DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University gymnastics team will take on a schedule featuring national, regional and conference competition that NIU head coach Sam Morreale believes will put his team on a path to even greater heights as the Huskies released their complete 2022 schedule Friday.
 
"Honestly, we're just super excited to get started again," Morreale said. "Last year we were right where we wanted to be, so it's a great place to build off of going into this year. We have some great competition on this schedule, especially kicking off at Florida which will be a great atmosphere.  The MAC is super-competitive with a lot of teams right there vying to win the league and get to postseason. We'll see Iowa State again, have a couple of meets versus Illinois, plus our regional battles versus Illinois State and SEMO."
 
NIU will open the season at a quad meet hosted by SEC power Florida on January 7 and open Mid-American Conference competition nine days later on January 16 versus Kent State at a tri-meet that also features the University of Illinois.  The Huskies' season-opening road slate continues in Tennessee at the USA Invitational versus Southeast Missouri on January 21 and at Bowling Green on January 30.
 
The Huskies first home competition is a quad meet versus Lindenwood, SEMO and Wisconsin-Whitewater on February 4 in the NIU Convocation Center, before a back-to-back dual weekend versus Illinois State on February 11 and 13.  NIU then plays host to Western Michigan, Central Michigan and Iowa State in a quad meet on February 20 that will be a side-by-side meet with NIU Wrestling.
 
"I think February 20 will be a lot of fun with the quad meet going on at the same time as wrestling, that's definitely one to put on the calendar," Morreale said.
 
NIU concludes its home schedule February 25 versus Ball State before closing out the season with a quad meet at Illinois that includes CMU and Boise State on March 4, and a dual at Eastern Michigan March 13. The Eagles will also host the MAC Championships on March 19.
 
"The goal is always to win, but also to keep climbing that scoring ladder and this schedule certainly gives us that opportunity," Morreale said. "The tri- and quad- meets are good because those prepare you for postseason, so it's exciting to have several of those events on the schedule.  Then we finish at Eastern Michigan and head back there a few days later for the MAC Championship."   
 
NIU will hold its annual Red-Black Intrasquad Meet on November 19 at 6 p.m. in Victor E. Court.  Admission to all NIU gymnastics home meets is free.
 
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