This is Nebraska Women's Gymnastics
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Nebraska Gymnastics is one of the elite programs in the country. We are one of seven teams that have qualified for the NCAA Super Six Finals more than 10 times. We are committed to providing our student-athletes with the tools and resources to be successful both athletically and academically.
We strive to provide opportunities for our student-athletes to continue to grow as an athlete, a teammate, a student and as a person.
We embrace our tradition and history while looking to continue to build our future.
- Head Coach Heather Brink
Devaney Center
The Bob Devaney Sports Center is one of the top collegiate gymnastics venues in the nation. The Huskers have competed in the Devaney Center since it opened in 1976, but the building underwent renovations prior to the 2014 season.
Most recently the Huskers hosted an NCAA Regional in 2017 and the Big Ten Championships in 2016.
The renovated building seats 7,907 and includes five suites, a high definition center-hung video board and 10MM video boards on each side.
Francis Allen Training Facility
In March of 2020 Nebraska opened The Francis Allen Training Complex, named in honor of legendary men's gymnastic coach Francis Allen - who won eight NCAA team titles and coached four Nissen-Emery award winners at Nebraska.
The 46,000 square-foot state-of-the art facility is on the northwest corner of the Devaney Sports Center. The complex houses practice gyms, locker rooms, team meeting rooms, athletic therapy areas and coaches' offices for both the Husker men's and women's gymnastics programs.
Alloy Strength Complex
Click here to take a tour of the Alloys Strength Complex
The Huskers utilize the David and Carol Alloy Strength Complex. The model strength and conditioning program in the nation, Husker Power plays a major role in the continuing success of Nebraska Athletics. Nebraska's strength program was the first in the nation, and their facilities have set the standard in collegiate athletics since the early 1970s. With 15 staff members, Husker Power is one of the most comprehensive strength and conditioning organizations in the nation.
Head Coach Heather Brink
Heather Brink was named the fifth head coach in the history of Nebraska women’s gymnastics in February of 2019. Brink started the 2019 season as the program’s interim head coach following three seasons on the Husker staff as Nebraska’s associate head coach. Overall, Brink is in her 12th season on the Husker coaching staff in 2023 including her earlier stint as assistant coach (2011-15). She was also a two-time NCAA champion and an 11-time All-American at Nebraska.
All-Americans Under Brink
- Taylor Houchin (2018: BB, V; 2019: UB)
- Grace Williams (2018: BB, FX)
- Megan Schweihofer (2018: FX, AA)
- Danielle Breen (2017: BB)
- Hollie Blanske (2014: BB; 2015: FX, AA; 2016: V, FX, AA)
- Sienna Crouse (2017: V; 2018: FX, V; 2019: BB, AA)
- Jessie DeZiel (2012:V,FX,AA;2013:BB,AA; 2014:BB,AA;2015:V,AA)
- Janelle Giblin (2012: V, UB)
- Ashley Lambert (2015: FX; 2017: V, FX)
- Jamie Schleppenbach (2014: BB)
- Emily Wong (2012: BB, FX, AA; 2013: V, BB, FX, AA; 2014: BB, FX, AA)
Brink's Career Honors
- 2x NCAA Champion (2000, AA, Vault)
- First Husker to win the All-Around NCAA Championship
- Honda Award Winner (2000)
- Third-highest uneven bars score in Husker history
- First Husker to score a perfect 10.0
- Recorded three perfect 10.0s in her senior season
- 11-time All-American
- Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame (2016)
Husker Coaching Staff
Assistant Coach Brian Amato
Brian Amato will enter his third season at Nebraska as the assistant coach in 2023. His first season with the Huskers was in 2021 after stops at Oregon State (2015-2020) and Brandy Johnson's Global Gymnastics in Clermont, Fla. (2008-2015).
Assistant Coach Oleksii Koltakov
Oleksii Koltakov joined the Nebraska women's gymnastics program in the summer of 2022. Koltakov spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons as the volunteer assistant coach at Alabama. He helped lead Alabama to the 2021 SEC Championship title and a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. In 2022, Koltakov coached Alabama to a runner-up finish at the SEC Championships and the NCAA Finals.
Prior to his time at Alabama, Koltakov coached club gymnastics in Austin, Texas as well as serving as a High Performance coach at numerous camps and clinics across the United States. Koltakov began his coaching career at the Piddubny Olympic College in Ukraine and Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation in 2013.
A former member of the Ukraine National Team, Koltakov competed at the 2009 European Championships in Milano, Italy as well as the 2009 World Cup in Ostrava, Czech Republic, where Ukraine was a finalist. He also helped lead Ukraine to the finals of the 2011 World Cup in Stuttgart, Germany. He was a five-time Ukrainian Pommel Horse Champion from 2008-12 and the Ukrainian Floor Exercise Champion in 2011. He led his team to the Ukrainian Championship in both 2009 and 2011.
