CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University gymnastics team earned its highest score of the season Saturday, and freshman Morgan Hooper (Lincoln, Neb./St. Pius X HS) and Anna Martucci (Clarkston, Mich./Our Lady of the Lakes HS) earned the title of state champions by winning the uneven parallel bars and floor exercise, respectively, as the Huskies took third place at the State of Illinois Classic in Champaign.
 
NIU's 195.750 team total ranks as the fourth-highest in school history and gives NIU the 195-plus score that Huskie head coach Sam Morreale said was needed entering the final regular season meet of 2019, a dual duel at Central Michigan next week.
 
 "Getting the 195 is huge, it's a confidence builder for us," Morreale said.  "It's something we've been talking about for weeks, getting back on track. Today we saw the team that we built it to be early in the year.  We know it's what we are, we just haven't done it enough times. We've been bouncing around with three good events for a couple of weeks, so it was good to get four good events today.  It was a good, close, tight competition all day.  A lot of energy in the gym, a great crowd and it was a lot of fun."
 
Hooper and the NIU bars squad rebounded from a disappointing outing last week at home to earn its highest score of the season on the Huskies' first event. Senior Emily Basara (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township HS) started NIU off with a season-high 9.800 and the momentum continued all the way through Hooper's 9.900, the highest bars score by any Huskie this year, and the best of any gymnast in the meet.
 
"Last week wasn't us, it was unnatural," Morreale said. "It's easy to panic and get all worried, to second guess what you're doing. Bars is historically a solid event for us, I like starting there. Today, we talked about being us and that's how we approached the meet and the event. We weren't perfect, we had a miss, but the goal is to keep battling and getting the 49 was a great tone setter. Your team feeds off that positive energy."  
 
As she has all season, sophomore Mia Lord (McCordsville, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern HS) led the way for NIU on balance beam, finishing with a 9.875 to tie for third and earn All-State honors.  The Huskies' 48.725 score on vault was its second-highest of the season with four scores of 9.750 or higher, including a season-best 9.800 by Amanda Bartemio (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS) and 9.775s by Cinny Lamberti (Grayslake, Ill./Grayslake HS) and Tara Kofmehl (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain HS).
 
Prior to vault, the Huskies put on a show on floor exercise, counting five scores of 9.800 or higher. Bartemio, Kofmehl and Allison Richardson (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville HS) all scored 9.875 on their routines, setting up anchor Martucci who came through with a 9.950, who tied her – and NIU's – season high. Their total of 49.375 ranks behind only the 49.425 the Huskies tallied earlier this season at Ball State, on the all-time best list.
 
"Floor has been a great event for us all year, we had the high score on floor today which was great to see," Morreale said. "We saw Anna getting back into her swing and everyone on floor is just doing a very good job. Then we went into vault and I think we vaulted the best we vaulted all year. We haven't put landings on that event and today we did."
 
UIC, competing in what appears to be its last State of Illinois Classic due to its program being discontinued after this season, won the state title, breaking a run of 11 straight victories by the University of Illinois.  The Flames earned a score of 196.150 to take the win, followed by Illinois at 196.075.  Illinois State scored 195.075 to take fourth place.
 
The Huskies close out the regular season, and Mid-American Conference competition on Friday, March 15 with a dual meet at Central Michigan before returning home on Saturday, March 23 to host the MAC Gymnastics Championships beginning at 2 p.m.  Tickets for the MAC Championships are available now online at NIUHuskies.com/tickets or at the door for $10 for adults and $5 for children. Students of MAC institutions are free.  
 
-- NIU --