No. 15 Nebraska Ready for NCAA Southeast Regional

?<?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: 10-7 (3-1 Big 12)

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

?Last Meet: 4th/4 (194.975), at Big 12 Championships, 3/29/08

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

                               

The No. 15 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team travels to the NCAA Southeast Regional in Gainesville, Fla., this Saturday, April 12. Competition begins at 6 p.m. (CST) at the University of Florida’s O’Connell Center. The Huskers face No. 3 Florida, No. 9 UCLA, No. 21 North Carolina State, No. 25 West Virginia and North Carolina.

 

The competition also includes five all-around competitors and one individual event specialist per event. The top two teams and top two all-around competitors who are not part of an advancing team will receive an automatic berth to the 2008 NCAA Championships hosted by the University of Georgia in Athens, April 24-26.

NU is 10-7 on the year after a fourth-place showing at the Big 12 Championships two weeks ago, when junior Tricia Woo won the first Big 12 beam title of her career with a 9.90. Woo and seniors Emily Parsons and Desire’ Sniatynski were all named to the All-Big 12 Championship team for their performances and also earned All-Big 12 accolades a week earlier.

 

Following this weekend’s regional championships, the announcement of the NCAA Championships field will occur on Monday, April 14.

 

Rotation Order Announced at the NCAA Southeast Regional

The NCAA announced last week the draw of rotation orders for each of the six-team regionals, including the Southeast, on Saturday. As the No. 3 seed, Nebraska will begin on vault, UCLA starts on bars, North CarolinaState leads off on beam and North Carolina opens on floor. Florida and West Virginia both begin with byes.

Rotation        Vault           Bye               Bars              Beam           Bye                  Floor

1                     Nebraska  Florida         UCLA            NC State      West Virginia North Carolina

                       C. Ghani    B. George   D. Wilacy      A. Almenoksa                      L. Delima        M. Brenner

2                     North Carolina               Nebraska     Florida          UCLA              NC State         West Virginia

                       K. Simpson                    C. Ghani       B. George    D. Wilacy        A. Almenoksa L. Delima

3                     West Virginia                 North Carolina                  Nebraska       Florida             UCLA     NC State

                       L. Delima                        C. Ghani       B. George    D. Wilacy        A. Almenoksa

4                     NC State    West Virginia                    North Carolina                     Nebraska        Florida   UCLA

                       A. Almenoksa                L. Delima     A. Dama       C. Ghani         B. George       D. Wilacy

5                     UCLA         NC State     West Virginia                     North Carolina        Nebraska              Florida

                       D. Wilacy   A. Almenoksa                   L. Delima     T. Tossone    C. Ghani          B. George

6                     Florida       UCLA           NC State      West Virginia                       North Carolina               Nebraska

                       B. George  D. Wilacy     A. Almenoksa                    L. Delima                 C. Ghani

 

Scouting the Competition: No. 3 Florida Gators

?Head Coach: Rhonda Faehn (Sixth Year)

?2008 Record: 12-3-1

?2008 High Score: 197.925 (vs. LSU, 2/15/08)

?Last Meet: Tied for 2nd, at SEC Championships, 3/29/08 (197.325)

?2007 NCAA Finish: 3rd (19.225 at NCAA Super Six Finals)

?NCAA Titles: 0

 

A Glance at the Gators...

?Florida’s top returning gymnast is junior Corey Hartung, a six-time All-American. Hartung won the SEC beam title at the SEC Championships two weeks ago.

?Four Gators captured four individual event titles at the SEC Championships: Hartung (beam), senior Ashley Reed (vault) and sophomores Melanie Sinclair (bars) and Amanda Castillo (floor).

?UF is ranked second nationally on beam, third on floor and vault and fourth on bars in the latest GymInfo polls.

?Florida has qualified for the NCAA Championships 25 out of 26 years. In 2007, it advanced to nationals after winning a third straight NCAA regional title.

?Nebraska and Florida last met at the 2007 NCAA Super Six Finals, where the Gators finished third (197.225) ahead of Nebraska’s sixth-place showing (195.975).

?Florida narrowly leads the all-time series with the Huskers, 12-9.

