DEKALB, Ill. - Northern Illinois University women's gymnastics head coach Sam Morreale announced the signing of a trio of Level 10 gymnasts for 2015-16.

Local product Emily Basara, New York native Ally Ferber and Flint, Michigan's Anna Martucci all bring experience competing at a high level. Martucci and Basara both competed in the Junior Olympics National Invitational Tournament, while Ferber competed in the Olympic Program level.

"I'm really excited about the three coming in," Morreale said. "Academically, they're rockstars and athletically they're going to help move our program to the next level. They should all come in and compete for event spots and push our team to make us a better."

Martucci trained at AGA Gymnastics Training Center in Flint with three years as a USAG Level 10 competitor. She placed third in the all-around competition at the 2014 IGI Chicago Style Gymnastics Meet and won the floor exercise event with a personal best score of 9.725. Her best overall meet came in the 2013 Kalahari Luau In Leos Gymnastics Invite where she recorded personal bests in the vault (9.575) uneven bars (9.100) and all-around (37.650) finishing third in the all-around and fourth in the two disciplines. She also won the 2013 Bravo Classic all-around competition with a 37.125 and the floor event and came in second on the balance beam with her personal best of 9.450. Martucci competed in floor exercise at the 2013 Junior Olympics National Invitational Tournament where she tied for fifth with a 9.450.

Ferber trained at Gold Medal Gymnastics Huntington in Greenlawn with three years as a USAG Level 10 competitor. She also competed at the Olympic Program level at the 2014 Tim Rand Invitational, where she won the uneven bars competition with a 9.475, came in third on the vault with a 9.400, took fifth in floor exercise with a 9.450, and placed fourth in the all-around with a 36.750. Ferber won the bars competition at the 2014 New York Level 10 State Championship with a 9.450 and finished fourth in the all-around with a 36.300 score. Her best Level 10 all-around meet came at the 2014 Brestyans Invitational, where she placed second in vault, bars and balance beam, third in floor exercise and won the all-around.

"Anna and Ally bring a power to us from a vault and tumbling standpoint," he said. "Emily is a little more graceful and has more of a polish to her. All three are going to come in and challenge for spots next year."

Basara trained at Ultimate Gymnastics of Gurnee in Gurnee, Illinois, with three years as a USAG Level 10 competitor. She qualified for the 2014 and 2013 Level 10 Junior Olympics National Championships, scoring a 37.225 in 2014 and a 36.375 in 2013 in the all-around competition. She recorded a personal best score of 9.450 in the uneven bars at the 2014 Level 10 Junior Olympics National Championships to tie for 21st and won five straight all-around competitions in 2013 and 2014, including the 2014 Illinois Level 10 State Championships. Basara finished in the top five in every discipline but one and her best floor exercise came at the 2014 Illinois Level 10 State Championships, where she scored a 9.625 to earn second place.

The trio of 2014 signees will join the quintet of 2013 signees, Melissa Jordan, Ashley Potts, Katherine Prentice, Aubria Purtell and Andie Van Voorhis, that are already on campus and competing for NIU.

"They felt really comfortable with this year's signees when we had our annual recruit day earlier this year," Morreale said of the relationship built between this year's signees and last year's signing class. "My team is really close and has that family feel to it and felt this group would fit into that family. Those three felt comfortable being part of that family."

Jordan trained at Scamps Gymnastics in Kenosha, Wis. with three years as a USAG Level 10 competitor. She advanced to the Junior Olympics National Championships in 2013 where she finished tied for 36th with an all-around score of 36.050. In the 2014 Wisconsin State Championships, she finished in the top seven in every event. Posted an all-around score of 36.450, a personal best, to take fourth place while also placing personal bests in the vault (9.300) and floor exercise (9.175) at the event. Jordan recorded her personal best on the uneven bars in the Scamps Blizzard Invitational in 2014 with a 9.525 and wining the event.

Potts trained at Huntley Unlimited Gymnastics School in Huntley Ill. with four years as a USAG Level 10 competitor. Competed in the 2013 Level 10 Junior Olympics National Championship where she posted a personal best in the balance beam with a 9.425 to tie for ninth. She also tied for 28th in the all-around competition and scored personal bests in the all-around (37.800), uneven bars, (9.500), and floor exercise, (9.400) in the 2014 Illinois Level 10 State Championships. Potts took third place in all-around and bars, and fifth place on floor and won vault at the BIG Dream Classic 2014 with a personal best score of 9.725.

Prentice trained at Wright's Gymnastics Academy in Greenwood, Ind., with four years as a USAG Level 10 competitor. She competed in the 2014 Indiana Level 10 State Championships, finishing 10th in the all-around competition with a score of 35.375 and was invited to the 2013 Junior Olympics National Invitational Tournament where she won the floor exercise with a personal best 9.650. She recorded her best score on balance beam at the 2014 Region 5 Level 10 Regionals with a 9.575 to take third place and at the 2013 Nashville Nights competition, she placed second on the uneven bars with a personal best 9.100 and finished third in the all-around with another personal best of 36.825. Prentice's best vault score came at the 2013 Champions Derby Classic, where she scored a 9.475 for second place.

Purtell trained at Crystal Lake Gymnastics in Crystal Lake, Ill. with one year as a USAG Level 10 competitor. She competed in the 2014 Junior Olympics National Invitational Tournament with an all-around score of 33.700 coming in 21st and finished in ninth place in the floor exercise with a personal best score of 9.125 at the 2014 Illinois Level 10 State Championships. At the 2014 Region 5 Level 10 Regionals, Purtell recorded personal bests in the uneven bars, balance beam and all-around scoring a 9.100, 8.575 and 34.950 respectively.

Van Voorhis trained at Universal Gymnastics Inc. in Hilliard, Ohio, with four years as a USAG Level 10 competitor. In the 2014 Ohio Level 10 State Championships, she finished in the top 10 in all events with a personal best in the vault of 9.625 to place third. She recorded personal bests in the uneven bars and all-around at the 2013 Athlete Warrior Challenge, posting scores of 9.375 and 37.700, respectively. Van Voorhis earned a personal best mark of 9.475 in the floor exercise at the Luau in Leos Invite to finish in third place. Her best balance beam mark came in the 2013 Queen City Classic, where she won the event with a 9.550.

The Huskies open the 2015 season Jan. 9, 2015 when NIU travels to Chicago to face UIC. Competition starts at 7 p.m. CT.

-NIU-