Huskers Begin 2019 Season at UCLA

No. 11 Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 1 UCLA Bruins (0-0, 0-0 Pac-12) Friday, Jan. 4, 8 p.m. CT -- Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion) Live Scores: Uclabruins.com TV: ESPN2

Huskers Begin 2019 Season at UCLA The preseason No. 11 Nebraska women’s gymnastics will start their 2019 campaign this Friday with a trip to defending National Champion UCLA in Los Angeles, Calif. at Pauley Pavilion at 6 p.m. CT. The Huskers were chosen No. 11 in the National Preseason Coaches’ poll, as well as picked second in the Big Ten coaches poll. Senior Sienna Crouse and junior Taylor Houchin were named to the Big Ten Gymnastics to Watch list.

In 2018, Nebraska finished sixth in the NCAA Super Six and will return 11 letter winners and three All-Americans in first-teamers Crouse, senior Megan Schweihofer and Houchin. NU also welcomes five newcomers to the team, all true freshmen from across the country.

Friday’s match up against the Bruins will be the 19th all-time meeting between the two teams in the regular season with UCLA holding a 13-6 series lead. The Bruins won all three match-ups against Nebraska last season, placing first at the Masters Classic (197.500-197.500), NCAA semifinals (197.5625-197.0125) and NCAA finals (198.075-196.8000). The last time the Huskers defeated UCLA in the regular season was at the Master’s Classic in 2009. 

Following UCLA, Nebraska will return for a home meet with No. 15 Washington on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. CT, which will be a part of Nebraska’s Tumble & Rumble promotion, as Nebraska wrestling team will complete in the Devaney Center at the same time against Northern Iowa. The Huskers will then begin Big Ten competition with a road trip to Rutgers on Jan. 19 at 12 p.m. CT.

Season tickets are now on sale. General admission season tickets are $26 for adult general admission, and $14 dollars for youth and senior general admission. Single event tickets are $5 for adult general admission, and $3 for youth and senior general admission. Children six and under may attend the meet for free, as well as NU students with N-card. Tickets include access to both men's and women's gymnastics meets.

Fans can follow the Huskers on Twitter at @HuskersWGym, Instagram at @HuskersWGymnastic and Facebook at facebook.com/NebraskaWGym

SCOUTING UCLA UCLA begins the 2019 season as the defending National Champions and finished the 2018 season 22-2. The Bruins return five All-Americans including NCAA floor champion Katelyn Ohashi and 2017 bars and beam champion Kyla Ross and welcome four newcomers. UCLA ranks No. 1 in the National Preseason Coaches’ poll and selected to finish first in the Pac-12 coaches’ poll. The Bruins are led by head coach Valorie Kondos Field in her 29th and final season with the team. 

SERIES HISTORY UCLA leads the all-time series with the Bruins leading 26-9. The Huskers lost both match ups with the Bruins last season losing 197.500-197.175 in the Masters Classic and 198.075-196.800 in the NCAA Super Six finals. 

SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS Nebraska owns a stellar 75-22-1 (.762) record in season-opening meets. The Huskers have been victorious in each of its last five season-opening meets defeating a total of six teams in the process, including a 195.55-195.05 win over Penn State in 2018   NEBRASKA OPENS SEASON RANKED NO. 11 NU opens the season at No. 11 in the WCGA Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the ninth-consecutive season the Huskers are ranked among the nation’s top 12 teams in the preseason poll. The only Big Ten team ranked higher than Nebraska is Michigan, which checked in at No. 9.

HUSKERS PICKED SECOND IN BIG TEN Coaches around the conference have picked Nebraska second in the Big Ten for the sixth consecutive year in the annual Big Ten Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Since joining the conference before the 2012 season, Nebraska has been selected first or second in every preseason poll. The Huskers came in second last season in the Big Ten Championships to Michigan, who is on top of this year’s preseason poll. Illinois comes in third, while Ohio State and Minnesota round out the top five.

STRONG SCHEDULE IN 2019 NU will face 10 teams ranked in the national preseason coaches’ poll top 25 in 2019, including a trip to defending National Champion UCLA and meets with No. 9 Michigan, No. 10 Kentucky, No. 13 Denver, No. 15 Washington, No. 16 Boise State, No. 18 Ohio State, No. 20 Arizona State, No. 22 Illinois and No. 23 Minnesota. 

