The 2015 Huskers
Intro
Staff & Coache s
Desire’ Stephens will look to be a big-time
contributor in all four events for the Huskers
this season. Known as the team’s spark plug,
Stephens expects to finish her career at Nebraska
on a high note.
2014 • junior season
Before Nebraska
•Academic All-Big Ten (2013, 2014)
•Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership
Award (2012, 2013)
•Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Fall Honor Roll (2011,
2012, 2013)
•Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Spring Honor Roll
(2014)
•Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2014)
•All-Around, Vault State Champion (2011)
•Region IV Champion (2011: FX)
Stephens competed for Nebraska Gold
Gymnastics in Omaha, under the coaching of Barb
Bottieri, Andi Molina and Don Houlton. She was the
2011 all-around and vault state champion and took
second in bars, beam and floor. Stephens finished
fifth in the all-around at the 2011 Region IV meet,
while tying for first on floor and second on vault.
Stephens took third on vault at Regionals in 2009,
while also placing 10th on bars, third on beam
and seventh on floor and all-around. In addition,
Stephens competed on all events in the 2009 JO
National Championships.
Stephens was born on May 1, 1993, in Phoenix,
Ariz. Stephens is the daughter of Cory and Jeri
Wiedel, and has one sister, Jayden, and one brother,
Jagger. Stephens is majoring in advertising and
public relations at Nebraska.
2013 • sophomore season
After battling a nagging injury from her freshman
campaign, Stephens broke into the Husker lineup
for Nebraska’s first meet of the season and never
relinquished her spot. A two-event specialist
on vault and floor for the Huskers, Stephens
contributed powerful performances throughout the
season to boost Nebraska’s efforts. She hit careerhigh marks of 9.85 on both floor and vault late in the
season, including two scores of 9.85 on vault at the
Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Morgantown
Regional. Her work on vault contributed to NU’s
efforts as they posted the nation’s three highest
scores of the season in March and April.
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career highs
VAULT:
9.90 (at NCAA Seattle Regional, 4/5/14)
BARS:
9.875 (vs. Northern Illinois, 1/12/14)
BEAM:
9.175 (vs. Michigan, 2/14/14)
FLOOR:
9.85 (2 times, last vs. Minnesota, 2/1/14)
ALL-AROUND:
38.45 (vs. Michigan, 2/14/14)
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T h is is Nebraska
Personal
•Junior Olympic National Qualifier
His tory
honors and awards
Stephens saw limited action during her freshman
season with the Huskers, primarily contributing
depth on vault. She posted a 9.825 on vault in her
Nebraska debut at Minnesota on Feb. 18, helping
the Huskers to a team score of 196.85 and a win
over the Golden Gophers.
s R eview
Stephens was a major contributor to Nebraska’s
success in 2014, competing on vault, bars and
floor exercise in nearly every meet. The Omaha,
Neb., native, who completed some of the Huskers’
strongest tumbling routines, tied her season best on
floor exercise (9.825) four times over the course of the
year, including postseason competition at the NCAA
Semifinal and Super Six Finals in Birmingham, Ala.
In addition, Stephens was among NU’s most
consistent vaulters, 26