2012 Season Preview: New Conference. Same Tradition.

After finishing fourth at last year's NCAA Championships, which was tied for the highest finish in school history, the 2012 Nebraska women's gymnastics team looks to continue its storied tradition as the Huskers compete as members of the Big Ten Conference for the first time. With six returning All-Americans, along with seven total letterwinners and five newcomers, the Huskers will again have conference and national title aspirations. The Huskers are led by Head Coach Dan Kendig, who is in this 19th season. Kendig believes this year's squad has the makings to be just as good, if not better than last year's top-five finisher.

"I feel like this team is as talented, or more talented than last year's team," Kendig said. "I feel that way because we lost some quality routines, but we've gained some freshmen who are doing some good things and we've gained Kassandra Nathe back. I just feel like when you look from event to event, our top six is as strong or stronger than last year."

Along with competing in a different conference in 2012, the Huskers also welcome two new coaches to this year's coaching staff. Dan Miller joins NU's staff as an assistant coach after leading Arena Gymnastics in Joliet, Ill. Miller will coach the Huskers' vault and floor squads.

Miller was joined by former Nebraska two-time national champion Heather Brink, who will coach the Huskers' beam exercises, along with helping on floor choreography. Brink was an 11-time All-American from 1997-00 and won the Honda Award, given to the nation's top woman gymnast, after her senior season.

Leading the Way
- Returning Letterwinners
A nucleus of seven letterwinners returns for Nebraska as the Huskers face one of the toughest schedules in the country. Leading the way is senior Lora Evenstad, who was a two-time All-American as a junior. Evenstad is one of the most consistent gymnasts on the roster and will look to make an impact on  the vault, bars and floor.

Evenstad claimed 10 individual titles in 2011, including nine on the floor and one on bars. The Grand Forks, N.D., native had her best year as a Husker in 2011, posting career highs on vault (9.95), bars (9.925), beam (9.725), floor (9.925) and all-around (39.275). Kendig said he is looking forward to seeing Evenstad compete as a senior.

"She is one of the most, if not the most, talented athletes we've had come through our doors in a long time," Kendig said.  "She's capable of a lot of things. We just have to keep her challenged, keep her focused. She's a perfectionist and she wants to do well."

Junior Janelle Giblin returns after spending much of last season as the only all-arounder on the team. The three-time All-American, including first-team honors on vault in 2011, claimed five event titles last season, including two on bars, one on beam and two in the all-around. Giblin will be counted on to do much of the same in 2012, where she will be a force in the lineup at all four events.

After sitting out last season with an injury, Nebraska welcomes back junior Kassandra Nathe to the lineup. Nathe, a second-team All-American on the bars in 2010, will return to the Huskers' lineup as an all-arounder and a three-event specialist. Nathe will bring a wealth of experience back for NU, along with being a role model off the competition floor. Nathe was one of Nebraska's Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award winners in 2011.

Junior Brittany Skinner, who was labeled as the team's "X-factor" before the season by Kendig, returns looking to do big things after earning second-team All-American honors during her sophomore campaign. Skinner brings power to the Nebraska lineup and will use that as she looks to make a mark on all four events for NU. Last season, Skinner was a three-event specialist for the Huskers on vault, bars and beam. Skinner set two career-high marks during her sophomore season, including a 9.90 on vault and a 9.875 on the bars. The Los Altos, Calif., native was named to the All-Big 12 Championship team on the uneven bars in 2011 and was a first-team All-American on the vault in 2010.

Sophomore Deanna Barmore has the ability to help the Huskers on the vault and provide depth on the beam exercise for NU. Barmore, who had ankle in the offseason, posted career highs on the vault at the NCAA Corvallis Regional with a 9.725.

Sophomore Jamie Schleppenbach is one of the most talented Huskers on vault and will help NU on the floor exercise. Schleppenbach became a first team All-American last season for NU, posting a 9.95 score on the vault two times including once at the Super Six finals. The Lincoln native will look to improve on her 12th-place showing in the vault event finals last season.

Nebraska's last returning letterwinner is Emily Wong, who has the ability to compete in all four events for the Huskers during her sophomore season.  Wong earned first-team All-America honors as a freshman on the uneven bars. She posted career highs on the bars at the Super Six team finals last season with a 9.90 on two occasions. The Grand Forks, N.D., native notched four event titles, including three on bars and one on beam.

Huskers Welcome Talented Newcomers
The Huskers welcome five talented newcomers with a wealth of experience at every level of gymnastics. The group includes four Level 10 gymnasts from the high school ranks, along with Katelyn Busacker, who transferred from Ball State for her senior season.

Busacker was a three-year letterwinner  at Ball State before transferring after the 2010 season. The Papillion, Neb., native will provide the Huskers with depth on the bars and beam events, where she posted career highs of 9.850 and 9.825, respectively. Busacker did not compete in 2011, but will be looked upon for her maturity as the season progresses.

