DEKALB, Ill. - The Northern Illinois University women's gymnastics team will hold its second annual Red/Black Intra Squad Meet in the NIU Convocation Center's Victor E. Court at 6 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free and the public is invited.

"This is our next big step, competing in front of people," said fourth year NIU head coach Sam Morreale. "I'm looking to see what I see in practice everyday - the same aggression, the same attack, the same confidence and seeing the freshmen in action."

The team's roster will be divided in half and compete against each other in all four events - the vault, bars, beam and floor exercise. Saturday night's meet will be run like a regular season competition, complete with judges scoring each event. It also give the team a chance to familiarize themselves with the equipment they will be competing on, not just the equipment in the gym.

This weekend's meet also gives Morreale a glimpse into how each of his gymnasts adjust to their new roles and into the depth of his 2015 team.

"Last year's juniors are now our seniors," he said. "Are they stepping into that leadership role in a meet setting? It's also a great opportunity to see our depth."

While Saturday night's meet can help decide the starting lineups in some events, it will be far from the determining factor. Five Huskies, who are still working their way back from injury, will not compete. Morreale believes his 2015 team will evolve throughout the season.

"Floor and beam are going to be very competitive and contested events all year. That's where a lot of our depth is," Morreale said. "I definitely see some lineups shaking out there. We're still coming through preseason, still getting kids back to full strength from early-season injuries. The team will change as we move forward, but this is a great starting spot."

NIU's first regular season meet of 2015 is Friday, Jan. 9 at UIC. Competition begins at 7 p.m.

Red
Lauren Africano
Natalie Amadio
Jamyra Carter
Megan Gilliam
Megan Greenfield
Katherine Prentice
Amanda Stepp
Andie Van Voorhis

Black
Taylor Crumley
Shelby Davis
Courtney Dowdell
Morgan Johnson
Melissa Jordan
Kelly Nortz
Meg Piepenbrink
Peyton Taylor
Brittany Wenzel

-NIU-