Women's Gymnastics | March 10

DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University gymnastics team has a short trip ahead of it on Sunday as they head to UIC for the second time this season for the Illinois Classic. The Huskies will take on the host school as well as Illinois and Illinois State at 2 p.m. CDT in the UIC Pavilion.
 
"It's always a fun competition between the four in-state schools," said NIU head coach Sam Morreale. "I think it's great for fans. It just showcases all of the Illinois talent, and what's going on in our state. It's fun because we're very familiar with each other. We recruited a lot the same gymnasts. Everyone on the teams know each other because they're from club teams. Those are things that you don't typically get in a meet, so that's obviously a lot of fun. We're using this as a stepping stone to [Mid-American Conference Championships], so we're going out there to give it everything we've got."
 
The weekend will be the third and last time the Huskies see the UIC Flames but is the only opportunity to go up against Illinois and Illinois State. Historically, Illinois has come out on top above the remaining three teams, and NIU has taken or tied for in second in eight of the last 12 competitions.
 
The Huskies head into the weekend after two successful weekends at home, earning consecutive MAC wins over Ball State (Feb. 25) and Western Michigan (March 5).
 
Junior floor specialist Anna Martucci (Clarkston, Mich./Our Lady of the Lakes) also earned back-to-back MAC weekly awards after the pair of conference wins. Her most recent was awarded after recording a 9.975 to record NIU gymnastics' highest individual score since Margaret Mroz hit a perfect 10.0 on the same event during the 1995 season. The high-score is her fifth score of 9.900 or better this season.
 
Senior all-around competitor Ashley Potts (Oakwood Hills, Ill./Prairie Ridge) helped NIU sweep the weekly awards, taking the Gymnast of the Week honor after setting her career-high on floor as well with a 9.900.
 
The Huskies are hoping to build off the past two weeks as they take on the in-state competition tomorrow. Fans can follow NIU by live stats or by checking the team's Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts.
 
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