Nebraska, Ohio State to Represent Big Ten at NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships

The Big Ten will send two teams and six gymnasts to the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics
Championships following the conclusion of the NCAA Regional competitions on Saturday
night. Nebraska and Ohio State will head to the national meet after finishing second
at their respective regional sites, while Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Penn
State will send individual all-around competitors to the championships, scheduled
for April 20-22 at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga.



At the Raleigh Regional, Ohio State placed second to advance to the national meet
for the first time since 1990. The Buckeyes totaled 196.225 points to punch their
ticket to the NCAA Championships. In addition, head coach Carey Fagan was named
Central Region Head Coach of the Year. Also at the regional, Penn State’s Sharaya
Musser finished third overall in the all-around with a score of 39.450, but will
head to the NCAA Championships for being one of the top two finishers in the
all-around not on an advancing team. As a team, Penn State finished fourth with a
score of 195.650. Also, Musser was named Northeast Region Gymnast of the Year and
head coach Jeff Thompson was named Northeast Region Head Coach of the Year.



Nebraska finished second in the Salt Lake City Regional to clinch its berth to the
NCAA Championships, the 21st time it will appear at the national meet, posting a
team total of 196.525. Nebraska’s Jessie DeZiel finished as the all-around champion,
posting a score of 39.400. Minnesota finished third in the team standings, but will
send two gymnasts to the national competition after placing as the top finishers in
the all-around not on an advancing team. Dusti Russell finished fifth in the
all-around (39.125) and Kayla Slechta (39.025) was seventh to earn bids to the NCAA
Championships.



At the Auburn Regional, Michigan placed third with a season-high score of 196.325,
but advanced two gymnasts, Katie Zurales and Joanna Sampson, to the NCAA
Championships. Zurales finished fourth in the all-around with a score of 39.375 and
was the highest all-arounder not on a qualifying team. She also tied with Sampson
for the regional championship on the vault (9.925). Also at the regional, Michigan
State finished sixth in the team standings, recording a squad score of 194.050.



At the Champaign Regional, the host Illini finished third in the team standings,
recording a total of 195.725. Pacing Illinois was the regional all-around champion
Alina Weinstein, who finished with the highest all-around score of 39.450 to earn a
berth in the national competition. At the Seattle Regional, Iowa finished fifth in
the team standings, posting a score of 194.600.