Huskers Set for NCAA Championships Showdown

Fort Worth, Texas  •  Fort Worth Convention Center •  April 17-19

Friday, April 17: Two Semifinal meets, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
     • Both sessions, live video at NCAA.com

Saturday, April 18: Super Six Finals, 6 p.m.
     • ESPN3.com, ESPNU-tape delay, Wednesday, April 22 at 6 p.m.   

Sunday, April 19: Individual Event Finals, 2 p.m.
     • ESPN3.com, ESPNU-tape delay, Wednesday, April 22 at 8 p.m.  

 Purchase tickets

• Nebraska Head Coach: Dan Kendig (22nd Year)
• Current Team Record: 26-6
• 2015 High Score: 197.325 (vs. Iowa, 2/7/15)
• 2014 NCAA Finish: Sixth (196.500)

The No. 9 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team is set to travel to Fort Worth, Texas for the 2015 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships this weekend. The national meet will take place April 17-19 at the Fort Worth Convention Center in downtown Fort Worth after advancing to the championships from the NCAA Ames Regional April 4. Friday, April 17 will feature the team preliminaries split into two sessions, with the first beginning at 1p.m. CT and the other at 7 p.m. CT.

In a bracket format, Nebraska will face advancing teams from the Ames, Auburn and Norman Regionals. Nebraska will go up against No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 LSU, No. 5 Alabama, No. 8 Auburn and No. 12 Oregon State in the evening session. Semifinal I of competition will feature action from No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Utah, No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 UCLA, No. 10 Georgia and No. 11 Stanford.

The top-three team finishers from each session will qualify for the Super Six team finals on Saturday, April 18 at 6 p.m. CT. In addition, the top four individuals on each event in Friday’s semifinal competition (including ties) will compete in the individual event finals on Sunday, April 19 at 2 p.m. CT.

Fans wishing to follow the meet may do so through live video and live stats. The NCAA will provide live video for both preliminary sessions at NCAA.com, while the Super Six team finals and individual event finals will be available live on espn.go.com and ESPN3. ESPNU will also broadcast the Super Six finals on tape delay on Wednesday, April 22 at 6 p.m. CT and the event finals at 8 p.m. CT.

 

Rotation Order at NCAA Championships: Huskers to Battle in Semifinal II
Below is the rotation order for the 2015 NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. Semifinal rotation orders were decided by a random draw, with Nebraska starting the evening on beam. NU’s full order will be beam, bye, floor, vault, bye, bars. North Carolina State’s all-around competitor Brittani Watkins will rotate with the Huskers in the semifinal.

 

Semifinal I - 1 p.m. CT

Rotation	Vault	Bye	Bars	Beam	Bye	Floor
1.	Georgia	Stanford	Michigan	Utah	Florida	UCLA
2.	UCLA	Georgia	Stanford	Michigan	Utah	Florida
3.	Florida	UCLA	Georgia	Stanford	Michigan	Utah
4.	Utah	Florida	UCLA	Georgia	Stanford	Michigan
5.	Michigan	Utah	Florida	UCLA	Georgia	Stanford
6.	Stanford	Michigan	Utah	Florida	UCLA	Georgia

 

Individual All-Arounders in Semifinal I: 

• Toni Ann Williams (California)
• Giana O’Connor (Illinois)
• Mary Jane Horth (Illinois)
• Caitlin Brown (Iowa State)
• Sydney Waltz (Kentucky)
• Lindsay Mable (Minnesota)

 

Semifinal II - 7 p.m. CT

Rotation	Vault	Bye	Bars	Beam	Bye	Floor
1.	LSU	Oregon State	Auburn	Nebraska	Oklahoma	Alabama
2.	Alabama	LSU	Oregon State	Auburn	Nebraska	Oklahoma
3.	Oklahoma	Alabama	LSU	Oregon State	Auburn	Nebraska
4.	Nebraska	Oklahoma	Alabama	LSU	Oregon State	Auburn
5.	Auburn	Nebraska	Oklahoma	Alabama	LSU	Oregon State
6.	Oregon State	Auburn	Nebraska	Oklahoma	Alabama	LSU

 

Individual All-Arounders in Semifinal II:

• Kelsey Morris (Boise State)
• Nina McGee (Denver)
• Cami Droulin-Allaire (George Washington)
• Brittani Watkins (NC State)
• Michaela Woodford (NC State)
• Taylor Harrison (Ohio State)

Husker History at the NCAA Championships
The Huskers have advanced to its 23rd NCAA Championships in school history after finishing second at the Ames Regional to secure its spot. Nebraska has qualified to the Super Six team finals 11 times and tied for its highest finish in school history in 2011, when they took home fourth place in Cleveland, Ohio.