In addition to coaching and competing, Koltakov performed as a highbar catcher in Cirque du Soleil's show Alegria.
Volunteer Assistant Marissa King
King has spent the past two years as a choreographer and club gymnastics coach in Birmingham, Alabama, and Austin, Texas. She also spent the 2022 season as a gymnastics analyst for ESPN and the SEC Network. King was an artistic acrobat in Cirque du Soleil from 2014 to 2020, performing with Amaluna (2014-18) and Alegria (2018-20).
One of the most decorated collegiate gymnasts, King competed for the University of Florida (2010-13). She was the national champion on vault in 2011 and finished her career as an 11-time All-American. King led the Gators to three SEC Championships (2010, 2012, 2013) and the program's first NCAA Championship in 2013. She also earned All-SEC honors in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Prior to her collegiate career, King competed as an all-arounder for Great Britain in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. King was named the Cambridge and District Sportswoman of the Year, and the Cambridge and Peterborough Young Sports Personality in 2007. King trained at Huntingdon Olympic Gymnastics Club under coaches Paul Hall and Monica Desalermos.
King served as a volunteer assistant coach at Florida in 2014, helping the Gators to back-to-back national championships.
Rich in Tradition
Nebraska women’s gymnastics has built a reputation as one of the nation’s elite programs. The Huskers are one of only seven teams to qualify for the Super Six Finals at least 11 times in the last 25 seasons.
The Huskers have won 16 conference titles in the past 27 years, while advancing to the NCAA Championships 19 times during that span. Overall, NU has won 25 conference titles and qualified for 26 NCAA Championships. Husker gymnasts have won a total of five NCAA individual championships and 158 All-America honors.
But winning titles is just a small part of Nebraska’s all-around success. Husker gymnasts have captured 17 CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, second-most among women’s gymnastics programs, and have won the most prestigious academic honors the NCAA has to offer - including the NCAA Today’s Top Ten Award and the AAI Award.
- 12 NCAA Super Six Appearances
- 82 First-Team All-America Awards
- 158 Total All-America Awards
- 17 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
- 26 NCAA Champoinship Appearances
- 25 Conference Titles
- 43 AIAW/NCAA Regional Appearances in 46 seasons
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Dick and Peg Herman Family Student Life Complex
Tour the Herman Student Life Complex
The athletic academic unit, located in the Dick and Peg Herman Family Student Life Complex, provides personal and academic support to ensure that student-athletes will get the most out of their years as Huskers. Featuring one of the most innovative and comprehensive academic support systems in the country, Nebraska is dedicated to helping its student-athletes become outstanding leaders in their chosen fields.
National-Leading 348 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
Nebraska Athletics leads the nation with a 348 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, with Stanford ranking second with 295.
Top Ten Award Winners
Nebraska student-athletes have won more NCAA Top Ten Awards than any other school in the country. Regarded as the nation's most prestigious academic award, Nebraska has had 18 recipients - including Anton Stephenson in 2018. The award honors male and female student-athletes throughout the country based upon the criteria of athletic achievement, academic achievement and community involvement.
95% Graduation Success Rate
Nebraska student-athletes continue to be among the nation’s best in the classroom. The NCAA released its Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in December 2021 and Nebraska posted its highest overall GSR for the 10th year.
In addition to the highest all student-athlete GSR in Nebraska history, 13 Husker teams achieved a perfect 100 percent GSR.
NCAA ELITE 90 Academic Award
The ELITE 90, an award founded by the NCAA, recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers.
STUDENT-ATHLETE EXPERIENCE
Free MacBook Air
Every student-athlete is provided a MacBook Air while they are a student at Nebraska.
Student-Athlete Assistance Fund
Up to $1,400 a year to help with bills, bike, cell phone, furniture, etc.
N-Vest Nebraska
The N-Vest Nebraska program began in the fall of 2022. N-Vest Nebraska will reward Husker scholarship student-athletes for academic performance, success toward graduation and retention. NU student-athletes who meet the established academic benchmarks will receive $5,980 per year for their academic achievement.
Post-Eligibility Opportunity (PEO) Program
As part of Nebraska's innovative Post-Eligibility Opportunity (PEO) program, every student-athlete graduate who has exhausted their athletic eligibility has the opportunity to pursue (with Nebraska support) an internship, participate in a study abroad program or attend graduate school within the University of Nebraska system.
#NILbraska
In the summer of 2021, Nebraska Athletics introduced #NILbraska, an initiative to educate student-athletes on branding, marketing and financial literacy, among other aspects. #NILbraska prepares student-athletes to take advantage of of Name, Image and Likeness legislation.
The #NILbraska program focuses on a three-pronged approach to providing education for student-athletes to maximize their potential in the NIL category: Ready Now, Accelerate and the Husker Advantage.
Travel
The Lincoln airport has service from both Delta and United. The Omaha Airport is less than an hour away and includes flights from Alaska Airlines, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, OneJet, Southwest and United.
