This weekend was a big one for Husker sports, with the top-ranked Husker bowlers and the 15th-ranked women’s gymnastics team participating in NCAA Championship events.  It was a mix of excitement and disappointment, as seasons come to their end.

The Husker Bowling team started the NCAA Championships with a strong showing on Thursday, leading qualifying and taking the top seed into Friday’s double-elimination rounds.  However, Friday’s rounds did not go as planned, with the Huskers dropping their first best-of-seven Baker-style match to Central Missouri, 4 games to one, followed up by a four-game sweep loss to Minnesota State-Mankato.  Maryland-Eastern Shore went on to win to the championship Saturday night.

Unfortunately, it was a disappointing end to an otherwise fantastic season for the Huskers.  However, there is no reason not to expect the Huskers to be back in contention for a championship again next season, returning everyone except senior Lindsay Baker.  Huskers captured the top two spots in the individual standings, with Baker (a three-time All-American) taking second and sophomore Cassie Leuthold placing top overall.  Freshman Jasmine Laugerman finished 8th.

Three Husker Gymnasts qualified for the NCAA Championships at the Southeast Regional in Gainesville last night.  Seniors Emily Parsons and Desire’ Sniatynski qualified as all-around competitors, placing 4th and 9th respectively, while junior Tricia Woo qualified in the beam by placing first and in the floor competition, where she tied with Parsons for the top spot.  The team finished third overall at the Regionals, behind host no. 3 Florida and 9th-ranked UCLA.  Parsons, Sniatynski, and Woo will continue on to the NCAA Championships in Athens, GA, April 24-26.

Track & Field had a huge day at yesterday’s John Jacobs Invitational in Norman, OK, winning 7 events overall, achieving several NCAA Regional-qualifying marks across events.  Earlier in the week, the Huskers took the team title at the Jim Click invitational in Tucson.  Some Huskers will compete today at the Concordia University Invitational in Seward, NE, the rest of the team will be getting ready for the Mt. SAC Relays and Kansas Relays next weekend.

It was not a good weekend for the Husker softball team, dropping two to Texas Tech over the weekend, 0-7 and 1-2 (in 10), before losing at home Wednesday night to Creighton, 1-13 in 5.  The Huskers are currently 0-6 in Big XII play, and have led for only 1 inning in conference play heading into today’s home doubleheader with Baylor.

The Men’s Gymnastics team finished 4th at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference championships last weekend, behind second-ranked Oklahoma, top-ranked Stanford, and fourth-ranked Cal.  Only one Husker – T.J. Schmidt – placed in the top 3 of an event by placing third in the parallel bars.  However, the 10th-ranked Huskers were selected for the NCAA Championships, and will conclude their season in Palo Alto, CA next weekend, starting with qualifying on Thursday.

The 67th-ranked women’s tennis team split their road trip this weekend, losing to Oklahoma State but winning at Oklahoma.  The Huskers then came home and started their home stand off right, beating Missouri 5-2 yesterday to even their Big XII record at 4-4.  The Huskers play Colorado today, before traveling to Lawrence to play Kansas on Friday.  They will wrap up regular season play next Sunday against Kansas State.

The Men’s Tennis Team has had a rough start to Big XII play.  After dropping last Friday’s match to Oklahoma State, the men were swept by 6th-ranked Texas last Saturday then lost to No. 21 Texas A&M on Friday to fall to 0-3 in Big XII play.  The Huskers play Texas Tech today, before coming home for their home finale against Nebraska-Kearney on Tuesday.  Regular season play concludes next weekend with a road trip to Baylor on Friday and Oklahoma on Sunday.

Both Men’s and Women’s Golf had the week off, heading into their final regular season tournaments this week, with the Men headed to the Palisades Collegiate Golf Classic in Charlotte, NC, while the women head to Columbus, OH, for the Ohio State Invitational.  The Golf teams also announced the 2008 Big Red Shamble, a fundraising event designed to support the golf program, taking place at the Firethorn Golf Club in Lincoln.  Tickets are $15 ($20 at the event), and include a four-person shamble, lunch, and a buffet dinner.