 

Scouting the Competition: No. 9 UCLA Bruins

?Head Coach: Valorie Kondos-Field (18th Year)

?2008 Record: 17-6

?2008 High Score: 196.925 (at Georgia, 3/15/08)

?Last Meet: 3rd/7, at Pac-10 Championships, 3/29/08 (196.20)

?2007 NCAA Finish: 4th (196.925 at NCAA Super Six Finals)

?NCAA Titles: 5 (1997, 2000-01, 2003-04)

 

A Glance at the Bruins...

?UCLA’s top returning gymnast is senior Tasha Schwikert, a seven-time All-American and former U.S. Olympian. In 2005, Schwikert won the NCAA all-around title as a freshman.

?At the Pac-10 Championships two weeks ago, Schwikert won her seventh conference event title by placing first on bars with a season-high 9.95.

?Four-time All-American sophomore Anna Li leads UCLA with 17 individual event titles won this season.

?The Bruins are ranked second nationally on bars, as well as sixth on vault, 10th on beam and 16th on floor.

?Nebraska and UCLA last met at the 2007 NCAA Super Six Finals, with the Bruins placing fourth (196.925) to NU’s 195.975 for sixth.

?UCLA leads the all-time series against the Huskers, 29-6.

 

Scouting the Competition: No. 21 North CarolinaState Wolfpack

?Head Coach: Mark Stevenson (28th Year)

?2008 Record: 24-8

?2008 High Score: 196.05 (at New Hampshire, 3/22/08)

?Last Meet: 2nd/8 (195.475), at EAGL Championships, 3/29/08

?2007 NCAA Finish: Did Not Qualify

?NCAA Titles: 0

 

A Glance at the Wolfpack...

?NC State’s top returning gymnast is senior Leigha Hancock, who tied for the EAGL Conference floor title with teammate Taylor Seaman.

?Hancock is the only gymnast in school history to win an NCAA regional event title after capturing the Southeast Regional floor crown (9.90) in 2006.

?Nebraska and NC State last met on Feb. 17, 2007 at the Wolfpack’s Hearts Invitational. The Huskers posted a 196.975 to win the team title, while NCSU finished third (194.60), and the competition also marked NU senior Emily Parsons’ first career 10.0 on vault.

?Nebraska leads the all-time series against the Pack, 7-0.

 

Scouting the Competition: No. 25 West Virginia Mountaineers

?Head Coach: Linda Burdette (34th Year)

?2008 Record: 23-8

?2008 High Score: 196.175 (vs. Minnesota/New Hampshire/Rutgers, 3/15/08)

?Last Meet: 1st/8 (196.05), at EAGL Championships, 3/29/08

?2007 NCAA Finish: Did Not Qualify

?NCAA Titles: 0

 

A Glance at the Mountaineers...

?West Virginia’s top returning gymnast is junior Meghan Morris, who won the EAGL bars (9.95) and floor (9.85) titles two weeks ago at the EAGL Championships.

?The Mountaineers won their sixth EAGL championship and first since 2004 with a score of 196.05.

?WVU ranks 21st nationally on bars, 22nd on vault and 24th on floor in the GymInfo national poll.

?Nebraska and WVU last met on Feb. 17, 2007 at NC State’s Hearts Invitational. The Huskers posted a 196.975 to win the team title, while WVU finished second (194.70).

?Nebraska leads the all-time series against the Mountaineers, 11-1.

 

Scouting the Competition: North Carolina Tarheels

?Head Coach: Derek Galvin (27th Year)

?2008 Record: 24-8

?2008 High Score: 195.45 (vs. North CarolinaState, 2/10/08)

?Last Meet: 4th/8 (193.95), at EAGL Championships, 3/29/08

?2007 NCAA Finish: Did Not Qualify

?NCAA Titles: 0

 

A Glance at the Wolfpack...

?North Carolina’s top returning gymnast is sophomore Christine Nguyen, who won the EAGL all-around (39.475) and vault (9.95) titles.

?Nebraska and UNC last met at the 2006 NCAA Southeast Regional, where the Huskers finished second (196.35), ahead of the Tarheels’ fourth-place 194.275.

?Nebraska leads the all-time series against North Carolina, 2-0.

 

Husker Trio Earn All-Big 12 Honors

Seniors Emily Parsons and Desire’ Sniatynski and junior Tricia Woo were named to the 2008 All-Big 12 team, the conference office announced on March 26. The trio combined for five all-conference honors, with Parsons leading the way with three awards on vault, beam and floor. Sniatynski and Woo earned accolades on bars and beam, respectively.

