Women's Gymnastics | March 11

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. ­– The Northern Illinois University gymnastics team set the school record at Central Michigan University on Saturday with a total team score of 196.150. Senior Jamyra Carter (Ypsilanti, Mich./Huron) tied the 20-year-old school uneven parallel bars record scoring a 9.950. The Huskies' score came in second to the Chippewas who scored an impressive 196.575.
 
"Every event was hitting on all cylinders today, so we're super happy with the performances," said NIU head coach Sam Morreale. "We've been expecting beam to do what they did today for a while, and if we are going to do it, this is the right time to do it. We really went after that championship today, but the great thing for us is we get two shots at it. We get another shot at it next week. The confidence we build from this is definitely going to help us. Losing is a little bitter sweet. It would have been nice to get the regular season, but we have definitely become Falcon fans today."
 
The Huskies have a chance at being regular season champions if the Bowling Green Falcons beat the Eastern Michigan Eagles, but are happy with the record that they were able to set this afternoon.
 
Carter was not the only Huskie to put up a top score. Senior Andie Van Voorhis (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard) recorded her career high on vault tying for fourth in the record book with a 9.900 and Courtney Dowdell (Lynwood, Ill./Thornton Fractional South) set her career high on floor with a 9.900.
 
The Huskies started the afternoon on the uneven parallel bars where they tied the season record of 49.225. Carter's score was complimented with a 9.875 from all-around competitor Ashley Potts (Oakwood Hills, Ill./Prairie Ridge), a 9.825 from freshman Allison Richardson (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) and a 9.800 from Dowdell.
 
NIU went on to vault where they recorded a solid 48.950 with a 9.850 from Potts and a 9.800 from freshman Amanda Bartemio (Plymouth, Minn./Waysata). They then competed on floor with the second highest final score of the season with a 49.100. Bartemio and sophomore Anna Martucci (Clarkston, Mich./Our Lady of the Lakes) each recorded scores of 9.850.
 
The final event of afternoon was balance beam where the Huskies recorded a season high 48.875. Potts and Katherine Prentice each recorded 9.850 scores. Prentice tied her career high for the sixth time on the event and Potts rounded out her season high score at 39.250.
 
"If you're going to lose a meet, might as well lose putting a school record up there," said coach Morreale. "That just means CMU had a pretty good day on top of us, but we are extremely happy with our performance. Maybe, we could have squeezed a little more out, but at this time of the year you're just trying to get what you can and move on. This is going to be a great spring board into next week."
 
The Huskies travel next Saturday, March 18 to Muncie, Ind. for the Mid-American Conference Championship. The competition begins at 2 p.m. CST.
 
-NIU-