with top-ranked Utah. Nebraska won the tiebreaker, which was
the score of the sixth gymnast in each event, 234.725-234.350, to
make its first appearance in the Super Six Finals in program history.
The Huskers finished sixth, as Bartlett, Brink, Oxford and DeHaan
captured 10 All-America awards.
In 1998, NU posted a 14-4 regular-season mark and won its
fifth straight league title to mark the first time in Big 12 history
a women's gymnastics team had won five titles in a row. Nebraska
also paced the Big 12 in the classroom, as eight gymnasts earned
academic All-Big 12 honors, including seven first-team honorees.
Courtney Brown, Laura Ohlendorf and Oxford were named NACGC
Scholastic All-Americans.
In 1999, Nebraska enjoyed one of the most successful seasons
in program history, going 26-10, winning the Big 12 title and
qualifying for the NCAA Championships. NU returned to the Super
Six for the first time since 1997, finishing sixth, as Brink, Oxford
and Brown earned eight All-America honors. In addition, four
gymnasts captured Scholastic All-America honors, while all 10
student athletes who were eligible for academic all-conference
honors earned first-team or honorable-mention accolades.
The 2000 season was a special one for Kendig and the Huskers,
as Nebraska celebrated its program's silver anniversary season
with a 36-9 record, the first regional title since 1983 and a fourthplace finish at the NCAA Championships, equaling the best finish
in school history. NU was ranked as high as third nationally, and set
numerous team and individual school records. Individually, Heather
Brink won the NCAA all-around and vault titles and became the
first Husker gymnast to win the Honda Award, emblematic of the
nation's top gymnast.
The Huskers reached new heights in 2001, smashing the school
total team score record by more than three quarters of a point with
a 197.75. NU topped the previous record team score seven times
that year, highlighted by a commanding performance at the Big
12 Championships, where Nebraska set school records on bars
(49.725) and team away scores (197.65).
In 2002, the Huskers finished with a 23-8 record, a fifth Big 12
title, a third consecutive regional title and a fifth-place finish at the
NCAA Championships. NU's 2002 team excelled in the classroom as
well, earning a team GPA of 3.4015.
Kendig's 2003 squad, arguably the strongest team Nebraska
has ever produced, finished with a 27-4 overall record, a sixth Big
12 title, a fourth consecutive regional title and a fourth-place finish
at the NCAA Championships at the Devaney Center. The Huskers set
school team records on vault, floor and total scores with a stellar
198.30 against Iowa State. Simpson captured the NCAA all-around
and floor titles to lead a group of seven gymnasts who earned a
total of 16 All-America honors, the most awards Nebraska has
received in a single year.
THE NEXT CHAPTER OF SUCCESS
Kendig entered his second decade as the Husker head coach in
2004, and NU compiled a 15-9-1 record and a second-place finish
at the NCAA Southeast Regional in Lincoln. NU traveled to its sixth
consecutive NCAA Championships, where NU finished in 10th
place. Four gymnasts earned first- and second-team All-America
awards at the NCAA Championships - Libby Landgraf (V, UB), Jamie
Saas (BB), Kristi Esposito (AA, BB) and Michele Zabawa (V). Gina
Bruce earned NU's only perfect 10.0 score on the vault versus
Missouri on Jan. 31.
In 2005, NU followed up with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA
Championships, working through adversity with the loss of an
injured Simpson in the postseason. Four gymnasts grabbed seven
All-America awards, as Parsons came away with first-team honors
on floor and second-team accolades in the all-around, beam and
vault. Esposito was a first-team honoree on beam, while Zabawa
and Desire' Sniatynski earned second-team recognition on bars.
Simpson, a nine-time All-American, was honored as the AAI
American Award winner, making her the first Nebraska gymnast
to accomplish such a feat. Simpson was also named Nebraska's
Female Student-Athlete of the Year, earned a prestigious NCAA
Postgraduate Scholarship and was honored with the NCAA Top Ten
Award.
The 2006 season saw the Huskers go 26-11-1 in a fifthplace NCAA Championships finish. On the first day of national
championship competition, NU finished first in its preliminary
session for the program's best opening performance since 2003.
Seven Huskers took home 10 All-America awards to close the year, Championships where the team notched an eighth-place finish.
with Parsons leading the way with first-team honors on vault, floor Three Huskers garnered a total of eight All-America honors, and
and the all-around. Tricia Woo was a first-team honoree on f