Feb. 5, 2010
DeKALB, Ill. - The Northern Illinois women's gymnastics team embarks on its longest road trip of the season as the Huskies head for Texas to take part in a quadrangular meet on Sunday at Texas Woman's University featuring Air Force and Centenary as well as the host Pioneers. The meet begins at 2 p.m. (Central) at Kitty Magee Arena in Denton, Texas.
Northern Illinois (3-1 overall, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) will be participating in their its first multiple-team meet this year and head coach Mark Sontag says the experience will pay dividends in March.
"I think we always try to schedule at least one meet that's going to set us up for all of the bigger events on our schedule, like the State meet and the MAC [Championships]," Sontag said. "This is a longer trip for us, it is a more involved meet and I believe it does help us prepare. It's a completely strange environment, it's a different rotation order [starting on balance beam], which you will have in all of the big meets."
The Huskies will start on balance beam Sunday, but Sontag said the 2010 team is equally strong in all four events. NIU's highest team score so far this year has come on uneven parallel bars, Northern Illinois' finishing event for this meet, but the Huskies also have scored 48.000 or above on both beam and floor.
"With this team, I don't have an event that I dread starting on," Sontag said. "We are certainly capable of getting the job done on any event, we just need to get up there and get the job done. I like that we're warming up and going straight to competing on beam."
Sontag expects to field a similar line-up to the one which posted a season-high team score of 192.125 in a home victory over Ball State last Sunday. That line-up included 2009 MAC Gymnast Holly Reichard (Palatine, Ill./Fremd HS) competing in the all-around for the first time this season. Reichard won the all-around competition with a score of 39.000. Senior Rachel Adams (Fruitport, Mich./Fruitport HS), who was injured in warm-ups prior to the first meet, could also see action for the first time this year in Texas. No matter who is in the line-up, Sontag expects to see continued improvement.
" `24 for 24' has become our mantra," Sontag said. "We have to go out there and hit a higher percentage of our routines regardless of whether we have all of our people or not. We need to get six people on all four events hitting on same day, and that's when we're going to see what we're capable of."
With nearly every gymnast on the 2010 roster contributing so far this season, and additional help on the way as student-athletes return from injury, Sontag is pleased with where his team at the mid-point of the regular season.
"The team is where it should be at this time of the year," Sontag said. "We are starting to feel what the judges are looking for, and working on the little things in our routines that make a difference. We are right in the middle of that process and are right on target for where I want the team to be."
By the end of the day Sunday, he hopes that is with three more victories on its record.
Following Sunday's meet, the Huskies will enjoy their first "open date" of the season as the next competition is not until Feb. 19, when NIU takes on 2010 MAC preseason favorite Kent State in Kent, Ohio.
-- NIU -
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