Individually, Nebraska has crowned five champions, including two from current assistant coach Heather Brink who won the all-around and vault national titles in 2000. Brink was the first Nebraska gymnast to ever win multiple national titles. Richelle Simpson followed in Brink’s steps by winning the all-around and floor titles in 2003. Michele Bryant was the first NU gymnast to win an individual national title, winning the vault championship in 1990.

 

Looking Back: 2014 NCAA Championships
Nebraska shocked the nation at the 2014 NCAA Championships by rallying on beam in the final event of the preliminary to earn a berth into the Super Six finals. NU beat out four-time national champs Utah and six-time champs UCLA, who last won the title in 2010, to clinch its spot in the national finals.

At the Super Six finals, the Huskers overcame adversity in some early events to finish respectably in sixth place. The Cinderella story proved even sweeter after Nebraska failed to advance to the NCAA Championships as a team from the Morgantown Regional in 2013.

Four Huskers combined for a total of seven All-America awards, highlighted by former standout Emily Wong’s trio of accolades of first-team on beam and on floor and second-team in the all-around, capping out her total to 11 career All-America awards. Jessie DeZiel pulled down two All-America selections on beam and in the all-around. The Huskers also made history by collecting four first-team All-Americans on beam with Wong, DeZiel, Hollie Blanske and Jamie Schleppenbach.

All four Huskers finished in the top 10 at event finals the last day of the championships, highlighted by Schleppenbach’s third place finish on beam with a 9.8875. Wong continued her dominance on floor to grab sixth overall, while also placing 14th on beam. DeZiel snagged eighth on beam, as first-time event finalist Blanske snatched 10th on the event.

 

Last Time Out: Huskers Punch Ticket to NCAA Championships
Ames, Iowa--The No. 9 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team clinched a spot to its 23rd NCAA Championships after finishing second at the Ames Regional with a 196.950.

“I was really proud of this team today,” head coach Dan Kendig said. “What I liked most is how we came together as a team and stayed together as a team. We stayed engaged throughout, and it really was a great effort from everyone.”

NU saw stellar performances across all classes to help the team earn its way to the national championships. Senior Jessie DeZiel put together a seamless all-around performance of 39.425 to tie for second with Nina McGee of Denver. DeZiel also took home her third consecutive regional vault title with a 9.95. Freshman Grace Williams stayed steady in the all-around, earning the fourth place spot overall with a 39.350. Senior Desire’ Stephens and junior Hollie Blanske tied for sixth place in the all-around with a 39.300, as Blanske also took a share of the floor title with a 9.925.

The Huskers began the meet on a bye in the first rotation while four teams started competition. Sixth-seed Iowa State started things off on floor and tallied a 49.15 mark. LSU took to bars to begin the night and overcame a couple of mistakes to produce a respectable 49.05, led by senior Rheagan Courville. Michigan State was on vault to begin the meet to put up a 48. 825, while Denver led off the beam rotation with a 48.750.

NU opened up the evening and came out swinging on bars to post a 49.175. Danielle Breen, DeZiel and Williams led the way for the Big Red, notching a trio of 9.85s to place third on the event. Stephens followed up with a solid 9.825, as freshman Kamerin Moore entered back into the lineup this week to score a 9.80. Blanske rounded out the rotation with a 9.675 after covering up a minor mistake.

LSU moved to beam in the second rotation and achieved a 49.20 from Jessie Jordan’s 9.90 routine. Iowa State went to vault, tallying a 49.025 with help from Caitlin Brown and Haylee Young’s 9.85 marks. Washington began their meet on floor, producing a 48.675 thanks to Allison Northey’s 9.85. Denver and Michigan State each had byes.

The Huskers took to beam in the third rotation of the night, where the team avoided counting a fall to grab an even 49.000. Blanske set the tone with her near-perfect routine, earning a 9.85 score. Williams was close behind with a 9.825, followed by a 9.80 from DeZiel. Breen and Stephens closed out the beam squad with a 9.775 and 9.75 respectively, helping the team to reach the 49 mark.

LSU and Iowa State both had byes in the third rotation, while Denver moved to floor with a 49.075 led by Nina McGee’s 9.90. Michigan State earned a 48.825 on bars, while Washington scored a 48.650 on vault. After three rotations, LSU held a slight edge with a running total of 98.250, followed by Nebraska and Iowa State (98.175), Denver (97.825), Michigan State (97.450) and Washington (97.325).

