2008 Woodie Awards
NU gymnasts triumph over Denver
Jordan Demmel
Issue date: 2/25/08 Section: Sports
|
Nebraska junior Tricia Woo shined on the beam and floor earning scores of 9.90 on both events. Woo also scored a 9.850 on the vault, the second-highest vault score of the night.
Nebraska senior Desire' Sniatynski finished second in the all-around, less than a tenth of a point behind Denver's Jessica Lopez.
"We had a great night," said Nebraska Coach Dan Kendig. "There's no quitting in this group."
Woo started the night on vault and nailed her landing, earning second place on the event. Nebraska senior Emily Parsons won the individual vault title with a season-high 9.975 and a cheer from the crowd that didn't seem to stop.
Kendig said the Huskers love home meets because they can compete on vault first.
He said the team had five really good vaults on Saturday.
Sniatynski finished fourth with a 9.825 and the Huskers completed the first rotation with a 49.10, less than five-tenths of a point ahead of Denver's first rotation score of 48.65.
Woo said the team worked on landing drills with assistant Coach Tim Garrison the last two weeks. She said the drills got repetitive, but the practice was worth it and showed in the team's performance.
Only five Nebraska gymnasts competed on bars Saturday. Nebraska junior Vanessa Meloche, who entered the lineup against Missouri, is out for the season. But the Huskers could add another gymnast to the bars lineup in two weeks.
Woo warmed up on bars just to get the feel of the event in a competitive atmosphere, Kendig said. Woo could compete on bars when the Huskers head to Palo Alto, Calif., on March 7.
Sniatynski won the event with a career-high tying score 9.90 and Nebraska sophomore Maria Scaffidi came in second with her own career high 9.875 mark. The Huskers were forced to count one fall from freshman Brittnee Habbib and fell behind the Pioneers after the second rotation.
On beam, the Huskers had a few uncharacteristic bobbles and balance checks, but Woo stuck another landing and Sniatynski was on the money, Kendig said.
Woo and Denver's Lopez tied for first with 9.90s. Sniatynski and Habbib tied for third with scores of 9.85 and NU sophomore Kathryn Howard finished fifth with a 9.825.
Woo said it was exciting to be able to contribute to the team score by adding high individual scores and individual wins on two events, but she said she feels like she can always do better.
NU sophomore Sabrina Long competed in exhibition for the Huskers on beam, but an exhibition score doesn't count towards the final team score.
Kendig said Long is getting more confident in every exhibition performance while preparing for the rest of the season.
Nebraska freshman Erin Davis was the story of the night on floor for the Huskers, Kendig said.
In her collegiate debut on floor after training the event for only two weeks, Davis scored a 9.80.
"I was nervous, but excited to get back to the floor," Davis said. "It's more exciting to contribute to the team in more than one event."
Parsons won the individual floor title by tying her career-high score, 9.975, and Kendig said it was one of the best performances he has seen from Parsons.
Woo finished third on floor with a 9.90 and Sniatynski finished fourth with a 9.850.
"We were in a battle," Kendig said. "Denver gave us everything we could handle and we gave it our all."
JORDANDEMMEL@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
Be the first to comment on this story