Nebraska Cornhuskers women's gymnastics explained

Nebraska Cornhuskers women's gymnastics
University:University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Conference:Big Ten
Athletic Director:Troy Dannen
Location:Lincoln, Nebraska
Coach:Heather Brink
Tenure:7th
Arena:Bob Devaney Sports Center
Capacity:7,907
Nickname:Cornhuskers
Supersix:1989, 1990, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2018
Ncaa Regionals:1982, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
Ncaa Tourneys:1982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024
Conference Champion:Big Eight

1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996----Big 12

1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011----Big Ten

2012, 2013, 2014, 2017

The Nebraska Cornhuskers women's gymnastics team represents the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the Big Ten Conference. Since being established in 1975, the program has won twenty-three conference championships and qualified for the NCAA women's gymnastics tournament twenty-seven times. The Cornhuskers have had five individual national champions and 163 total All-Americans.

The team has been coached by former all-around national champion Heather Brink since 2019.

History

The team was established in 1975, initially without a head coach. After the program's first season, Nebraska hired Karen Balke to lead a team of entirely freshmen and sophomores. Judy Schalk took over in 1977, leading the Huskers to five conference titles and an AIAW bid in six seasons as head coach. In 1983, Rick Walton was hired as head coach, and under his guidance the program won its first NCAA individual event title, when Michele Bryant came in first place on the vault in 1990. From 1987 to 1990, Walton captured four straight Big Eight titles, taking the Huskers to the NCAA Championships each year, including a program-best fourth-place national finish in 1989.

After the 1993 season, Walton left the program and the Cornhuskers hired Dan Kendig. In his first year, he led NU to a conference championship and was named Big Eight Coach of the Year. In 1997, the Huskers reached the Super Six Finals for the first time under the new NCAA Championship format, beating No. 1 Utah to claim the final spot. Kendig was named national coach of the year in 1999 after winning a sixth consecutive conference title. Before leaving for the Big Ten in 2011, the Huskers claimed more Big 12 gymnastics titles than any other program.[1]

Kendig retired in 2019 amid NCAA compliance issues and assistant Heather Brink was named head coach.

Coaches

Coaching history

1Karen Balke 1976 9–12
2Judy Schalk 1977–83 135–70–2 Conference champion
3Rick Walton 1984–93 136–65 Super Six
Conference champion
4Dan Kendig 1994–2018 438–101–2 Super Six
Conference champion
Conference tournament champion
5Heather Brink 2019– 49–54

Coaching staff

Heather Brink Head coach 2019 Nebraska
Brian Amato Assistant coach 2020 Portland State

Awards

All-Americans

Nebraska has had thirty-three athletes earn fifty-nine first-team All-American selections and 165 total All-American awards.

  • Patty Carmichael-Gerard – 1979
  • Renee Reisdorff – 1979
  • Tami Bair – 1989
  • Michele Bryant – 1989, 1990
  • Crystal Savage – 1989
  • Shelly Bartlett – 1997
  • Heather Brink – 1997, 1999, 2000
  • Misty Oxford – 1997
  • A.J. Lamb – 2000, 2002, 2003
  • Gina Bruce – 2001, 2003
  • Tami Harris – 2001
  • Alecia Ingram – 2001
  • Julie Houk – 2002, 2003
  • Jess Wertz – 2002
  • Richelle Simpson – 2003
  • Kristi Esposito – 2004, 2005
  • Libby Landgraf – 2004
  • Emily Parsons – 2005–08
  • Vanessa Meloche – 2006
  • Tricia Woo – 2006, 2007
  • Desire Sniatynski – 2008
  • Lora Evenstad – 2010, 2011
  • Brittany Skinner – 2010
  • Erin Davis – 2011
  • Janelle Giblin – 2011, 2012
  • Maria Scaffidi – 2011
  • Jamie Schleppenbach – 2011, 2014
  • Emily Wong – 2011–14
  • Jessie DeZiel – 2012, 2014, 2015
  • Hollie Blanske – 2014–16
  • Sienna Crouse – 2017, 2018
  • Taylor Houchin – 2018, 2020

Individual NCAA Champions

Season-by-season results

Regular season championTournament champion
1976 Karen Balke11–21 5th 10th
1977Judy Schalk18–7 2nd 4th
197828–10 1st 3rd
197929–21–3 1st 2nd AIAW T–11th
198032–23 1st 2nd AIAW 16th
198113–22 3rd 4th
198227–14 1st 2nd NCAA 8th
198324–25 1st 1st NCAA 10th
1984Rick Walton19–10 2nd
198514–10 2nd 5th
198614–14 3rd 6th
198718–20 1st 4th NCAA 10th
198818–19 1st 3rd NCAA 10th
198926–7 1st 2nd NCAA 4th
199030–6 1st 2nd NCAA 5th
199110–11 2nd 6th
199212–11 2nd 5th
199312–13 2nd 7th
1994Dan Kendig17–8 1st 4th
199525–9 1st 2nd NCAA 11th
199625–8 1st 3rd NCAA 10th
1997Dan Kendig28–11–1 1st 3rd NCAA 6th
199816–8 1st 5th
199926–10 1st 2nd NCAA 6th
200036–9 2nd 1st 4th
200126–7–1 1st 1st NCAA T–5th
200223–8 1st 1st NCAA 5th
200332–4 1st 1st NCAA 4th
200415–9–1 4th 2nd NCAA 10th
200521–13 1st 2nd NCAA 6th
200626–11–1 2nd 2nd NCAA 5th
200726–12 1st 2nd NCAA 6th
200813–9 4th 3rd
200916–7 2nd 3rd
201023–8 2nd 2nd NCAA 7th
201122–12 1st 2nd NCAA 4th
2012Dan Kendig 24–7 1st 2nd NCAA 8th
201319–5 1st 3rd
201427–11 2nd 2nd NCAA 6th
201528–9 3rd 2nd NCAA 8th
201628–9 2nd 2nd NCAA 8th
201729–10 4th 2nd NCAA 7th
201828–15 2nd 2nd NCAA 6th
2019Heather Brink12–5 4th 4th NCAA Super Regional
20208–4 Canceled
20211–20 9th
20226–10 6th
202312–13 6th 4th NCAA Regional
202415–13 7th 3rd NCAA Regional

Olympians

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nebraska Women's Gymnastics History. 3 September 2015.