As NU and Washington went to a bye in the fourth rotation, LSU dominated the floor with a 49.450 set by a big 9.925 from Jordan. Denver went 49.200 on vault, Iowa State notched a 48.825 on bars, as Michigan State tallied a 48.800 on beam.

Nebraska came out blazing on floor in the fifth rotation, as Blanske led the team with an event-winning 9.925 to set the pace. Lambert performed her heart out to follow with her second place 9.90, while Stephens notched a career best 9.875 to keep things going. Lauer and Williams earned a pair of 9.85s for their performances, as DeZiel capped off the rotation with a 9.825 to help the Huskers to its huge 49.400 score.

LSU completed its competition on vault, scoring a 49.475 with assistance from Courville’s 9.925. LSU and Iowa State finished their meet in the fifth rotation, with team scores of 197.175 and 195.350 respectively.

In the last rotation of the evening the Huskers went to vault and grabbed a solid 49.375. Paving the way for the Big Red was DeZiel with her event-winning 9.95 score, while Lambert followed up with a 9.875. Blanske and Stephens added a pair of 9.85s, as sophomore Ariel Martin made her season debut with a matching score. Williams closed out the meet with a 9.825 vault score, solidifying the Huskers’ second-place spot in the Ames Regional.

Nebraska concluded the meet with a team score of 196.950, placing second behind LSU with a 197.175. Denver took third with a 195.950, followed by Michigan State (195.375), Iowa State (195.350) and Washington (193.675). As the top two teams, both LSU and Nebraska advanced to the NCAA Championships.

LSU’s Jessie Jordan took home the all-around crown with a 39.575 mark, while also winning beam (9.90) and sharing the floor title with the Huskers’ Blanske. Tiger Rheagan Courville and Denver’s Nina McGee shared the bars title with matching 9.90 scores. Joining the LSU and Nebraska teams, Caitlin Brown of Iowa State and Denver’s McGee both qualified as individual all-around competitors for the NCAA Championships.

 

DeZiel Named Female Student-Athlete of the Year
The University of Nebraska Athletic Department celebrated its 25th anniversary of honoring its highest academic, athletic and community achievers with a special red carpet recognition event at the Lied Center for Performing Arts on Sunday evening.

Nebraska’s outstanding student-athletes were recognized for stellar performances in competition, the classroom and the community. In addition to naming its prestigious Student-Athlete-of-the-Year Awards and other annual team and individual accomplishments, Nebraska celebrated the addition of several new awards to honor top performances throughout the past calendar year. John Welk and Jessie DeZiel captured two of Nebraska’s most coveted awards as the Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year.

DeZiel, a senior from Rogers, Minn., is a seven-time All-American entering next week’s NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships. A 2015 AAI Award nominee, DeZiel is also a three-time NCAA Regional vault champion. A three-time academic All-Big Ten selection as a nutrition and health sciences major, DeZiel became the sixth Husker women’s gymnast to win Nebraska’s Female Student-Athlete-of-the-Year award. She joins Nicole Duval (1995), Shelly Bartlett (1997), Richelle Simpson (2005), Stephanie Carter (2007) and Emily Wong (2014) among the elite women’s gymnasts in the history of Coach Dan Kendig’s program to win the highest honor presented by Nebraska to its student-athletes.

DeZiel and Welk also will win the conference’s most exclusive award as recipients of the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 2015. The award was the first of its kind in intercollegiate athletics to recognize academic and athletic excellence. The Big Ten Medal of Honor was first awarded in 1915 to one student-athlete from the graduating class of each university who had “attained the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work.” Big Ten schools currently feature more than 9,000 student-athletes, but only 28 earn this prestigious award on an annual basis. In the 100 years of the Medal of Honor, over 1,300 student-athletes have earned this distinction.

 

DeZiel Picks Up Weekly Honor After Senior Weekend
Following a successful Senior Night win against Oregon State last weekend, the Nebraska women’s gymnastics team earned its seventh weekly award this season as senior Jessie DeZiel collected Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Week honors, announced by the conference Monday.

DeZiel grabbed her first conference honor of the season and the 12th of her career after delivering a solid all-around performance against Oregon State Saturday. The Rogers, Minn., native put up a season high-tying 39.550 score to capture the all-around crown. She also took home the bars and vault titles with a 9.90 and 9.975 respectively, the latter score tying her career high. DeZiel last earned Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honors for the week of Feb. 24, 2014. Michigan’s Nicole Artz shares this week’s weekly award with DeZiel after producing a 39.550 all-around score on the road against Utah.

