NU Heads to Minneapolis for Matchup with Minnesota

Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-10, 1-8 Big Ten) vs. No. 5 Minnesota (8-2, 6-2 Big Ten)
Friday, March 5, 2:00 p.m. CT -- Minneapolis, Minn. (Maturi Pavilion)
Live Scores: http://sidearmstats.com/minnesota/wgym/
Stream: BTN+ (Paid Subscription)

Lincoln, Neb. -- The Nebraska women's gymnastics team heads to Minneapolis, Minn. for a non conference duel against the No. 5 Minnesota Gophers. The Huskers look to climb the national rankings with a strong team score.

NU last took the floor at the Big Five meet on Feb. 26 in College Park, Md. The Huskers battled hard and finished with a team score of 195.200. Nebraska faced off with four Big Ten opponents and finished fifth at the event. Freshman Kinsey Davis finished second on uneven bars, while junior Kaitlyn Higgins finished second on balance beam out of fields of 30 gymnasts.

Davis recorded a career-high on uneven bars last week with a score of 9.95. Her score is tied for the seventh in NU's history and is also the second highest score on the apparatus by a Husker freshman. Higgins also surpassed a career-high on balance beam with a score of 9.90.

Nebraska will face off with the Gophers, who enter Friday's meet at the No. 5 ranked team in the nation. Minnesota gymnast Lexy Ramler ranks No. 2 in the country on three events, vault, bars and beam and ranks No. 17 on floor and No. 2 in the all-around. Ramler will look to lead the Gophers to their ninth victory of the season.

For her efforts at the Big Five meet, Davis was named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week. Her honor is NU's first conference weekly award of the season and the program's first freshman of the week since Feb. 5, 2019. This is also Davis' first Big Ten weekly award.

With the Big Ten regular season behind them, the Huskers look to build momentum heading into the Big Ten Championships later this month. NU also looks to improve their national ranking, as they sit as the No. 35 team in the country as of March 1.

Nebraska takes on No. 5 Minnesota at the Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn. on Friday, March 5 at 2 p.m. CT. The meet will be streamed on BTN+.

Following Friday's meet, the Huskers return home for a non conference duel with Iowa on Sunday, March 14. The event will serve as NU's senior night and takes place at 4 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

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

Notes:

SCOUTING MINNESOTA
Minnesota comes into Friday's meet as the No. 5 ranked program in the nation. The Gophers come off a first place finish at the Big Five meet on Feb. 26, defeating Illinois, Ohio State, Maryland and Nebraska to improve their record to 8-2. Minnesota is led by standout gymnast, Lexy Ramler, who ranks No. 2 in the country on three events and in the all-around. 

NEBRASKA ENTERS WEEK EIGHT RANKED NO. 35
The Huskers enter Friday's meet as the No. 35 team in the country, as ranked by the Road to Nationals poll. NU ranks No. 26 on bars, No. 31 on beam, No. 33 on vault and No. 38 on floor. Nebraska looks to climb the rankings with a strong performance against the Gophers.

DAVIS EARNS BIG TEN CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONORS
The Big Ten Conference announced on Monday, March 1 that freshman Kinsey Davis was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Davis earns the honor following a stellar performance on uneven bars at the Big Five meet on Feb. 26.

Davis set a career-high on uneven bars at the Big Five meet on Feb. 26 with an impressive score of 9.95. This score is NU's highest on uneven bars this season, and is tied for the program's highest score on any event in 2021. Davis' score is also tied for the sixth-highest in the nation this season. 

ROBY RANKED NO. 27 ON BALANCE BEAM
Senior Kynsee Roby, who has served as NU's cornerstone on balance beam, ranks No. 27 in the country 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 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, after 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.

The most impressive freshman performance for NU came on Feb. 26 at the Big Five meet. Davis picked up a score of 9.95 on uneven bars at the event, becoming the first Husker gymnast to record a score of 9.95 or higher on the event since Sienna Crouse on March 16, 2019. For her efforts, Davis was named the Big Ten Conference's Co-Freshman of the Week on March 1.

UP NEXT
Following Friday's meet, the Huskers return home for a non conference duel with Iowa on Sunday, March 14. The event will serve as NU's senior night and takes place at 4 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

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.