No. 6 Huskers Head to First Big Ten Championships

2012 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships
Date: Saturday, March 24, 2012
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa
TV: Big Ten Network (live)
Live Scores: http://live.iowagymnastics.com/
www.twitter.com/HuskersWGYM

- Nebraska Head Coach: Dan Kendig (19th Year)
- Current Team Record: 12-2 (3-0 Big Ten)
- 2012 High Score: 197.600 (at Utah, 3/9/12)
- 2011 NCAA Finish: 4th (196.725)

The No. 6 Nebraska women's gymnastics team kicks off its post-season competition this Saturday, March 24, when they travel to Iowa City, Iowa, to compete in the 2012 Big Ten Gymnastics Championships. The Huskers will participate in the second session at 6 p.m. after earning the top overall seed of the championship with an RQS of 196.96. Penn State, Ohio State and Minnesota will also compete in the second session, while Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois and the host Iowa will take the floor at 1 p.m.

Both sessions of the meet will be aired live on the Big Ten Network, with the action being called by Big Ten Network analysts Lisa Byington and Kylee Kolarik. Live scores will be provided by HawkeyeSports.com, and fans can also get live updates on the Huskers' twitter page at www.twitter.com/HuskersWGYM.

Nebraska finished the regular season with an overall record of 12-2, defeating Iowa State in its last meet of the season on Saturday, March 16. The Huskers' two regular-season losses were the teams fewest since 2003 when they only recorded one loss, and their 7-0 record on the road is the first undefeated road mark in school history. After capturing the Big 12 title last season, NU is hoping to win its first back-to-back conference championships since 2002-2003.

The Huskers have received contributions from nearly all parts of the roster this season, crowning five different all-around champions throughout the season. Two of the top all-arounders in the entire country are freshman Jessie DeZiel and sophomore Emily Wong. DeZiel is No. 3 nationally in the all-around with a 39.505 RQS, while Wong checks in not far behind at No. 5 with a 39.45. Against Iowa State, junior Janelle Giblin became the fifth Husker to win an all-around title when she scored a 39.525 to lead NU.

Following the Big Ten Championships, the Huskers will travel to their NCAA Regional on Saturday, April 7. NU's regional site will be announced next week.

Five Huskers Earn All-Big Ten Honors
The Huskers placed a league-high five gymnasts on the 2012 All-Big Ten first and second teams, which were announced by the conference on Monday, March 19.

Four Huskers were placed on the first team after finishing in the top three in the conference at a single event or finishing in the top six in the all-around. Jessie DeZiel, Lora Evenstad, Janelle Giblin and Emily Wong were all placed on the first team, while Jamie Schleppenbach was a second-team honoree after finishing in the top six on vault.

DeZiel and Wong both rank inside the top five nationally in the all-around and check in as the No. 2 and 3 all-around competitors in the Big Ten, respectively. Both DeZiel and Wong were named to their first all-conference team.

Evenstad ranks inside the top three in the conference on bars (9.90) and floor (9.90) to secure her spot on the first-team. The senior is a three-time all-conference pick after being named to the All-Big 12 team the previous two seasons.
Giblin was a first-team member ranking first in the vault (9.93) and bars (9.91). The San Ramon, Calif., native has won the bars title in nine out of the Huskers' 10 meets and has five vault titles.

Schleppenbach earned second-team honors after finishing the regular season ranked at No. 5 on vault with an RQS of 9.90. The Lincoln native has won three vault titles and posted a career-high 9.95 twice this season, including in the Huskers' road victory over No. 7 Utah.

DeZiel Wins Final B1G Freshman of the Week, Huskers Tally 13 Awards
DeZiel won her ninth Big Ten Freshman of the Week award on Monday, March 19, when the Big Ten Conference announced its last set of weekly awards. The true freshman from Rogers, Minn., won the award nine out of the 10 times she was eligible and set the record for most consecutive awards won when she took home six straight honors from Jan. 16 through Feb. 20.

DeZiel finished third in the all-around in the Huskers' final regular-season meet against the Iowa State Cyclones on Friday, March 16 at the Devaney Center. DeZiel finished in the top five of every event, including a first-place finish on the floor after posting a 9.90. DeZiel finished second on the vault (9.925), and fifth on bars (9.875) and beam (9.75) en route to scoring a 39.45 in the all-around. DeZiel has won 13 individual titles this season and finished atop the all-around standings at seven competitions.