One of the most talented newcomers is Rogers, Minn., native Jessie DeZiel, who respresented the United States at the 2011 Pan American Games. DeZiel, who was one of the top performers on a U.S. squad that won team gold, posted team-high scores on vault (15.125), beam (13.275), and floor exercise (13.150). DeZiel, a former two-time Junior Olympic Champion, is slated to compete on all four events for Nebraska this season.

The Huskers also welcome a set of twin sisters to the team, as Amanda and Jennifer Lauer will join the squad after competing for Premiere Gymnastics in Omaha, Neb. Both Level 10 gymnasts, Amanda will use her freshman campaign to provide depth on the beam for NU, while Jennifer is on the cusp of cracking the lineup in all four events.

Nebraska's final newcomer is Desire' Stephens, who will provide energy and depth on all four events for the Huskers. Stephens was the 2011 Nebraska state all-around champion and took fifth at the 2011 Region 4 meet in the all-around. Stephens is one of four Nebraska natives on this year's team.

Event Preview: Vault
- 4 All-Americans: Evenstad, Giblin, Skinner, Schleppenbach,
- All-Big 12: Schleppenbach
Nebraska returns four gymnasts who have earned All-America honors during their careers on vault, making it one of the deepest events for the Huskers this season. Janelle Giblin and Jamie Schleppenbach earned first-team honors last season, while Lora Evenstad and Brittany Skinner were first teamers in 2010.

Along with the four gymnastics listed above, the Huskers will also look to true freshman Jessie DeZiel and sophomore Emily Wong to round out the lineup, with Kassandra Nathe and Deanna Barmore competing for time in the lineup. True freshmen Jennifer Lauer and Desire' Stephens will provide depth for the Huskers on the event.

"Being new, I'm still trying to get a hold of what the girls are doing," assistant coach Dan Miller said. "I've looked at last year's videos and we're looking to build off that. Obviously, the success was there last year. We want to continue what they did and try to improve in other places. Everybody's working hard."

Event Preview: Uneven Bars
-3 All-Americans: Giblin, Nathe, Wong
-All-Big 12: Giblin
The Huskers lose first-team All-American Maria Scaffidi from last year's squad, but return a solid nucleus of gymnasts that include three All-Americans. Sophomore Emily Wong will return after becoming a first-team All-American last season when she posted a 9.90 score twice, including once at the NCAA Super Six Team finals. 

Both Janelle Giblin and Kassandra Nathe were second-team honorees in 2010. Last season, Giblin tied her career high on bars with a 9.875 in the Super Six Finals, while Nathe returns after sitting out last season with an injury. Nathe scored a 9.85 on the bars at the 2010 NCAA Championships.

Joining the three All-Americans in the lineup will be senior Lora Evenstad, who is one of the most consistent Huskers, while true freshman Jessie DeZiel is also a front-runner to crack the starting rotation. Junior Brittany Skinner is also in place to start in the rotation for the Huskers, while Ball State transfer Katelyn Busacker is a candidate to see time as well.

"I feel like we just need to work on all the things that are important in bars," Head Coach Dan Kendig said. "It's going to come down to the handstands, the form and execution and the landings. Those are the things we've been trying to work on. We're getting close. I like what we have on bars."

Event Preview: Beam
-1 All-American: Skinner
After finishing the year on a strong note last season on  beam, the Huskers look to build off what they started. Nebraska loses two second-team All-Americans in Brittnee Habbib and Maddie Steinauer, but return second-team All-American Brittany Skinner, who will lead the Husker beam attack. The Huskers also welcome back Nathe, who was named to the All-Big 12 championship team for the beam in 2010. 

Other gymnasts who will be contributors on beam include Giblin, Schleppenbach, Wong and DeZiel. Wong was named to the All-Big 12 championship team in 2011 for her efforts on the balance beam. Assistant coach Heather Brink said she wants the Huskers to pick up where they left off last season, while being more consistent.

"I feel like last year they had a little bit of inconsistency at the beginning of the year," Brink said. "I felt like they finished pretty well toward the end of the year. I'm just looking for them to start off where they left off last year and we're really working on our consistency."

Event Preview: Floor
-1 All-American: Evenstad
 -All-Big 12: Evenstad (2010)
One event the Huskers are most excited about is the floor exercise. Assistant coach Dan Miller noted that every gymnast on the squad has a floor routine, while several Huskers will feature new routines this season.  Leading the way is senior Lora Evenstad, who earned first-team All-America honors last year after posting a 9.925 score four times during the year. Evenstad collected nine individual titles on floor last season.

Emily Wong, Jessie DeZiel, Kassandra Nathe, Brittany Skinner and Janelle Giblin will be the top candidates to round out the floor routine rotation. Miller hopes to increase the difficulty levels of last year's floor exercises with more difficult passes and high-energy choreography.

"Probably the most exciting thing is there is going to be quite a few new floor routines, which is exciting for the girls, too," Miller said. "They get new music, new choreography, that's kind of a boost for them. Right now I feel like everybody has a floor routine, we're just trying to up the difficulty."