2015 Huskers Staff & Coaches INtro
The Nebraska women’s gymnastics team capped a stellar
2014 season at the NCAA Championships in Birmingham, Ala.,
finishing sixth place in the team competition and taking away
an overall record of 27-11 on the year. Four Huskers earned
seven All-America honors at the event and all four competed at
the individual event finals. NU recorded its 11th Super Six Finals
and 22nd overall appearance at the NCAA Championships. On
the conference level, Nebraska took home its fourth consecutive
conference crown.
Senior Emily Wong cemented her position as one of the
nation’s top all-around student-athletes and capped one of the
most impressive senior seasons by a Nebraska gymnast. Through
the regular season, Wong captured 32 event titles, remained
undefeated in the all-around and always ranked in the top-15
nationally on every event.
Wong took home three All-America honors at the NCAA
Championships to give her 11 total awards, which tie both
Emily Parsons and Heather Brink for the most in school history.
In semifinal competition, Wong put up a 39.525 all-around score
to finish sixth nationally. On floor, she notched a 9.90 to earn an
eighth-place finish in event finals. At the Big Ten Championship
meet, Wong collected two career-high marks on beam (9.95) and
floor (10.00) to claim both event titles. She was awarded Big Ten
Gymnast of the Year following the meet.
Wong continued to stockpile honors both in the gym and the
classroom in 2014, as she was selected as Nebraska’s Female
Student-Athlete of the Year in addition to being a Honda Award
finalist. She became the second Nebraska gymnast presented
with the AAI American Award, an honor given annually to the
nation’s top gymnast on the basis of athleticism, academic
excellence and civic responsibility.
Fellow senior Jamie Schleppenbach returned to the Husker
lineup in 2014, bringing considerable experience and strong
performances. She earned first-team All-America honors at
the NCAA Championships after posting her career-high 9.90 on
beam in the Semifinals. She logged 15 performances on beam
and remained one of the team’s most consistent workers, never
dropping below a 9.75 during the regular season. Schleppenbach
topped her career at the NCAA event finals where she hit a
9.8875 routine to tie for third place. The two-event specialist also
contributed vital performances on floor, claiming a career-high
mark of 9.85 at Penn State. Schleppenbach earned her second
Academic All-Big Ten honor during the season.
Jessie DeZiel enjoyed an outstanding junior campaign for the
Huskers, continuing the dominance and consistency she displayed
This is Nebraska
History
Huskers close 2014 with strong national finish
Review Opponents
2015 Nebraska Women’s Gymnastics
in previous years. The seven-time All-American defended her
status as one of the nation’s best all-around competitors by
capturing 10 event titles, including two in the all-around and
five on vault. She capped her season at the NCAA Championships
putting together a stellar performance to place eighth in the
all-around competition (39.50).
DeZiel was an integral part of the Huskers’ beam lineup at
the NCAA Championships, as she posted a 9.90 to earn first-team
All-America status and help propel the Huskers into the Super
Six Finals. A powerful vaulter, DeZiel took home her second
consecutive Regional vault title with a score of 9.95, while
also placing third in the all-around. She captured NACGC/W
second-team All-America honors on vault for her efforts during
the regular season.
Junior Desire’ 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, 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.
In addition, Stephens was among NU’s most consistent
vaulters, as she posted a 9.80 or better on the event in 12 meets.
She enjoyed one of her finest showings at the NCAA Seattle
Regional, where she posted a career-high 9.90 to tie for fifth
place with Wong. Stephens also took home second place against
Minnesota on Feb. 1 with a 9.875 on the event. She claimed
her career-high score of 9.875 on bars against Northern Illinois
for the season opener. In the classroom, she added Academic
All-Big Ten honors.
Amanda Lauer filled a number of roles for Nebraska in her
junior season, contributing as a two-event specialist and a
dependable leadoff on the most pressure-packed event. Lauer
established herself early in 2014 as a beam specialist and never
gave up her spot in the lineup. She tallied 14 routines on beam
without recording a fall in her leadoff position.
At the 2014 NCAA Championships, Lauer served as the spark
to an impressive beam lineup by putting together a seamless
performance, claiming her career-high 9.85 score. Her efforts
boosted the Huskers to the Super Six Finals the following night.
Lauer came on strong toward the end of the season, moving
into the bars lineup and adding clutch routines. She picked up
her career-high 9.85 mark at the Big Ten Championships. Lauer
was a standout in the classroom, collecting Academic All-Big
Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors.
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Teammate and sister, Jennifer Lauer, kicked off her junior
campaign in stellar form before succumbing to a season ending
injury. Prior to her injury, Lauer claimed five beam titles in five
appearances on the event, highlighted by her performance at
Penn State. She earned Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week
honors after taking her fifth beam crown with a score of 9.925.
She took ho me her second Academic All-Big Ten honor for her
work in the classroom.
Hollie Blanske became an All-American in 2014, earning firstteam accolades on beam at the NCAA Championships. Blanske
proved to be one of the Huskers’ most valuable gymnasts and
continually provided clutch performances in every event.
Blanske did not miss a meet all season in the all-around
delivering her best performance at the Big Ten Championships
where she soared to a 39.60. Her triumph included two careerhigh scores on floor (9.95) and beam (9.90) en route to finishing as
the Big Ten all-around runner-up. Blanske was named to the Big
Ten Championship team beam, floor and the all-around. At the
NCAA Championships, Blanske proved her strength as a powerful
beam worker when she recorded a career-high matching 9.90 at
the team Semifinals and at the Super Six Finals. She took 10th
place on beam with a 9.85 mark at the event finals.
Ariel Martin stepped up as a three-event competitor for
Nebraska in her first season, consistently contributing on vault,
bars and floor. Martin was a key performer on vault, competing
in every meet on the event achieving her career-high score of
9.95 against Arkansas. Martin earned her best performance on
bars against Minnesota, notching a 9.825. As a floor worker, she
showed steady improvement all season long and claimed her
high mark at the NCAA Semifinals (9.85) to push the Huskers to
the Super Six Finals the next day.
Freshman Jennie Laeng provided a surprising spark in
the Husker lineup during the 2014 season. In her collegiate
gymnastics debut against Michigan, Laeng took second place on
bars, hitting a career-high 9.875 and remained in the rotation for
the rest of the season. Laeng showed her prowess on bars early
in the year, as she became one of the Huskers’ most consistent
performers on the event, scoring a 9.80 or better seven times
throughout the season. In addition, Laeng competed in the allaround competition three times earning her best performance
at the Big Ten quad meet with a score of 39.325. Laeng capped
her freshman season at the Super Six Finals where she notched
her career-high 9.90 on beam.
Madison McConkey provided necessary depth to the Huskers’
roster in 2014. The sophomore became a bars specialist and made
her debut on the event against Michigan. McConkey picked up
her career-high mark of 9.70 against Arkansas.
Jordyn Beck and Ashley Lambert were slowed by injuries
in 2014, as the duo only competed in the first five meets of
the season.
Head Coach Dan Kendig wrapped up his 21st season at
Nebraska with a record of 486-186-4 and a career mark of
599-298-5. Kendig’s 486 wins are a program record and place
him fourth all-time across all sports in Nebraska history. He has
guided Nebraska to four consecutive conference titles, giving
him 14 overall. Kendig has also coached 39 Husker gymnasts to
134 awards since 1995.
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