Thanks to contributor Owen Field from Nebraska for sharing. You can follow his Blog at: Coach Owen Field

The Nebraska women’s gymnastics team held its intrasquad meet Friday to prepare for the 2012 season. The Huskers worked through vault, bars, beam and floor before an estimated 200 people at Mabel Lee Hall where they posted a team score of 195.75.

Head Coach Dan Kendig was pleased with the performances of each gymnast and the great support shown by the fans.

“What a great day,” Kendig said. “There was a huge crowd. I was really, really pleased with the turnout here. I’m pleased with the effort our gymnasts gave tonight and how they acted as a team. This is the start of a great season and we’re really looking forward to it.”

The Huskers return a solid nucleus of gymnasts that include six girls who have earned All-America honors in their careers. Kendig said the Huskers have set the bar and now look to continue off that as they prepare for the upcoming season.

“We have so much more to give,” Kendig said. “You get a starting point and that’s what we’ve just gotten. Now we have Thanksgiving break, which interrupts things, then Christmas break, then we have an extra week when we come back. We don’t have a meet that first week. The couple tweaks we have injury wise we just have to get those healed up a little bit and stay healthy. Our top six in each event are scary good, but those top six have to stay healthy.”

Kendig and his staff are encouraged by the depth of the team and the experience each girl will bring. With several girls sitting out because of injuries, Kendig and staff got a chance to see several of the gymnasts fighting for a spot in the lineup perform.

“We showed tonight that we have some backups that we can count on a little more,” Kendig said “That’s the thing that I took away from tonight; some of our 7, 8 and 9 girls in the lineup went out there and did the job tonight. It’s pretty encouraging.”

The Huskers will hold a second intrasquad on Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. and open the season at home against Denver on Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. The second intrasquad meet and the Huskers’ home opener will take place at the Devaney Center. NU will look to capture its 21st conference title and make its 29th consecutive postseason appearance at the NCAA Championships in April.