DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University gymnastics team celebrated Senior Day Sunday by posting its second-highest score of the season, and its sixth-best all-time in a 195.800-195.750 loss to Mid-American Conference foe Ball State.
 
The Huskies entered the final rotation trailing by .350 and made up all but the last .050 on floor exercise while posting its top team floor score of the season with a 49.075. Ball State's 48.775 on balance beam was enough to edge NIU, which fell to 4-6 overall and 3-2 in the MAC.  Despite the loss, the Huskies' scores from Friday and Sunday during a double meet weekend show the strides NIU has made as the season enters the stretch run, said head coach Sam Morreale.
 
"I just feel like the more times we compete at this time of year, the better we get, the sharper we get," Morreale said. "That's what we got to see this weekend. What we did well on Friday, we did well again, and then where we had those errors [Friday], we definitely cleaned that up on bars and had a good day there."
 
NIU showed its consistency across all four events by posting scores between 48.850 (uneven parallel bars) and 49.075 (floor exercise) on each of the four disciplines on Sunday. Individually, NIU did not count a score below 9.700 on the day.
 
On vault, Huskies Amanda Bartemio (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS), Gabby Welch (Greenbrier, Tenn./Aaron Academy) and Cinny Lamberti (Grayslake, Ill./Grayslake Central) tied for second place with scores of 9.800 to lead the way to a 48.950 on the opening event.  Mia Lord (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern HS) and Zoie Schroeder (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park HS) added 9.775 vaults for NIU.  
 
"I thought we vaulted the best we have all year," Morreale said. "I felt really good about what we did. Beam was super solid again. That's something we're going to have as our final event moving forward so we need that to be solid. Overall, I'm pretty happy with our day today. I'll take out 195.75 and see where that lands us in most meets."
 
Bartemio, one of five seniors honored Sunday, scored a career high 9.850 on uneven parallel bars to earn the win on that event and closed out her day with a 9.825 on floor exercise, the fifth time this season she has earned that score.  Seniors Lauren Gomes (Dix Hills, N.Y./Commack HS) and Nina Martucci (Clarkston, Mich./Our Lady of the Lakes HS) contributed on bars with scores of 9.725 and 9.750, respectively.
 
"After the injury [in the preseason], Amanda got the green light to really fully get after it [on bars] two weeks ago," Morreale said. "She wanted to be in [line-up] on Friday and I said, we're going to exhibition you to let you get comfortable without that added pressure. She took it as 'all right, I'm gonna get in on Friday, I'm gonna hit and then I'm gonna earn my shot,' and she earned her shot. That's the type of athlete Amanda is, she's a competitor. She's one of those that when the chips are down, I want her on my team."
 
NIU was solid on balance beam as well with Lord taking first place on the day with a 9.875 while sophomore Morgan Hooper (Lincoln, Neb./St. Pius X HS) added a 9.825 to tie for second, and Lamberti, another Huskie senior, posting a 9.775.
 
Sophomore Tara Kofmehl (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain HS) and Hooper led the way on floor exercise with scores of 9.875 and 9.850, respectively, to place second and third in the meet.  Bartemio was just behind at 9.825 and senior Allison Richardson (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville HS) contributed a 9.800.
 
"Morgan and Tara are sophomores that we're building around," Morreale said. "They are good enough on all four events to be in lineup, we're just deep so it bumps them out of certain spots, but we're going to rely on them moving forward.
 
"Senior Day is a little tough at the beginning, but I love the intensity that the seniors compete with at senior meet, and the team wants to step up to send them off. I think the team did a really good job of that just to show what the seniors have meant to us."
 
Although the Huskies celebrated Senior Day and honored the five seniors in a post-meet ceremony, NIU will hold its final home meet of the season Friday night beginning at 6 p.m. in Victor E. Court in the NIU Convocation Center versus Illinois State.
 
-- NIU --