DeZiel finished the year with a total of 11 Big Ten individual awards, winning Big Ten Gymnast of the Week on Jan. 16 and Feb. 20. As a team, the Huskers collected a league-high 13 individual honors as Lora Evenstad (Jan. 23) and Jamie Schleppenbach (March 12) each won their own Big Ten Gymnast of the Week award.

Last Time Out: Huskers Topple ISU on Senior Night
Janelle Giblin captured two event titles and won the all-around crown in the No. 6 Nebraska women's gymnastics team come-from-behind victory over the Iowa State Cyclones on Senior Night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Friday, March 16. Competing in front of 1,559 fans, the Huskers used a stellar performance on bars and floor to pull out the 196.175-195.700 victory.

Giblin was brilliant from the get-go, tying a career high on vault with a 9.95 and posting the same score on bars to capture both event titles. The San Ramon, Calif., native posted another career mark on floor with a 9.875 to help her reach her career best 39.525 in the all-around. True freshman Jessie DeZiel won her sixth floor title of the season by posting a 9.90 on the event.

After a shaky performance on the beam where NU recorded two falls, the Huskers trailed ISU 146.875-147.200 heading into the final rotation on floor. Jamie Schleppenbach began the comeback for NU by posting a 9.825 and was followed by freshman Jennifer Lauer, who also posted a 9.825, which was a career high. After Giblin's 9.875 performance, DeZiel and senior Lora Evenstad posted 9.90 and 9.875, respectively, to close the event and clinch the victory.

The Huskers led after the first rotation where they posted a 49.30 on vault and were led by Giblin, who tied her career high with a 9.95 in the fourth spot. Following Giblin, Schleppenbach and DeZiel finished the event with a 9.825 and 9.925, respectively. True freshman Jennifer Lauer put up a 9.75, while Wong scored a 9.85 in the third spot to round out the Huskers on vault.

Giblin carried the momentum she gained on vault by posting another career high on bars, scoring her second 9.95 of the night in the Huskers' third routine. Giblin helped NU post a season-high 49.45, which is tied for the 10th highest score in school history. Giblin was helped by two other Huskers who tied their career-highs in Emily Wong and Lora Evenstad. Wong led the event off with a 9.90, while Evenstad posted a 9.925. Schleppenbach and DeZiel scored a 9.80 and 9.875, respectively.

With a 98.75-98.125 lead heading into NU's third rotation, the Huskers struggled on the beam, scoring a 48.125. Lauer, Giblin and DeZiel all posted 9.75s, while Wong led the Huskers with a 9.80.

Five Different Huskers Win All-Around Titles
With Janelle Giblin's all-around victory last week against Iowa State, the Huskers have now had five separate gymnasts win an all-around title in a single season for the first time since at least 1997. Jessie DeZiel leads the way with eight titles, while Lora Evenstad, Emily Wong, Jamie Schleppenbach and Giblin each have one.

DeZiel's eight all-around titles are the most for a Husker gymnast since Emily Parsons won eight titles of her own in 2006.

NU Makes History, Finishes Perfect on the Road
The Huskers accomplished something no other team in school history has done when they defeated Utah on Friday, March 9. With the victory, the Huskers finished the regular season undefeated in away meets for the first time in school history. NU finished the season with a perfect 7-0 mark on the road, including four wins over top 25 opponents. Road victories included triumphs over No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 7 Arkansas and No. 7 Utah.

Giblin Dominating on Bars
Junior Janelle Giblin was dominant on the bars during the regular season, scoring a 9.85 or above in every meet which helped her capture nine event titles in 10 possible meets. Giblin posted a career-high 9.95 in the Huskers' victory over Iowa State last week and is the No. 2 bars performer in the country with a 9.91 RQS.

Huskers in the Rankings
The Huskers remained at No. 6 in the latest GymInfo national women's gymnastics rankings, which were released on Monday, March 19. The Huskers are the only Big Ten squad in the top 10 and sport a regional qualifying score of 196.960.

The Huskers are ranked inside the top 10 on all four events as a team and feature two all-arounders ranked inside the top 5. On vault, NU checks in at No. 3 with an RQS of 49.410 and is No. 2 on bars (49.275). The Huskers are the No. 5 floor team in the country with a 49.28 RQS and ranked at No. 8 on beam with an RQS of 49.13.

