The Nebraska swimming and diving team hosted the Illinois Fighting Illini on Senior Day in Lincoln at the Devaney Natatorium. In a close meet, the Illini came away with the dual win over the Huskers, 164 to 136.

The Husker senior class was honored before the meet was kicked off. Gabby Baratta, Madison Coughlen, Autumn Haebig, Abi Knapton, Izzie Murray, Jessica Pentlarge, Mira Rhodes and Grace Tiernon were all congratulated on successful years as members of the team.

Audrey Coffey got the meet started off hot, with a pair of top two finishes in the long distance freestyle races. In the 1000 yard freestyle, Coffey swam to a first place finish time of (10:18.47). Molly Rosenthal swam to a good third place finish (10:37.12) in the race. In the 500 freestyle, Coffey grabbed second place (5:05.03) in what was a solid day for the junior swimmer. Taylor Acheson came in fourth place for the Huskers (5:13.21).

Coffey would also take third place in the 400 IM, finishing with a time of 4:35.35. Madison Coughlen would land in fifth (4:38.33) for the Huskers as well.

In the sprint freestyle races, Autumn Haebig performed well in both the 100 and 200. She finished in second place in both events with good times, timing 52.54 in the 100 and 1:52.58, with both races coming down to the wire.

In the 50 freestyle, Alexa Kucera was the first Husker to finish, taking third place (24.75). A pair of Huskers, Kim Lanaghen and Caitlin Cairns, drew for fifth place (24.96), sharing the points.

Madesyn Ronquillio had a great day in the pool, winning both of the backstroke races. The junior transfer from Boise State won the 100 with a time of 57.09, while freshman Gabby Donahue swam to a third place finish (58.34). Ronquillio also won the 200 with a four second gap between her and second place, finishing 2:02.46. Sarah Barton's good swim gave her third place (2:07.49) in the event.

Freshman Ella Stein had a breakout day for the Huskers as well. The swimmer from Hudson, Wisc. took victories in both breaststroke races for Nebraska. In the 100, Stein swam to a great finish of 1:06.05, while in the 200, won her second race of the day in a close battle, 2:23.88.

In the 200 butterfly, Maggie Berning and Shannon Stott finished in the top three for the Huskers. Berning finished as the runner-up (2:05.92) in the race, while Stott came in third (2:07.21) for the Huskers.

Alexa Kucera and Izzie Murray would both finish in the top four, with Kucera taking second (57.41) in a good swim and Murray finishing in fourth (57.85) in the close race.

On the boards for the Huskers, it was a clean sweep of the top three spots in both the one meter and the three meter in what was really a perfect day in the deep water. Abi Knapton won the one meter with a score of 314.63, while Sara Troyer came in second place (289.28) and Hallie Roman in third (271.57).

In the three meter, Sara Troyer took the top spot for the Huskers with a score of 331.80. Abi Knapton came right behind in second place (315.00) and Hallie Roman took third (272.63) once again for Nebraska.

The relays played a big factor in the close battle. The Huskers opened up the day with a second place finish in the 200 yard medley relay, swam by Autumn Haebig, Ella Stein, Izzie Murray and Alexa Kucera (1:46.66). 

The final event of the day was the 400 yard freestyle relay, where Nebraska took second place (3:31.80) once more. Alexa Kucera, Gabby Donahue, Caitlin Cairns and Autumn Haebig swam the race for the Huskers.

Coach Pablo Morales had good things to say of the Huskers in the meet, especially with the seniors, on their final meet in the Devaney Natatorium.

"It was really a great day overall," Coach Morales said. "Great meet, good atmosphere and racing. Our event staff and supporting staff put together a really great meet, even though it's just the one meet here this year and it was a fitting tribute for our seniors. Talk about legacy when seniors start their careers, because they have four years to leave a lasting imprint on a program and each senior class does something positive with the program in their own way, and this class is no exception. We've got some amazing leaders and great talents in this class. All the great things about our program now, as a team, are due in large part to this senior class. They've certainly been through a lot in terms of the team and working on improving our culture each and every year. They've played a huge part in the positive building process and they are so special in how they've helped this program."

The Fighting Illini improve to 1-1 in duals on the year, while the Huskers drop to 0-2. Next weekend, Nebraska will travel to Minnesota for a triangular with the Golden Gophers and a rematch with the Hawkeyes from Iowa. The meet is set to take place in Minneapolis on Saturday, slotted for a 10 a.m start time.

Huskers Down Nittany Lions in Big Ten Opener

University Park, Pa. -- The Nebraska women's gymnastics team (1-1, 1-0 Big Ten) won their first Big Ten Conference dual of the season against Penn State by a score of 195.250-195.100.

The Huskers overcame a deficit from the first two rotations to pick up their first win of the season. Seniors Kynsee Roby and Makayla Curtis, along with junior Kaitlyn Higgins won shares of the balance beam title with scores of 9.875.

Rotation One
Nebraska opened Saturday's meet on uneven bars. Freshman Kinsey Davis led the Huskers with a score of 9.825. Sophomore Clara Colombo recorded a score of 9.725 while Kathryn Thaler and Chloe Lorange both picked up scores of 9.70. Kylie Piringer finished her routine with a score of 9.65, while Kynsee Roby scored a 9.175 due to a fall that was not counted. 

