April 19, 2010
DEKALB, Ill. - Northern Illinois University gymnastics has added USA Level 10 gymnasts Natasha Jufko (Spring Hill, Fla./Pasco-Hernando HS) and Megan Melendez (Stafford, Va./North Stafford HS) to the Huskies' 2010-2011 roster, NIU women's gymnastics coach Mark Sontag announced Monday.
"This rounds out what is turning out to be a real strong group of freshmen for next year," Sontag said. "It's going to definitely be a group that will be come in and help us right off the bat."
Jufko trained at LaFleurs Gymnastics in Tampa where she served as Level 9 captain as a sophomore and Level 10 captain in 2009. As a freshman, her team won the Region 8 Championship and as a senior she helped her team win the state championship for Level 10. Jufko was a Level 9 national qualifier for the 2007-2008 season as well as a Level 10 N.I.T qualifier in 2009. She also grabbed the title of vault champion in 2008.
Melendez was named MVP of her high school team following the 2008-09 season after winning the state beam championship and taking first in district and second in regionals on balance beam. She earned all-conference, all-area and all-state honors her freshmen and junior years and served as captain of her North Stafford High School team as a junior.
Melendez trained at and competed for Apollo Gymnastics in Woodbridge, Va. In 2009 she earned a number of titles. At the NY Invitational, she picked up fifth in the all-around competition and took first place on uneven parallel bars, while she was fourth in the all-around and won the balance beam at the Richmond Classic. The Washington Post named her All-Metro and her local newspaper titled her All-Area and Gymnast of the Year. She was a regional qualifier for both 2009 and 2010.
Both Jufko and Melendez were also top-notch students in high school as Jufko earned high academic honors all four years while Melendez was a three-time winner of her school's Student-Athlete and Student-Scholar Awards.
With the addition of Jufko and Melendez, Northern Illinois has now signed four Level 10 gymnastics for next year. During the November signing period, the Huskies added USA Level 10 gymnasts Kim Gotlund (Wadsworth, Ill./Warren Township HS) and Elizabeth Huffman (Dunlap, Ill./Dunlap HS).
"I think we have some great, great talent on our squad and the addition of the signees this year will fit right in to what we're trying to do, which is build a team that can compete for and win a championship," Sontag said.
Northern Illinois took fourth place at this year's Mid-American Conference Championships and sophomore Ashley Guerra represented the Huskies at the NCAA Regional Championships as she participated on uneven parallel bars. NIU gymnasts have made 16 appearances in the NCAA Regionals under Sontag and have sent at least one individual to the postseason in 10 of the last 11 years.
-NIU-
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