Huskers Travel to Minneapolis for Big Ten Championships

Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-12, 1-8 Big Ten) at Big Ten Championships

Saturday, March 20, 12:00 p.m. CT — Minneapolis, Minn. (Maturi Pavilion)

Live Scores: Huskers.com

TV: BTN

Lincoln, Neb. — The Nebraska women’s gymnastics team heads to Minneapolis, Minn. to take part in the Big Ten Championships. NU will participate in the afternoon session, which begins at noon, alongside Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers.

The Huskers last took the floor on March 14 against the Iowa Hawkeyes. NU posted its second best team score of the season, 196.100. Senior Makayla Curtis recorded two career-highs, a 9.95 on balance beam and a 9.90 on floor exercise. Senior Anika Dujakovich won a share of the vault title with a score of 9.90. Junior Kynsee Roby was also impressive with a 9.925 on balance beam.

The Big Ten Championships will feature nine teams, five in the afternoon session and four in the evening session. Nebraska has finished in the top four at the conference championships every year since joining the Big Ten in 2012, and last won the title in 2013.

Nebraska has seen significant improvement throughout the 2021 season, which is reflected in the program’s team scores. The Huskers have not dropped below a 195 team score since Feb. 7, and recorded their highest score of the season on March 5 against Minnesota. NU looks to ride that momentum into this weekend’s event.

The conference announced on Wednesday that junior Kynsee Roby earned First Team All-Big Ten honors and senior Anika Dujakovich earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors. NU will look to its All-conference selections for big scores in Minneapolis. 

NU looks to build momentum heading into NCAA Regionals with a strong performance at the conference championships. Nebraska also looks to improve their national ranking, as they sit as the No. 36 team in the country as of March 15.

Nebraska takes part in the afternoon session of the Big Ten Championships on Saturday, March 20. The meet will be broadcast on BTN.

Fans can follow the Huskers on Twitter at @HuskersWGym, Instagram at @HuskersWGymnastics and Facebook at facebook.com/NebraskaWGym.

Notes:

NEBRASKA ENTERS WEEK TEN RANKED NO. 36

The Huskers enter Friday’s meet as the No. 36 team in the country, as ranked by the Road to Nationals poll. NU ranks No. 26 on beam, No. 27 on vault, No. 34 on bars and No. 41 on floor. Nebraska looks to climb the rankings with a strong performance in Minneapolis.

ROBY RANKED NO. 20 ON BALANCE BEAM

Senior Kynsee Roby, who has served as NU’s cornerstone on balance beam, ranks No. 20 in the country on the apparatus. Roby won at least a share of the event title in three of Nebraska’s first six meets, which included a score of 9.95 against Rutgers. She has won five total event titles throughout the 2021 season.

ROBY, DUJAKOVICH EARN ALL-BIG TEN STATUS

The Big Ten Conference announced on Wednesday, March 17, that junior Kynsee Roby was named a First Team All-Big Ten selection, while senior Anika Dujakovich was announced as a Second Team All-Big Ten selection. Dujakovich was also honored with the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

Roby collects her first All-Big Ten selection after her most consistent season as a Husker. She finished the regular season No. 5 in the conference and No. 20 on balance beam with a national qualifying score (NQS) of 9.919 and a season high of 9.95. Dujakovich also picks up her first All-Big Ten honor following a strong senior campaign. She broke or tied career-highs on vault and floor exercise, and consistently provided the Huskers with impressive scores.

SIX GYMNASTS EARN ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN STATUS

Six Husker gymnasts have earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, as announced by the conference on Wednesday, March 17. The list features seniors Anika Dujakovich and Megan Verceles Carr, junior Kynsee Roby and sophomores Clara Colombo, Kylie Piringer and Kathryn Thaler. Dujakovich and Roby earn their third Academic All-Big Ten honors, while Verceles Carr picks up her second.

