Huskers Face Denver in Season Opener

Devaney Center  I  Lincoln, Neb.  I  Friday, Jan. 13, 2012  I  7 p.m.
Series History: NU leads, 22-7
Last Meeting: NU lost, 195.725-195.85, on Feb. 11, 2011
Video: Huskers Inside (Subscription Required)
Live Stats: http://www.huskers.com//liveStats/liveStats.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100

• Nebraska Head Coach: Dan Kendig (19th Year)
• Current Team Record: 0-0 (0-0 Big Ten)
• 2011 High Score: 197.30 (Arizona State, 3/6/11)
• 2011 NCAA Finish: 4th (196.725)

The 6th-ranked Nebraska women's gymnastics team opens its 2012 season on Friday, Jan. 13, when it takes on the No. 20 Denver Pioneers inside the Devaney Center. Competition is set to begin at 7 p.m. and can be seen on the internet on Huskers Inside (subscription required) or you can view live stats at Huskers.com . Nebraska leads the all-time series against Denver, 22-7, but was defeated the last time the two schools matched up last year, falling by a score of 195.85-195.725 on Feb. 19.

Following their opening weekend, the Huskers will travel to Iowa State for their first road competition of the year on Friday, Jan. 20. Nebraska and Iowa State will begin in Ames at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Scouting the Competition: No. 20 Denver Pioneers

• Head Coach: Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart (14th Year)
• 2012 Record: 0-1
• 2011 Record: 19-6
• 2011 High Score: 196.375 (Ohio State, 2/4/11)
• 2011 NCAA Finish: N/A

A Glance at the Pioneers...

• Denver opened their season with a loss to No. 9 Georgia, 196.525-193.700, on Friday, Jan. 6.
• The Pioneers are led by senior Brianna Springer, who was an NCAA Championship participant for the second consecutive season in 2011.
• Denver's Ellese Sakai-Hart and Moriah Martin were honored by the Verizon Western Athletic Conference for their efforts against Georgia. Sakai-Hart was named the Gymnast of the week, while Martin was named Specialist of the week. Sakai-Hart posted a 9.750 on vault, 9.725 on beam and a 9.750 on floor. Martin posted a 9.90 on vault to earn her award.
• Denver last met the Huskers last season on Saturday, Feb. 19, with the Pioneers coming out on top 195.725-195.85 in Denver, Colo.

Nebraska's Competition Order vs. Denver
Rotation                        Nebraska          Denver
1                                  Vault                 Uneven Bars
2                                  Uneven Bars     Vault
3                                  Balance Beam   Floor Exercise
4                                  Floor Exercise   Balance Beam

Huskers Look to Build of Success From Last Season
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.

"I feel like this team is as talented, or more talented than last year's team," Head Coach Dan 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."

All-Americans Ready to Lead Huskers
The Huskers will be led by six returning All-Americans off a squad that tied the best finish in school history a year ago. Lora Evenstad, Janelle Giblin, Kassandra Nathe, Brittany Skinner, Jamie Schleppenbach and Emily Wong have all earned All-America honors in their careers. In perhaps its deepest event, NU returns four All-Americans on vault, including 2011 first-team honorees Giblin and Schleppenbach. The Huskers return three All-Americans on uneven bars and All-American on both floor and beam.

Huskers Tabbed 6th in Preseason Poll
Nebraska was ranked 6th in the Preseason Coaches Poll, released Dec. 1, 2011 by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches (NACGC). The Huskers will face four teams in the top 10 this season, including third-ranked Florida, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 5 Utah and No. 10 Michigan.

Kendig Builds One of Nation's Top Programs at Nebraska
Head Coach Dan Kendig is the all-time winningest coach in the 35 years of Nebraska women's gymnastics history. In 18 seasons at Nebraska, Kendig is 416-163-4 overall and 279-66-2 in regular-season meets. Kendig is in his 29th year of coaching and owns a career record of 529-275-5.

An eight-time Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year, Kendig has guided the Huskers to 12 conference championships and three straight regional championships from 2000 to 2002. He was most recently named the 2009 Big 12 Coach of the Year.

He has also led Nebraska to 14 NCAA Championship appearances in the past 17 seasons, including NCAA Super Six Finals appearances in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2011. 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 2011, Nebraska finished with a 22-12 overall record. The Huskers took fourth at the 2011 NCAA Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, in their 28th straight NCAA postseason appearance, which tied for the highest finish in school history. Five of Kendig's gymnasts --Lora Evenstad (FX), Brittany Skinner (BB), Janelle Giblin (V, AA), Jamie Schleppenbach (V) and Emily Wong (UB) -- earned All-America honors.

Miller, Brink Set to Begin College Coaching Careers
Assistant coaches Dan Miller and Heather Brink will begin their college coaching careers on Friday after being hired this offseason. Brink will coach the balance beam, while also assisting with choreography on the floor exercises. Brink was an 11-time All-American at NU and became a two-time national champion in 2000 by winning the all-around and vault title as a senior.

Miller comes to Nebraska after serving as the owner and head coach at Arena Gymnastics in Joliet, Ill. Miller will coach the Husker vault and floor squads. In his career, Miller has coached over 50 Level 10 gymnasts and 16 national qualifiers.

Evenstad Looks for Big Year as Seniors Set Stage
The Huskers, who have a fairly young roster, will look to a pair of seniors to lead them this season. Lora 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). The other senior on this year's team is Katelyn Busacker. The Papillion, Neb., native transfered to Nebraska for her senior season after competing at Ball State for three seasons. Busacker will provide the Huskers with depth on the bars and beam events, where she posted career highs of 9.850 and 9.825, respectively, at Ball State.

Juniors Provide Spark
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.

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.

Sophomores Look to Build of Last Season's Success
Jamie Schleppenbach and Emily Wong, both returning All-Americans, will look to build off the success the achieved in their freshmen campaigns. 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. 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. 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.

Looking to the Future: The New Husker Class
Nebraska welcomes four freshmen to its roster in 2012: Jessie DeZiel, Amanda and Jennifer Lauer and Desiré Stephens.

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.