CROUSE, Houchin NAMED GYMNASTS TO WATCH Senior Sienna Crouse was selected as one of the 2019 Gymnasts to watch by the Big Ten conference for the second straight year. Sienna Crouse earned first team honors on floor, and second team All-America honors on vault, adding to her first team All-America honors on vault in 2017 and was also first team All-Big Ten, Firs Team Big Ten All-Championships and Academic All-Big Ten last season. Junior Taylor Houchin also joins Crouse as a 2019 Gymnast to watch. Houchin earned first team All-American status on vault, and second-team honors on balance beam, last season, the first of her career. She was also named Big Ten vault co-champion, Second Team All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten.

UP NEXT

Nebraska will return home for a home meet against No. 15 Washington on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, which will be a part of Nebraska’s Tumble & Rumble promotion, as Nebraska wrestling team will complete in the Devaney Center at the same time against Northern Iowa before beginning Big Ten play with a trip to Rutgers on Jan. 19.

HUSKERS HOPE TO CONTINUE THEIR EMPIRE The Nebraska women’s gymnastics team finished sixth in the Super Six and returns 11 letter winners and three All-Americans from last season. The Husker squad selects a team motto each year, and in 2019 the gymnasts are #BOE.

STRONG SENIOR CLASS LEADS HUSKERS Nebraska returns two strong seniors for the 2019 season in Sienna Crouse and Megan Schweihofer. A native of Fargo, N.D., Crouse returns as an All-American and one of the Huskers most consistent competitors primarily on vault and floor. Last season she posted the highest vault score by any individual competitor with a 9.9625 during Super Six Finals. Schweihofer is also a returning All-American on floor and is one of the top competitors for Nebraska. Last season, she earned nine event titles. 

TOUTED TRIO OF ALL-AMERICANS TO HELP HUSKERS Nebraska received a total of eight All-America honors in 2018. Graduated senior Grace Williams earned second team honors on balance beam and floor, the first of her career. Seniors Sienna Crouse and Megan Schweihofer earned first team honors on floor, and second team All-America honors on vault, and second team honors on floor and in the all-around respectively. Junior Taylor Houchin earned first team All-American status on vault, and second-team honors on balance beam, the first of her career. Nebraska’s eight All-American honors are the most since 2012, and the two first-team honors mark the first time since 2015 NU had multiple first-teamers.

HUSKERS WELCOME FORMER BIG IX CHAMPION MIKE HEREDIA TO COACHING STAFF Mike Heredia was announced earlier this year as the newest member of the Nebraska coaching staff. Heredia was a student-athlete at Nebraska in 2010, competing on floor exercise and vault. He would later transfer to Oklahoma and would become an All-American on vault in 2012. As a Sooner he was also a 2012 Big Ten Conference champion and was part of a team that posted back-to-back NCAA runner-up finishes in 2011 and 2012. After graduating, Heredia was an assistant coach for Iowa men’s gymnastics team where he coached two All-Americans on rings as well as a Big Ten champion on rings. The Hawkeyes finished fifth that season and was the highest finish since 2006. He would then go on to co-found and co-coach Fuzion Gymnastics in Kearney, Mo, since 2013 and has gone on to graduate and send 14 gymnasts to college level competition in five years. In 2018 Heredia led two level 10 teams to state championships in both boys and girls competition.  Heredia will coach bars, vault and floor for the Huskers.

HUSKERS INTRODUCE PAIR OF 2019 SIGNEES Interim Head Coach Heather Brink announced the signing of two future Nebraska gymnasts to the 2019 women’s gymnastics signing class. Kylie Piringer (Erya Ramsey, N.J.) and Kathryn Thaler (Katy, Texas) have signed their letters of intent and will join the roster for Nebraska women’s gymnastics’ 2020 season.

CORNHUSKERS GROW ACROSS UNITED STATES Nebraska features just one gymnast from Nebraska in sophomore Rachel Thompson on the 16-gymnast squad. The other 15 Huskers reign from 11 other states: California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, and New Jersey.

NEBRASKA BOARD OF REGENTS APPROVE NEW GYMNASTICS TRAINING FACILITY The University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved a proposal to build a new gymnastics training facility. The current plan calls for construction of the facility that will be used by Nebraska’s men’s and women’s programs as an addition to the northwest side of the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The facility will include training stations, coaches’ offices and locker rooms for both teams. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 28, 2018 with the project projected to be completed in January of 2020.