Feb. 27, 1998

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Eighth-ranked University of Kentucky Gymnastics team will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska for the Masters Classic Saturday. The 1998 field is one of the most competitive in the event’s history with No. 8 Kentucky, No. 19Michigan State and Rhode Island joining the hosts, No. 20 Huskers in this four-team invitational.

Eighth-ranked Kentucky has only lost at No. 10 LSU, at No. 6 Michigan and against No. 3 Alabama this season. The GymKats have also defeated No. 4 Florida earlier in this season.

Rhode Island, 3-5, finished second in a triangular at George Washington on Feb.20 and is 49th in this week’s rankings. The Huskers defeated the Rams in their only meeting during the 1995 season. Nebraska (6-4 overall and 2-1 Big 12) is coming off a third-place finish at the ASU UNO’s Classic on Feb. 20. The Huskers posted their highest road score of the season (193.75) in finishing behind No. 11 Arizona State (194.325) and No. 13 BYU (194.20) in a competition that went down to the final competitor.

Both Kentucky and Michigan State are threats to end NU’s 19-meet home winning streak. Last Friday night, the Spartans (18-2) set a school record score of 195.85 in taking first place at the Hobie’s Invitational. In fact, Michigan State, which leads the series 2-1 against Nebraska, is the last team other than the Huskers to win the Masters Classic, taking first in 1993, its only other appearance.