Saturday, January 20
Lincoln, Neb.
8 PM
Rutgers University
at
Nebraska
Photo by: Justin Tafoya
Gymnastics Travels to No. 12 Nebraska
Jan 17 | Women's Gymnastics
Scarlet Knights set for first road meet of the season
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers gymnastics will hit the road for the first time this season with an away meet against No. 12 Nebraska Saturday inside the Devaney Sports Center. Big Ten action from Lincoln is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET, as it is a double-dual also involving the Nebraska men's gymnastics program against Ohio State at the same time. Live results for the meet will be available and an online stream will broadcast via subscription.
RUTGERS MEET PREVIEW
The Scarlet Knights started the year with a 191.525 team score to place third in a quad meet last Saturday at the Livingston Gym. The squad performed best in the last two rotations with a 48.325 on balance beam and a 48.000 on floor exercise. Ten different gymnasts saw action overall, with four making their collegiate debut.
Senior Libby Groden highlighted the opener with a 38.875 all-around mark to take first place, including a 9.800 on both uneven bars and balance beam. The three-time NCAA Regional qualifier leads the team with 40 meets of experience and 34 times competing on all four events.
Freshman Belle Huang also earned a spot in all four lineups to total a 38.625 in her first meet. The rookie scored best on balance beam at 9.850 to follow senior Makenzey Shank, who tied for the highest mark in any event in the meet with a 9.875 beam routine. In addition, junior Jenna Rizkalla picked up a 9.725 for the team's best grade on floor exercise.
The weekend will signal Rutgers' third trip to Nebraska since joining the Big Ten. The last time was the 2016 Big Ten Championships, where the Scarlet Knights collected a 194.775. The team hit all 24 routines, as Riahanah Ali garnered All-Championship status after tying for first place in the opening session with a 9.875 on floor exercise.
COACH LEVINE Q&A
On learning from the first meet: "The next steps are to continue to add in some difficulty to routines and to add in some people who weren't in lineup this past week. We want to be consistent and avoid falls. We had some really great routines and some that had some big mistakes that we need to care of. It is a learning situation in the first meet. We wanted to see how the freshmen and newcomers competed for the first time. And we had a chance to see some of the new skills that we're doing. There was a lot to learn and we took a lot away from the first meet. There were some really excellent, clean, artistic and aesthetically pleasing routines. But for some, there's a skill we need to clean up or we have to add something in. We'll continue to work on that as the season goes on."
On getting into the flow of the season: "There's now the routine of three or four practices before competitions, so you get into the schedule. This is now the first week of school as well. This is the time of the year that you train the rest of the year for, these next three or four months. I think everyone is excited and looking forward to building momentum. We know we can be really good. It is a matter of going out there and proving it."
On preparing for a road meet: "You don't prepare any differently. It is still the same four-inch wide beam, the equipment is the same. You have to adjust to staying somewhere else. But we have a pretty good group of girls on the team that have been to Nebraska before. They know what is coming and what to expect. Overall in the end, you have to compete the same routines and have to prepare like every other meet."
TICKETS ON SALE FOR BIG FIVE MEET
After staging the Big Ten Championships last season, Rutgers is scheduled to host a Big Five meet at the RAC on March 17. The competitive meet will also involve Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Penn State to determine positioning for the Big Ten Championships, which will be held at Illinois. Click here to purchase tickets.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding women's gymnastics, follow the program on Twitter (@RUGymnastics), Facebook (/RUGymnastics), Instagram (@rutgersgymnastics) and Snapchat (rutgersgym).
RUTGERS MEET PREVIEW
The Scarlet Knights started the year with a 191.525 team score to place third in a quad meet last Saturday at the Livingston Gym. The squad performed best in the last two rotations with a 48.325 on balance beam and a 48.000 on floor exercise. Ten different gymnasts saw action overall, with four making their collegiate debut.
Senior Libby Groden highlighted the opener with a 38.875 all-around mark to take first place, including a 9.800 on both uneven bars and balance beam. The three-time NCAA Regional qualifier leads the team with 40 meets of experience and 34 times competing on all four events.
Freshman Belle Huang also earned a spot in all four lineups to total a 38.625 in her first meet. The rookie scored best on balance beam at 9.850 to follow senior Makenzey Shank, who tied for the highest mark in any event in the meet with a 9.875 beam routine. In addition, junior Jenna Rizkalla picked up a 9.725 for the team's best grade on floor exercise.
The weekend will signal Rutgers' third trip to Nebraska since joining the Big Ten. The last time was the 2016 Big Ten Championships, where the Scarlet Knights collected a 194.775. The team hit all 24 routines, as Riahanah Ali garnered All-Championship status after tying for first place in the opening session with a 9.875 on floor exercise.
COACH LEVINE Q&A
On learning from the first meet: "The next steps are to continue to add in some difficulty to routines and to add in some people who weren't in lineup this past week. We want to be consistent and avoid falls. We had some really great routines and some that had some big mistakes that we need to care of. It is a learning situation in the first meet. We wanted to see how the freshmen and newcomers competed for the first time. And we had a chance to see some of the new skills that we're doing. There was a lot to learn and we took a lot away from the first meet. There were some really excellent, clean, artistic and aesthetically pleasing routines. But for some, there's a skill we need to clean up or we have to add something in. We'll continue to work on that as the season goes on."
On getting into the flow of the season: "There's now the routine of three or four practices before competitions, so you get into the schedule. This is now the first week of school as well. This is the time of the year that you train the rest of the year for, these next three or four months. I think everyone is excited and looking forward to building momentum. We know we can be really good. It is a matter of going out there and proving it."
On preparing for a road meet: "You don't prepare any differently. It is still the same four-inch wide beam, the equipment is the same. You have to adjust to staying somewhere else. But we have a pretty good group of girls on the team that have been to Nebraska before. They know what is coming and what to expect. Overall in the end, you have to compete the same routines and have to prepare like every other meet."
TICKETS ON SALE FOR BIG FIVE MEET
After staging the Big Ten Championships last season, Rutgers is scheduled to host a Big Five meet at the RAC on March 17. The competitive meet will also involve Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Penn State to determine positioning for the Big Ten Championships, which will be held at Illinois. Click here to purchase tickets.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding women's gymnastics, follow the program on Twitter (@RUGymnastics), Facebook (/RUGymnastics), Instagram (@rutgersgymnastics) and Snapchat (rutgersgym).
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
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