DeKALB, Ill. – Junior Tara Kofmehl (Mesa, Arizona/Red Mountain HS) won three events en route to the all-around title and the Northern Illinois University gymnastics team earned its highest score of the season but dropped a 195.150-194.825 decision to Eastern Michigan Friday night at the NIU Convocation Center.
 
Kofmehl, the reigning Mid-American Conference Gymnast of the Week, tallied a career-best 39.325 all-around score, tied for the eighth best in school history. Kofmehl, who posted eight personal best scores in two meets last week, earned career high scores to win the vault (9.825), uneven parallel bars (9.875) and floor exercise (9.925) Friday, and added a 9.700 on balance beam. 
 
"Tara is just coming into her own right now and this is three meets in a row where she has just been excellent," said NIU head coach Sam Morreale. "She adds a tenth on beam – which she is completely capable of – and she's right there, challenging for the school [all-around] record [of 39.550]."
 
The Huskies also got a win on balance beam from senior Mia Lord, who tied for first with a 9.850 mark. Senior Zoie Schroeder (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park HS) tied for second on vault with a 9.800 and Nicolette DiPrisco (Aberdeen, N.J./Red Bank Catholic HS) was second on floor exercise (9.850).
 
NIU led Eastern Michigan, 146.450-146.200, after three events before the Eagles outscored the Huskies 48.950-48.375 in the final rotation with EMU on balance beam and NIU on floor exercise. The Huskies' final total topped its previous season best of 194.800 set last week at Central Michigan.
 
"We saw tonight that the 195 [team score] is right there, so even though the 194.825 is a season high, it's a little bittersweet," Morreale said. "Our first three events were great, and this is a step for us in the right direction. To come out of a meet where we get the season high score and still feel a little bit unsatisified is a good thing. We know that when you're going up against the teams we have in the MAC this year, you're not going to win if you miss."
 
Three gymnasts – Kofmehl and sophomores Brookelyn Sears (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville HS) and Natalie Hamp (Ionia, Mich./Ionia HS) – each scored 9.850 or higher on bars as that group tallied a 48.850, while the vault and balance beam squads posted season high totals of 48.800.  
 
"Our top end of the line-up on each event are doing a really good job overall," Morreale said. "Tonight, we put an emphasis on starting off with a hit and our first kids up got us going on those first three events, with freshmen in two of those spots."
 
Alyssa Al-Ashari (Lansing, Mich./Grand Ledge HS) led off for NIU on balance beam and in her first meet on that event, scored a 9.775 to tie for fifth. Fellow rookie Olivia Lynd (West Chester, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) matched that score on beam and added a 9.725 on floor exercise and a solid leadoff score of 9.600 on vault.
 
"Alyssa is pushing the bars group too, and Olivia stepped into the floor line-up at the last minute and came through, in addition to what she did on beam and vault," Morreale said.   
 
NIU (2-5 overall, 2-3 MAC) returns to action on Saturday, February 27 when the Huskies close out the conference season versus Kent State at the NIU Convocation Center.  The meet begins at 2 p.m. and will be available to watch on Huskie All-Access.
 
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