Huskers Head to College Park for Big Fives

Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-6, 1-4 Big Ten) vs. No. 8 Minnesota, No. 19 Illinois, No. 21 Ohio State & Maryland
Friday, Feb. 26, 4:00 p.m. CT -- College Park, Md. (XFINITY Center)
Live Scores: UMTerps.com
Stream: BTN+ (Paid Subscription)

Lincoln, Neb. -- The Nebraska women's gymnastics team travels to College Park, Md. to take part in the Big Five meet against Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio State and Maryland. NU looks to finish the Big Ten regular season with a strong score to improve its national ranking.

The Huskers last took the floor against the No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes at the Bob Devaney Center on Feb. 20. NU battled hard against its second top-10 opponent in six days, but fell short in the final rotation. Two Nebraska gymnasts won event titles in the meet, and the Huskers once again showed growth in their performances.

Senior Anika Dujakovich took home the vault event title against Iowa, as she tied her career-high with a score of 9.95. Fellow senior Kynsee Roby picked up her fifth event title of the season, as she recorded a score of 9.85 on bars. Junior Kaitlyn Higgins put up strong scores on vault (9.80), beam (9.85) and floor exercise (9.875).

Nebraska will contend with four of the Big Ten's best programs on Friday in Maryland. NU faced off with Illinois and Ohio State earlier in the season, but has yet to see the Terrapins or Golden Gophers. The Huskers look to climb up the Road To Nationals rankings, where they currently sit as the No. 38 program in the nation. 

Roby has served as a cornerstone for Nebraska's team throughout the season. She has racked up five event titles through the first six weeks of competition and is the No. 19 ranked gymnast in the nation on balance beam with an average score of 9.871. NU will also look to Higgins for strong performances, as the junior from Walworth, Wis. has emerged as one of the program's most consistent gymnasts.

The Huskers look to finish the Big Ten regular season on a high note, as the conference championships take place less than a month from now on March 20. NU also looks to continue its recent success in the Big Five meet, as the program placed 1st at last year's event in Toledo, Ohio. 

Nebraska takes part in the Big Five meet against Ohio State, Minnesota, Maryland and Illinois on Friday, Feb. 26 in College Park Md. at 4 p.m. CT. The event will be streamed on BTN+.

Following the Big Five meet, NU will head to Minneapolis, Minn. for a non conference duel with the Minnesota Gophers on March 5 at 2 p.m. CT. 

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

Notes:

NEBRASKA ENTERS WEEK SEVEN RANKED NO. 38
The Huskers enter this weekend's meet as the No. 38 program in the country, as ranked by the Road to Nationals poll. NU sits at No. 27 on vault, No. 32 on beam, No. 33 on bars and No. 48 on floor. Nebraska looks to climb the rankings with a strong performance in Maryland.

ROBY RANKED NO. 19 ON BALANCE BEAM
Senior Kynsee Roby, following stellar beam performances in the first six weeks of competition, ranks 19th in the nation on the apparatus. Roby won at least a share of the event title in three of Nebraska's first six meets, which included a score of 9.95 last week against Rutgers. She has also won an event title on uneven bars against Iowa on Feb. 20.

YOUTH SHINES FOR NU THROUGHOUT SEASON
Nebraska's freshmen have provided crucial depth for the program throughout the 2021 season. All five first-year athletes have seen action this year, with Joanne De Jesus-Cortes and Martina Comin making their debuts on Feb. 15 against Michigan. Kinsey Davis picked up her first career event title against Rutgers on Feb. 7, while Chloe Lorange has served as NU's lone all-around competitor. Danielle Press set a season-high on Feb. 15 on vault, with a score of 9.875.

UP NEXT
Following the Big Five meet, NU will head to Minneapolis, Minn. for a non conference duel with the Minnesota Gophers on March 5 at 2 p.m. CT. 

NU RANKED THIRD IN BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
The Huskers enter the 2021 season as the No. 3 ranked team in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches' Poll. Michigan and Minnesota claimed the top two spots in the poll, while Iowa and Illinois round out the top five. 

BIG TEN SCHEDULE IN 2021
The Big Ten Conference announced that its members will participate in a conference-only regular season. Week one of the season for Nebraska will serve as a non-conference meet against Big Ten foe Illinois. Weeks 2-7 will serve as the Big Ten regular season, with the Big Ten regular season champion being crowned at the Big Five meet. Weeks eight and nine include non-conference meets against Big Ten opponents. 

ROBY, DAVIS NAMED GYMNASTS TO WATCH
The conference announced that senior Kynsee Roby and freshman Kinsey Davis were selected as Nebraska's Big Ten Women's Gymnasts to Watch for the 2021 season. 

ROSTER OUTLOOK
The Huskers welcome back three seniors for the 2021 season. Makayla Curtis, Anika Dujakovich and Kynsee Roby will serve as veteran leaders for the program. The lone junior on the Huskers' squad is newcomer Kaitlyn Higgins, who started her career at Minnesota and will add depth for NU on beam and floor.

Nebraska's sophomore class consists of Clara Colombo, Kathryn Thaler and Kylie Piringer. Piringer looks to build upon the strong foundation she set during her freshman campaign after being named a second team All-Big Ten selection following the 2020 season. Head coach Heather Brink also welcomes six freshmen, Martina Comin, Kinsey Davis, Joanne De Jesus-Cortes, Chloé Lorange, Danielle Press and Caroline Williams.

HUSKERS INTRODUCE FIVE 2021 SIGNEES
Head Coach Heather Brink announced the signing of five future Husker gymnasts joining the 2021 women's gymnastics signing class. Ayzhia Hall (Fayetteville, AR), Emma Simpton (Dallas, Texas), Halle Rourke (Waverly, Neb.), Savanah Warren (Parker, CO) and Emma Spence (Cambridge, Ontario) will join NU's program for the 2021-22 season. 

CORNHUSKERS REPRESENT ACROSS UNITED STATES AND BEYOND
Nebraska features gymnasts from six states:  Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, New Jersey and Texas. The Huskers also feature three international gymnasts, Clara Colombo and Martina Comin of Italy and Chloé Lorange of Canada.