True freshman Jessie DeZiel and sophomore Emily Wong are two of the top all-around performers in the country. DeZiel is currently ranked as the No. 3 all-arounder in the nation with a 39.505 RQS, while Wong isn't far behind at No. 5 with a 39.45. DeZiel ranks inside the top 10 on vault (9th, 9.91) and floor (8th, 9.90), while Wong is No. 14 on beam (9.875).

Junior Janelle Giblin continues to be one of the top bar performers in the country, where she is ranked at No. 2 in the latest rankings. Giblin, who won her ninth bars title of the year against Iowa State, has a 9.91 RQS. Senior Lora Evenstad ranks inside the top 10 on bars (5th, 9.90) and floor (9th, 9.90), while sophomore Jamie Schleppenbach cracked the rankings at No. 20 on vault with a 9.90 RQS.

Huskers Hitting On Bars at Right Time
One of the Huskers main goals entering each season is to improve on every event and peak as they enter post-season competition, and that's exactly what they are doing on bars where they currently rank at No. 2 in the country. Nebraska has scored above 49.10 in every meet this season and has set season-highs in each of their last three meets. NU posted a 49.35 against Florida on March 4, before scoring a 49.425 against Utah on March 9. In their last meet, the Huskers put up a 49.45 against Iowa State, which was tied for the 10th highest score in school history, while three NU gymnasts either set or matched their career highs.

Lauer Steps Up Big for Huskers on Beam
Jennifer Lauer has stepped up in a big way to help the Huskers find consistency on beam. The true freshman led off for NU in their last four meets and was instrumental in the Huskers' victory over Arkansas four weeks ago, when she led the event off with a career-high 9.875.

Husker History at Conference Championships
Even though they will be competing in their first Big Ten Championships, the Huskers have a long and storied tradition at conference championship meets. NU has won a total of 21 conference championships, including nine while a member of the Big 12. The Huskers will be looking for their first back-to-back conference championships since 2002-2003 after winning the Big 12 last year. In that meet, Erin Davis won the vault and floor championships, while Maria Scaffidi took home the bars championships.

The only current Husker with an individual conference championship is Lora Evenstad, who won the vault and floor in 2010 as a sophomore. The last Nebraska gymnast to win the all-around at the conference meet was Emily Parsons in 2007 when she posted a 39.65.

Huskers Find Consistency on Beam
After struggling on beam against the Missouri Tigers on Jan. 28 by posting a 46.95, the Huskers have continued to improve on the event by posting a 49.00 or above in four of their last seven meets. The Huskers have climbed back to No. 8 in the national beam rankings after falling to No. 25 after their meet against Missouri.

The Huskers are led on beam by Jessie DeZiel and Emily Wong, who have won three and two titles on the event this season, respectively. Wong is ranked at No. 14 on the event with an RQS of 9.875, while DeZiel checks in at No. 19 with a 9.865.

Huskers Competing Against Nation's Best
Nebraska faced off against some of the top teams in the country during the regular season, having battled against four teams ranked inside the top 10. The Huskers defeated No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 7 Arkansas and No. 7 Utah this year, and fell to No. 1 Florida, 196.825-196.95, on March 4. NU owns a 7-2 record against ranked teams, including victories over No. 20 Denver, No. 25 Minnesota, No. 22 Michigan and No. 20 Washington.

Huskers Post Six All-Around Scores at Masters Classic
For the first time in his 18-plus seasons at Nebraska, Head Coach Dan Kendig had all six gymnasts compete in the all-around when the Huskers took on Washington, Michigan and Southern Utah at the Masters Classic on Feb. 11. Jessie DeZiel, Lora Evenstad, Janelle Giblin, Jamie Schleppenbach, Brittany Skinner and Emily Wong all competed in the all-around, while DeZiel took home the crown with a 39.45. Nebraska finished with the top three spots in the all-around, with Wong finishing in second with a 39.375 and Skinner taking home third place with a career-high 39.35.

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 428-164-4 overall and 291-67-2 in regular-season meets. Kendig is in his 29th year of coaching and owns a career record of 538-276-5.

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 Join Coaching Staff
Assistant coaches Dan Miller and Heather Brink began their college coaching careers when the Huskers took Denver 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.