Women's Gymnastics | March 17

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Senior Katherine Prentice (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) led the Northern Illinois University gymnastics team on Saturday with the program's highest balance beam score since 2009 when Jennifer Naughton earned the same score.
 
The Huskies were unable to come out with the win they had hoped for over the Falcons as they fell, 196.475-195.700, but were excited with the progress from the week.
 
"We feel great, coming off a really great day," said NIU head coach Sam Morreale. "The first three events just kept building on energy and power, so we were feeling really good going into the last event. Beam wasn't bad, it just wasn't as great as the other three."
 
Prentice was a huge impact for the Huskies against the Bowling Green Falcons as she took second place in the all-around competition with a 39.225 cumulative score. She completed the high-score with two 9.800 scores on vault and uneven parallel bars, and picked up a 9.700 on floor.
 
Fellow senior all-arounder Ashley Potts (Oakwood Hills, Ill./Prairie Ridge) also scored big for NIU with a 9.900 on uneven bars, a 9.850 on vault, a 9.825 on floor and rounded out her 39.100 total score with a 9.525 on beam.
 
"Our two all-arounders did really great today," said Morreale. "Kat [Prentice] came out with the better score today, and we're going to really be pulled by those two."
 
The vault squad rocked out with a 49.050 to set the season-high and the second highest event score in NIU history. Potts anchored with the high with a tie for second place, while freshman Gabby Welch (Greenbrier, Tenn./Aaron Academy [Home School]) hit her career high with a 9.825. Sophomores Cinny Lamberti (Grayslake, Ill./Grayslake) and Amanda Bartemio (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) contributed with a 9.800 and 9.775, respectively.
 
Another team season-high and school top-10 mark was hit on uneven bars with a 49.000 with Potts winning the event. Prentice and sophomore Allison Richardson (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) added two 9.800 scores.
 
The success of the afternoon continued on floor as junior Anna Martucci (Clarkston, Mich./Our Lady of the Lakes) shined once again with another 9.900 on the event to mark her fourth of the season. Three Huskies tied with scores of 9.825 including Potts, Richardson and Paige Nicholas (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran West), to earn the highest team event score of the day with a 49.150. Bartemio earned a 9.775 as the final Huskie to score on the event.
 
On the balance beam, Prentice led the Huskies but was following suit of freshman Mia Lord (McCordsville, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern), who led the event off with a career-high, earning a 9.825.
 
"We were aiming to build confidence today to feed off for next weekend," said Morreale. "We wanted to treat it like it was MACs and get after it. It was an up-for-grabs met up until the last rotation and that is what it's going to be like next weekend."
 
NIU was happy to finish the afternoon on balance beam as it heads to the Mid-American Conference Championships next Saturday hosted by Central Michigan. The Huskies will compete last on the same event next weekend and welcomed the outcome today as a test.
 
The Huskies will take on all six MAC schools at 1 p.m. CDT in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
 
-NIU-