YOUTH SHINES FOR NU THROUGHOUT SEASON

Nebraska’s freshmen have provided crucial depth for the program throughout the 2021 season. All five first-year athletes have seen action this year, after Joanne De Jesus-Cortes and Martina Comin making their debuts on Feb. 15 against Michigan. Kinsey Davis picked up her first career event title against Rutgers on Feb. 7, while Chloe Lorange has served as NU’s lone all-around competitor numerous times this season. Danielle Press set a season-high on Feb. 15 on vault, with a score of 9.875 and a season-high on floor of 9.875 on March 5.

The most impressive freshman performance for NU came on Feb. 26 at the Big Five meet. Davis picked up a score of 9.95 on uneven bars at the event, becoming the first Husker gymnast to record a score of 9.95 or higher on the event since Sienna Crouse on March 16, 2019. For her efforts, Davis was named the Big Ten Conference’s Co-Freshman of the Week on March 1.

NU HONORED DUJAKOVICH ON SENIOR NIGHT

Nebraska honored Anika Dujakovich last Sunday on Senior Night against Iowa. Dujakovich is nearing the end of a stellar four-year career. She is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, a 2020 WCGA Academic All-American and has recorded strong scores in the gym. 

DAVIS EARNS BIG TEN CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONORS (March 1)

The Big Ten Conference announced on Monday, March 1 that freshman Kinsey Davis was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Davis earns the honor following a stellar performance on uneven bars at the Big Five meet on Feb. 26.

Davis set a career-high on uneven bars at the Big Five meet on Feb. 26 with an impressive score of 9.95. This score is NU’s highest on uneven bars this season, and is tied for the program’s highest score on any event in 2021. Davis’ score is also tied for the sixth-highest in the nation this season.

NU RANKED THIRD IN BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL

The Huskers enter the 2021 season as the No. 3 ranked team in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Michigan and Minnesota claimed the top two spots in the poll, while Iowa and Illinois round out the top five. 

BIG TEN SCHEDULE IN 2021

The Big Ten Conference announced that its members will participate in a conference-only regular season. Week one of the season for Nebraska will serve as a non-conference meet against Big Ten foe Illinois. Weeks 2-7 will serve as the Big Ten regular season, with the Big Ten regular season champion being crowned at the Big Five meet. Weeks eight and nine include non-conference meets against Big Ten opponents. 

ROBY, DAVIS NAMED GYMNASTS TO WATCH

The conference announced that senior Kynsee Roby and freshman Kinsey Davis were selected as Nebraska’s Big Ten Women’s Gymnasts to Watch for the 2021 season. 

ROSTER OUTLOOK

The Huskers welcome back three seniors for the 2021 season. Makayla Curtis, Anika Dujakovich and Kynsee Roby will serve as veteran leaders for the program. The lone junior on the Huskers’ squad is newcomer Kaitlyn Higgins, who started her career at Minnesota and will add depth for NU on beam and floor.

Nebraska’s sophomore class consists of Clara Colombo, Kathryn Thaler and Kylie Piringer. Piringer looks to build upon the strong foundation she set during her freshman campaign after being named a second team All-Big Ten selection following the 2020 season. Head coach Heather Brink also welcomes six freshmen, Martina Comin, Kinsey Davis, Joanne De Jesus-Cortes, Chloé Lorange, Danielle Press and Caroline Williams.

HUSKERS INTRODUCE FIVE 2021 SIGNEES

Head Coach Heather Brink announced the signing of five future Husker gymnasts joining the 2021 women’s gymnastics signing class. Ayzhia Hall (Fayetteville, AR), Emma Simpton (Dallas, Texas), Halle Rourke (Waverly, Neb.), Savanah Warren (Parker, CO) and Emma Spence (Cambridge, Ontario) will join NU’s program for the 2021-22 season. 

CORNHUSKERS REPRESENT ACROSS UNITED STATES AND BEYOND

Nebraska features gymnasts from six states:  Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, New Jersey and Texas. The Huskers also feature three international gymnasts, Clara Colombo and Martina Comin of Italy and Chloé Lorange of Canada.