 

Williams Grabs Second Straight Weekly Award
After a victorious Masters Classic win over the weekend, the Nebraska women’s gymnastics team earned its sixth weekly honor this season as freshman Grace Williams captured Big Ten Freshman of the Week, announced by the conference Monday.

Williams collected her second consecutive weekly award after a remarkable all-around display at the Masters Classic Sunday. The Linden, Mich., native posted a 39.375 to tie for third place with junior Hollie Blanske. She continued to deliver consistent performances across all four events, including a career-high 9.90 on bars that helped the Huskers to its season best event score of 49.425. Williams is the first Husker to earn back-to-back conference honors since Emily Wong in 2014.

 

Two Huskers Capture Weekly Conference Honors
Following its second place finish on the road at the UCLA quadrangular, the Nebraska women’s gymnastics team collected two Big Ten honors as Sophomore Ashley Lambert claimed Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week and freshman Grace Williams grabbed Big Ten Freshman of the Week announced by the conference on Monday.

Lambert picked up her second award of the season following a stellar floor performance at UCLA. The sophomore posted a career-high 9.95 on the event to help the Huskers to its season-high 49.475 total, tying with UCLA’s Danusia Francis for the title. She also competed on vault (9.875) and beam (9.75) to help lead the Huskers to a 196.650 team score. Lambert’s first conference award came earlier in the season when she snatched Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week for her second consecutive 10.00 vault performance at the Rutgers quad meet Jan. 24.

Williams seizes the first Big Ten honor of her career after an impressive all-around performance against UCLA, Bridgeport and Sacramento State in Los Angeles. The Linden, Mich., native produced a 39.250 to earn second place behind the Bruins’ Sam Peszek. She earned steady scores on all four events to lead as NU’s top all-around competitor, including a 9.875 floor routine that fueled the Huskers to its season-best event score. The last Nebraska gymnast to claim Big Ten Freshman of the Week was Jessie DeZiel in 2012.

 

Lauer Earns Weekly Award Following Road Win
The No. 7 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team collected its third Big Ten honor of the season as senior Jennifer Lauer grabbed Big Ten Specialist of the Week announced by the conference on Monday, Feb. 16. Lauer captured her first honor of the season and the second of her career after a standout performance on beam against Minnesota. The Sioux City, Iowa, native picked up a 9.925 on the event for her stellar routine, tying with Minnesota’s Lindsay Mable for the top spot.

Lauer began the 2015 season with a vengeance after returning from an injury that left her out for much of 2014. In her first meet back, Lauer scored a 9.75 at home against Lindenwood. After battling a series of illnesses in late January and into early February, the senior rallied to notch two consecutive season-high scores in two weeks. On Feb. 7 against Iowa, she posted a 9.875 for second place, followed by her 9.925-winning performance at Minnesota on Feb. 14.

 

Lambert Collects Weekly Honor After Big Weekend
The Nebraska women’s gymnastics team earned its second conference honor of the season as sophomore Ashley Lambert captured Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week announced by the conference Monday, Jan. 26. Lambert earned her first career weekly honor after excelling on vault for the second weekend in a row. The Newport News, Va., native captured her third consecutive vault title with another perfect 10.00 score.

Lambert started the 2015 season with a bang at the opening meet where she took home two event titles on vault (9.875) and floor (9.825) en route to her first career all-around crown (39.175). Following the season opener, Lambert notched her name in history books as she became the first Husker to record a 10.00 on vault since 2011. She was a member of a historical vault lineup that put together a 49.75 team score to break the school record and claim the No. 1 vault ranking in the country.

Her weekend at the Rutgers quad meet Lambert broke yet again another record as she stuck a perfect 10.00 on vault for the second week in a row. She is the first Nebraska gymnast to post back-to-back 10’s on a single event.

 

Blanske Earns Gymnast of the Week Honors
Junior Hollie Blanske capped her stellar weekend by earning Big Ten Gymnast of the week honors. The award marks the first of Blanske’s career and comes after a solid performance in which the Oak Grove, Minn., native, posted a season high on every event including the all-around.

Blanske led the Huskers in their 197.125-196.025 rout of Penn State Saturday Jan. 17. Blanske’s victory including winning event titles on bars and floor en route to capturing top honors in the all-around. Her victory included two 9.925 scores on vault and floor, while chipping in a 9.85 mark on bars and a 9.80 on beam to give her an all-around score of 39.50.