DeKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University junior gymnast Mia Lord was named the Mid-American Conference co-Specialist of the Week Wednesday after her routines on vault and balance beam contributed to NIU's top performance of the season Friday in a win over Eastern Michigan. 

The last gymnast up on balance beam, NIU's last event of the meet, Lord tied her career high with a 9.900 that lifted the Huskies' overall team score to 196.125, the second highest mark in school history.  Lord's mark tied the highest score by a Huskie on any event this year and tied her with teammate Allison Richardson for first place on balance beam in the meet. Her 9.9 beam routine also gave the Huskies a school record total of 49.325 on that event, breaking the mark set last year at the MAC Championships.  

Earlier in the meet, the Fishers, Indiana product scored led off vault for NIU with a career high 9.800, helping NIU record its fourth-highest team vault score in school history with a 49.000.   

Lord's weekly MAC honor was the first by a Huskie gymnast this season and the first of her career.  

NIU's win over Eastern Michigan lifted the Huskies' record to 3-2 overall, 3-1 in the MAC. The Huskies return to action on Sunday, February 23 at the George Washington Quad Meet in Washington, D.C. when they take on GW, Temple and N.C. State.   

-- NIU --