9.825 in her first two meets on vault since performing once on the event in 2007.

 

In Nebraska’s meet with ASU, Woo was a rock for NU, capturing the beam title with a career-high 9.925 and adding a 9.825 on floor. Last weekend against Oklahoma, she placed third on floor (9.875) and fourth on beam (9.825).

 

The junior class also boasts a pair of former Canadian National Team members in Meloche and Stone. A second-team All-American on vault in 2006, Stone grabbed All-Big 12 accolades on vault in her sophomore season. Before beginning her career at Nebraska, she 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.

 

Kendig Builds One of Nation’s Top Programs at Nebraska

Head Coach Dan Kendig is the all-time winningest coach in the 31 years of Nebraska women's gymnastics history. In his 15th season at Nebraska, Kendig is 345-129-4 overall and 242-51-2 in regular-season meets. Kendig is in his 25th year of coaching and owns a career record of 458-241-5.

 

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

 

He has also led Nebraska to 11 NCAA Championships appearances in the past 13 seasons, including nine NCAA Super Six Finals appearances (1997-99, 2000-01-02-03-05-06-07). 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 2007, Nebraska finished with a 26-12 overall record. The Huskers earned their 20th overall conference championship (196.475) and placed second (196.65) in the NCAA West Regional behind Utah. NU also finished sixth (195.975) in the Super Six Finals. Four of Kendig’s gymnasts -- Emily Parsons (V, FX), Michele Zabawa (V, UB), Tricia Woo (BB) and Desire’ Sniatynski (UB) -- earned a total of six All-America honors.

 

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

 

Sniatynski Notches Career High in All-Around

Senior Desire’ Sniatynski has emerged as one of Nebraska’s top all-around competitors in the last two seasons, and her performance against Missouri displayed her All-America caliber all-around contributions. Sniatynski claimed her third bars title of the year, tying her career best on the event with a 9.90. The Kenosha, Wis., native also finished second in the all-around (39.325), behind only Emily Parsons (39.525).

 

With her career-high 39.45 all-around and 9.90 bars performance against Arizona State on Jan. 13, Sniatynski was honored the following Tuesday as the conference’s first Big 12 Gymnast of the Week for the 2008 season.

 

A three-time All-American on bars, Sniatynski claimed a share of the 2006 Big 12 bars crown with teammate Vanessa Meloche, and she has won a total of 14 individual event crowns as a Husker.

 

Looking to the Future: The New Husker Class

Nebraska welcomed three newcomers to its roster this season: freshmen Erin Davis, Brittnee Habbib and Stephanie Seich. While Seich has been sidelined with an injury, Habbib and Davis have stepped up to fill in NU’s injury-challenged lineup in 2008.

 

Habbib was utilized as an all-arounder in the weekend of her collegiate debut and was a refreshing addition to the bars and beam teams. At IowaState, she stole the show on beam, tying for runner-up honors with fellow Husker Maria Scaffidi, as the duo contributed a pair of 9.85s. In the dual with Missouri, she tied for second on bars (9.825) and placed third on beam (9.85).

 

A former member of the Canadian Senior National Team, Habbib brings impressive international experience to NU. The North York, Ontario, native and product of Gemini Gymnastics represented Canada at the 2006 World Championships and the 2007 Pan Am Games, leading the Canadian team to a bronze medal. Habbib also took home fifth-place honors in the all-around at the 2006 Canadian National Championships.

 

Davis has served as a vault specialist in her first month of competition, scoring no less than a 9.80 each time out. On Jan. 25 against Mizzou, Davis earned a career-high 9.875 to tie for fourth with Tricia Woo. A former Level 10 gymnast, she has drawn early comparisons to Emily Parsons from the Nebraska coaching staff, who noted her power and tumbling skills on vault and floor.

 

A former international elite competitor, Seich comes to Lincoln from Rebound Gymnastics in New Brunswick, N.J. She qualified to the 2005 U.S. Classic as a senior, and as a junior international elite competitor in 2004, she finished 13th in the all-around at the U.S. Classic and 18th in the all-around at the U.S. Championships.

 

Scaffidi Emerges Strong as All-Arounder in 2008

Sophomore Maria Scaffidi has starred for the Huskers in an all-around role this season, starting with the first individual crown of her career with a first-place finish (39.00) at IowaState. Against Missouri, Scaffidi topped her career high set in the Huskers’ opening weekend and finished fourth with a 39.275. Scaffidi also placed fifth on floor (9.825) and sixth on beam (9.80) and vault (9.85).

 

As a freshman in 2007, Scaffidi was integral to Nebraska’s run in the preliminary session of the NCAA Championships, where her career-best 9.85 vault helped propel NU to the Super Six Finals.