Four Huskers Named to All-Big Ten Teams

Emma Spence, Sophia McClelland, Whitney Jencks and Emma Simpton were given All-Big Ten honors, the conference announced on Monday.

Spence and McClelland were named members of the All-Big Ten First Team, while Jencks and Simpton were named to the All-Big Ten Second Team. Additionally, Halle Rourke was the Huskers’ sportsmanship honoree.

Spence and McClelland both notched their third honors of their career. Spence earned First-Team All-Conference honors in 2023 and 2024 while McClelland garnered Second-Team All-Conference honors in the same years. This is a first-time award for both Jencks and Simpton.

So far this season, Spence, a Canada native, has posted season highs of 9.900 or above in every event. She was named a Big Ten Gymnast of the Week on January 28 for her standout performance against Maryland, where she grabbed three event titles. The senior has earned 11 event titles this season – three on vault, four on bars, one on beam and three in the all-around.

McClelland, a senior from Camarillo, Calif., has been a staple in the Huskers’ lineup this season, competing in every meet and claiming seven event titles along the way – one on beam, five on floor and one in the all-around. She’s earned career highs of 9.950 on beam and 9.925 on floor.

Simpton has been consistent on bars and beam for NU, tying her career highs on beam with a 9.925 and bars with a 9.900. The senior from Dallas, Texas, has grabbed one event title on bars and two on beam this season and has competed in the event in every meet this season for the Big Red. 

Jencks has competed in every meet this season for Nebraska, setting four new career highs. The sophomore from Madison, S.D., has grabbed two all-around event titles and four titles on bars this season. This season, she has set career highs of 9.800 on vault, 9.900 on bars, 9.900 on floor and a 39.400 on all-around.

NU will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., to compete in the Big Ten Championships this Saturday, March 22. The Huskers are one of four teams in Session I of the championships, which will start at 5 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on the Big Ten Network.