 

All-Big 12 teams include the top four Big 12 gymnasts with the highest regional qualifying score (RQS) in each event, excluding all-around, determine all-conference honors. The RQS can be obtained from GymInfo.com.

 

Woo, Parsons and Sniatynski were also named to the All-Big 12 Championship team for their performances at the Big 12 Championships on March 29.

 

Parsons Leads Huskers in 2008

 

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 113 event crowns, including the vault (9.925) and floor (9.90) titles at PennState last week.

 

Parsons is ranked third nationally on vault with an RQS of 9.945, as well as ninth in the all-around (39.385) and 10th on floor (9.905).

 

Howard Named Academic All-Big 12

The Big 12 Conference named 23 student-athletes to the 2008 Academic All-Big 12 Gymnastics Team, including Nebraska sophomore Kathryn Howard, the league office announced March 25.

Howard, who has not declared a major at Nebraska, is a two-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

 

The league academic all-conference first team consists of student-athletes with a 3.20 grade-point average or higher, while the second team are those who have earned a 3.00-3.19 GPA.

 

Parsons Passes Career 100-Title Mark

 

Entering the homestretch of her senior year, Emily Parsons owns a career total of 113 event titles in four years at Nebraska, becoming the first Husker to pass the 100-title mark. 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, for the top spot on the program’s event titles chart. 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           28           113

Richelle Simpson               2002-05                 9              39           6              23           77

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 31 years of Nebraska women's gymnastics history. In his 15th season at Nebraska, Kendig is 352-134-4 overall and 249-53-2 in regular-season meets. Kendig is in his 25th year of coaching and owns a career record of 465-246-5.

 

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.

 

Injury Keeps Meloche Out of Bars Lineup

Junior Vanessa Meloche returned to the bars lineup in February only to see her fourth season as a Husker come to an end in March. The Montreal, Quebec, native underwent a minor procedure, and it was decided to keep her out of competition for the remainder of 2008.

 

Meloche shared one bars title in two meets this season with Desire’ Sniatynski, scoring a 9.875 against Michigan on Feb. 7. A first-team All-American and the 2006 Big 12 champion on bars, she rehabilitated a season-ending knee injury suffered in February 2007 for nearly a year.

 

Woo Takes on New Role with All-Around

With Nebraska’s bars lineup down to five competitors, junior Tricia Woo stepped up as the sixth competitor on the event for the fourth straight week at the Big 12 Championships, scoring a 9.60. Woo, known for her work on beam and floor, has also filled the No. 2 spot in the vault lineup this season. At Stanford, the Milpitas, Calif., native finished third in the all-around with a career-high score of 39.25, while also notching a pair of 9.90s to tie for the beam and floor titles with 11-time Cardinal All-American Tabitha Yim. Last weekend at the conference championships, Woo won the first Big 12 beam title of her career with a 9.90 and also finished third on floor (9.875).

 

Woo has not seriously trained bars since her days as a Level 10 in California, but finished third on the event at the 2003 California State Championships.

 

Howard Earns First Career Event Title

Sophomore Kathryn Howard won the first event title of her career on Feb. 1 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.

 

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 Denver on Feb. 23 displayed her All-America caliber all-around contributions. Sniatynski claimed her fifth bars title of the year, tying her career high of 9.90. At Kentucky, Sniatynski won her second beam crown of the season with a 9.85 and placed second in the all-around (39.175). Last weekend at Stanford, Sniatynski was held out of the all-around due to a minor practice injury, but competed on vault and bars.

 

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. She earned a second weekly conference honor on Feb. 26.

 

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. Last weekend against the Cyclones, Habbib took third on bars (9.80).

 

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 served as a vault specialist for the first half of the season but has since stepped into the floor lineup as well. She made her floor debut against Denver, notching a 9.80, and last weekend against ISU, she earned runner-up honors on vault (9.80). On Jan. 25 against Mizzou, Davis earned a career-high 9.875 to tie for fourth with Tricia Woo. A former Level 10 gymnast, Davis 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). Against the Cyclones last weekend, Scaffidi won the bars title with a career-high-tying 9.875.

 

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.