Penn State started the meet on vault. The Nittany Lions Cassidy Rushlow who recorded a score of 9.875 while Alissa Bosnell picked up a score of 9.85. Penn State led Nebraska by a score of 48.875-48.600 after the first rotation. 

Rotation Two
On vault, a freshman duo of Davis and Lorange set the standard for NU with scores of 9.825. Seniors Anika Dujakovich and Makayla Curtis recorded scores of 9.80 and 9.70 respectively, while Piringer picked up a score of 9.675. Freshman Danielle Press scored a 9.45, which was not counted.

On uneven bars, Rushlow led Penn State once again with a score of 9.925 which won her the event title. Penn State held the lead by a score of 97.875-97.425 heading into the third rotation.

Rotation Three
On floor, the Huskers strung together five solid performances to take the lead against Penn State. Piringer led Nebraska with a score of 9.85, while Dujakovich and Lorange put up scores of 9.825 and 9.80 respectively. Press recorded a score of 9.75 and Curtis finished her routine with a score 9.675. Due to a fall, Kaitlyn Higgins recorded a score of 9.10, which was not counted.

Penn State struggled in the third rotation, as three Nittany Lions either fell or stumbled on balance beam. Rushlow once again led the way for PSU with a 9.825. Nebraska entered the final rotation with a 146.325-145.875.
 
Rotation Four
The Huskers ended their afternoon on balance beam. Curtis, Higgins and Roby recorded scores of 9.875 which gave all three a share of the beam title. Davis picked up a score of 9.675 while Lorange ended her all-around day with a 9.625 on beam and a 38.950 in the all-around. Thaler scored a 9.30 which was not counted.

Penn State ended its meet on floor, where Melissa Astarita took the event title with a score of 9.925.

The Huskers picked up their first win of the season, defeating Penn State by a score of 195.250-195.100. 

Nebraska heads to East Lansing, Mich. for another Big Ten matchup with Michigan State. The meet will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30.

 

Gymnast	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	All-Around
Clara Colombo		9.725
Makayla Curtis	9.700		9.875	9.675
Kinsey Davis	9.825	9.825	9.675
Anika Dujakovich	9.800			9.825
Kaitlyn Higgins			9.875	9.150
Chloe Lorange	9.825	9.700	9.625	9.800	38.950
Kylie Piringer	9.675	9.650		9.850
Danielle Press	9.450			9.750
Kynsee Roby		9.175	9.875
Kathryn Thaler		9.700	9.350

 

Team	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	Total
Nebraska	48.825	48.600	48.925	48.900	195.250
Penn State	48.875	48.975	48.025	49.225	195.100

Huskers In Second After Day Two At Columbia 300 Saints Invite

St. Louis – Sophomore Crystal Elliott placed third at Columbia 300 Saints Invite on Saturday.
 
Elliot, who is making her Husker debut, finished third in the individual standings while the team fell one spot to second place behind No. 1 McKendree after Saturday's traditional formal games. 
 
Behind Elliott was Kendyl Hofmeister (11^th, 978), Leah Glazer (15^th, 949), Cassidy Ray (16^th, 946) and Michelle Guarro (27^th, 884). 
 
Nebraska defeated Quincy, 947-786, in the first match of the day. Elliott led the team by knocking down 247 pins followed by Glazer (185), Guarro (184), Hofmeister (182) and Ray (149). 
 
The Huskers proceeded to walk away with a 965-848 win over Tusculum. Ray rebounded to have the most pins with 209. Glazer (201) and Hofmeister (200) also bowled above 200 with Elliott (190) and Guarro (165) rounding out the team. 
 
NU once again found themselves victorious as they defeated No. 10 Youngstown State 1,082-878. Three Huskers claimed 200+ pinfall games, as Ray once again led the team with 257 pins with Elliott (244) and Guarro (213) also finding success. Hofmeister bowled 190 while Glazer finished with a 178. 
 
The Huskers found themselves against Lincoln Memorial, where they claimed a 1,025-906 win. This game marked the third time NU had a 1,000+ pinfall game on Saturday. Hofmeister (239), Glazer (224) and Elliott (221) once again found their path to a 200+ pin game. Guarro (179) and Ray (162) rounded out the Huskers. 
 
The Huskers finished their day with a 795-914 loss to Drury. Ray (169) and Hofmeister (167) led the Huskers followed by Glazer (161), Elliott (155) and Guarro (143). 
 
Nebraska will return to the lanes Sunday morning against Kentucky Wesleyan before bracket play on Sunday.
 
Columbia 300 Saints Invite Day Two Standings 
 

1. McKendree (9,790) 
2. Nebraska (9,510) 
3. Maryville (9,188) 
4. Youngstown State (9,171) 
5. Lincoln Memorial (9,021) 
6. Lewis (8,986) 
7. Kentucky Wesleyan (8,787) 
8.  Drury (8,734) 
9. Upper Iowa (8,457) 
10. Tusculum (8,392) 
11. Quincy (8,296) 

Sunday Meet Canceled Against Michigan

The Nebraska men's gymnastics meet against Michigan scheduled for Sunday at 12:30 p.m. has been canceled due to Michigan's pause of all athletic activities which was announced Saturday night. The institutions will work with the Big Ten Conference to possibly reschedule at a later date. 

Nebraska's next scheduled competition is Sunday, Feb. 7 at Penn State.