Women's Gymnastics | November 17

DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University gymnastics team will host its annual Red/Black Intrasquad on Saturday at noon as a preview of the 2018 season.
 
"Historically, Red/Black is a measuring stick for us," said NIU head coach Sam Morreale. "We've had the kids on campus for about two months, training hard and getting ready for the season. We're about a month and a half out, so this is a great opportunity to put them out on the floor in front of a crowd and a couple of judges. We tried to divide the team as fairly as possible, so it will be a nice competitive atmosphere."
 
The Red/Black Intrasquad is a dress rehearsal for the upcoming season that starts January 7. The athletes are able to show an audience what they have been training the last couple of months. Every gymnast competing is able to fight for the six lineup positions for each event, and show the coaching staff what they have to offer when there are added distractions that cannot be replicated in their training gym. Morreale is excited to see who steps up this weekend.
 
"We ARE ready for this! Out of 17 athletes on the team, 16 are going to participate this weekend. The 17th, she is just coming back from an injury, so it's not that she isn't doing well; we're just playing it smart with her, which is encouraging from a coaching standpoint. We have a lot of depth, a lot of competition for lineup spots, and when you get that, it's something that Nita [Teague, assistant coach] and I have been trying to gather here from a recruiting standpoint. It's just getting our good kids that much better because they have to fight to hold their spots."
 
The Huskies are coming off a multi record-breaking season. The gymnasts were able to  set top -10 11 individual records and 14 top-10 team records, not to mention the highest Mid-American Conference Championship score in program history with 195.725.
 
The Huskies return 13 gymnasts from last season. They include senior all-around competitors Ashley Potts (Oakwood Hills, Ill./Prairie Ridge) and Katherine Prentice (Indianapolis, Ind./Rocalli). Andie Van Voorhis (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard) will compete on vault, balance  beam  and floor, while Aubrie Purtell (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) will show her skills on uneven parallel bars.
 
"All four seniors will participate. Potts and Prentice are coming off qualifying for Regionals last year, with Potts just missing Nationals," said Morreale. "Those are two athletes to watch. Andie has added a third event in  floor , so we get to see her. Our fourth senior, Aubrie Purtell, has worked her tail off to prepare for the season, so we'll get to see her in this intrasquad."
 
In the mix of returners are Anna Martucci (Clarkston, Mich./Our Lady of the Lakes) who will compete on three events and Ally Ferber (Woodbury, N.Y./Syosset) who will compete as an all-around competitor for the first time in her collegiate career.
 
"In our junior class, Anna Martucci leads that group and is amazing and fun to watch on floor routine. She's also going to swing bars for us this weekend, which is kind of a new event for her. Again, she has been working really super hard to get into that mix. Ally Ferber is going to do all-around. She's going to impress and surprise some people this year. She's trained really really hard, and her gymnastics looks super easy right now. I'm just very excited for her future with us."
 
Two more Huskies will make their all-around debut on Saturday as well, sophomores Allison Richardson (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) and Amanda Bartemio (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata).
 
"From the sophomores, Allison Richardson and Amanda Bartemio were two solid kids that contributed last year," said Morreale. "They're both going all-around in this intrasquad, so it will be exciting to see how they handle that pressure."
 
Morreale is also excited to see how the freshman class performs their routines outside of the practice gyms.
 
"Our freshman class has been a little banged up, Gabby Welch (Greenbrier, Tenn./Aaron Academy [Home School]), right now, is leading that pack," said Morreale. "She'll be doing all-around for this event, also. Our other three freshmen are going to contribute on beam, but I do see big things from them moving forward.
 
The team will be split in two between the Red Squad and Black Squad:


Red Squad
Amanda Bartemio, So., Plymouth, Minn. (North Shore Gymnastics)
Paige Nicholas, Jr., Cleveland, Ohio (Pinnacle Gymnastics)
Anna Martucci, Jr., Clarkston, Mich. (AGA Gymnastics)
Nina Martucci, So., Clarkston, Mich. (AGA Gymnastics)
Gabby Welch, Fr., Greenbrier, Tenn. (Clarksville Elite)
Zoie Schroeder, Fr., Champlin, Minn. (Twin City Twisters)
Katherine Biddle, Fr., Grand Rapids, Mich. ( Twistars )
Ashley Potts, Sr., Oakwood Hills, Ill. (Huntley Gymnastics)
 
Black Squad
Ally Ferber, Jr., Woodbury, N.Y. (Gold Medal Gymnastics Huntington)
Cinny Lamberti, So., Grayslake, Ill. (Grayslake Gymnastics Factory)
Lauren Gomes, So., Dix Hills, N.Y. (New Image Gymnastics)
Katherine Prentice, Sr., Indianapolis, Ind. (Wright's Gymnastics Academy)
Allison Richardson, So., Marysville, Ohio (Integrity Gymnastics)
Mia Lord, Fr., McCordsville, Ind. (DeVeau's School of Gymnastics)
Andie Van Voorhis, Sr., Columbus, Ohio (Universal Gymnastics)
Aubrie Purtell, Sr., Huntley, Ill. (Crystal Lake Gymnastics)
Emily Basara, Jr., Gurnee, Ill. (Ultimate Gymnastics)
 
-NIU-