Performance Nutrition
“Raise the bar, raise the standard and make this a habit and ultimately it’ll serve them their whole life.” – Director of Performance Nutrition Dave Ellis
- 1,600 meals served daily to Nebraska student-athletes and staff members
- Individualized Meal Plans/ Menus
- Body Composition Testing
- Competition Fueling
- Supplement Education
- High-Quality, Performance-Based Foods
- The Landing- established in 2005
- Oasis- established in 2011
- Before, During, and After Workout Fueling Plan
- Student nutrition volunteers assist in managing both areas
- Prepare specialized nutritional shakes and recovery drinks for all student-athletes
- Life Skills Kitchen- offers student- athletes to learn and prepare nutritious meals themselves
Refueling at "The Oasis"
The Oasis is located in the Hendricks Training Complex and serves as fueling points for all athletes before, during and after training. It provides a number of different options including chocolate milk, recovery shakes, energy bars, bagels, fruits, nuts, and Gatorade for student athletes.
Husker Bucks
Available to all student-athletes on an active roster. App that gives the student-athlete a certain amount of money per day on Saturdays and Sundays to eat at select restaurants in downtown Lincoln.
Student-athletes also have the option to use their Husker Bucks money at one of two grocery stores throughout the month in lieu of restaurants.
Service to a Much Larger Community
Regarded as the premier and most comprehensive Life Skills program in college athletics, the Husker program is committed to providing proactive education, resources and support through college and beyond to promote total person development and preparation for life after sports.
The Nebraska Life Skills program offered its fifth service trip in 2019, taking student-athletes to Alaska. Student-athletes have also traveled to Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
Athletic Medicine
Providing expert care to more than 600 Husker student-athletes, Nebraska features one of the most well-trained and highly skilled athletic medicine staffs in the country.
Under the guidance of Director of Athletic Medicine Dr. Lonnie Albers, Head Athletic Trainer and Physical Therapist Jerry Weber, the Nebraska athletic medicine staff consists of five physicians, 14 full-time athletic trainers, eight graduate assistant athletic trainers, four full-time in-house athletic psychologists, one full-time neuropsychologist and sports psychiatry consultants who work directly with student-athletes.
The NAPL
Click here to take a tour of the NAPL
The future of athletic performance is here. The Nebraska Athletic Performance Laboratory utilizes a multi-method, multi-disciplinary approach to athlete performance and health through technology and academic expertise. Through collaborative expertise, the Nebraska Athletic Performance Laboratory strives to bring the best to the student-athletes of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
In 2013, a 50,000-square-foot expansion of Nebraska's East Memorial Stadium brought together athletic and academic researchers in Nebraska Athletic Performance Laboratory (NAPL) under one roof to study human behavior and performance. The partnership is believed to be the nation's only joint, on campus athletic and academic research facility. The collaboration is a testament to Nebraska's commitment to student-athlete's performance, safety, and long-term health and well-being housed within East Memorial Stadium, allowing optimal accessibility for student-athletes, researchers, and coaching staffs.
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA
With an enrollment of over 25,000 students, the University of Nebraska has students from over 135 countries and 149 undergraduate majors. More information can be found here.
UNL National Rankings
- 2018 No. 1 Online MBA in the World for Alumni Salary Increases (Financial Times)
- 2018 Top 30 Colleges that Produce the Most CEOs (Kittleman)
- 2019 No. 9 Best Online Graduate Education Programs (U.S. News & World Report)
- 2021 No. 21 Online Master of Engineering Management Program (U.S. News & World Report)
- 2021 No. 17 Best Online MBA Programs (U.S. News & World Report)
- 2021 Best Value College (The Princeton Review)
- 2021 Ranked Among Top Third of National Universities (U.S. News & World Report)
- 2021 No. 13 Best Online MBA Program (Princeton Review)
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
An All-American City
One of the nation’s largest 75 cities, Lincoln features many of the benefits of an urban setting and is only minutes away from the scenic beauty and wide open spaces of America’s Heartland. The third-largest city in the Big Ten, Lincoln enables Nebraska student-athletes to enjoy the benefits of city life while residing in a community which is widely regarded as one of the top places to live in the United States.
Pinnacle Bank Arena
Home to Nebraska men's and women's basketball, Pinnacle Bank Arena is Lincoln's downtown arena located in the Railyard. Since opening in 2013 the arena has played host to artists such as...
- Jay-Z
- Katy Perry
- P!nk
- Justin Bieber
- Carrie Underwood
- Eric Church
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Chris Brown
- Florida Georgia Line
- Kenny Chesney
- Paul McCartney
- Blake Shelton
- Zac Brown Band
- Da Baby
- Pearl Jam
- Keith Urban
- Lil' Wayne
- Jason Aldean
- Bon Jovi
- Elton John
- Miranda Lambert & Deirks Bentley
- And many more...
Credits:
Nebraska Communications