Women's Gymnastics | January 27

DeKALB, Ill. - It's going to be a "flip-pin" good time on Sunday at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center as the gymnastics and wrestling teams host the "Beauty and the Beast" competition at 2 p.m.
 
In the third event of its kind at NIU, the gymnasts will take on Mid-American Conference foe Central Michigan. The Huskies hosted similar competitions during their 2012 and 2014 seasons.
 
"There's a lot of activity happening in these types of events," said NIU head coach Sam Morreale. "There is a ton of energy in the gym. It's really a super event for families to come out and watch because there is something for everybody. It's a great practice tool for us as we move forward into quad-meets or conference, where it's in our best interest to focus just on what we're doing. Plus, it is fun to compete with the wrestling team."
 
In the Huskies meet against the Golden Flashes last Friday, they marked a season-high score of 195.200, ninth on the school's all-time record list.
 
"We want to build off of our successful outing last weekend at Kent State," said Morreale. "We get another chance at one of the top teams in the MAC, with Central coming in. They're also a ranked team. They're the type of team that we want to be, so what better way to see where we stand than to get up against them. We're looking to make last week's score, our low score."
 
NIU has made a few possible lineup changes for this weekend with senior captain Katherine Prentice (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) making the tentative vault lineup. Freshman Mia Lord (McCordsville, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) will see her debut on the season as a balance beam exhibitionist.
 
"Our lineups are very competitive on all of the events. Some are always trying to push to get in, which is making us better and more competitive within our team. Beam is very competitive, Mia has worked her tail off since the beginning of the year to get her into the conversation. She has a really pretty beam routine, so we'll see what it can do out there."
 
Fans hoping to follow along from afar can check live results or watch the live stream. The Huskies will also be posting scores on Twitter from their @Niugymnastics account as well as the @NIUScores account.
 
-NIU-