AMES, Iowa – Sophomore Natalie Hamp (Ionia, Mich./Ionia HS) earned the second-highest score on uneven parallel bars in school history and junior Tara Kofmehl (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain HS) recorded her third total of 39.000 or higher in the all-around to lead the Northern Illinois University gymnastics team Friday night at Iowa State.
 
Iowa State took the dual meet win, outscoring the Huskies 195.750-193.625 as NIU counted a pair of falls on balance beam in their last event of the night. NIU heads to the Mid-American Conference Championships next weekend with an overall record of 5-9.
 
"We've got one more week [in the season], we've got to go and get it," said NIU head coach Sam Morreale. "We're ready for MACs, although this meet was probably not the best springboard into it.  I believe in this team and they believe in themselves.  We know we have to get it done on all levels, we can't fall and we can't count falls. We know the ability and the desire is certainly there."
 
Hamp capped off a solid bars rotation for the Huskies with a career high score of 9.925 to share first place honors in the meet. She earned the first score of 9.925 or higher on bars for NIU since Ashley Potts scored a school record 9.950 in 2018.
 
"It was nice to see Natalie get the score she deserved on bars," Morreale said. "She got the stick at the end and was rewarded, which was good to see.  She was as good as she's been all year, another great routine for her."
 
Kofmehl posted NIU's top scores on both vault (9.825) and floor exercise (9.875) en route to an all-around total of 39.000, her fifth time reaching or topping that score on the year. She was fourth on vault and tied for second on floor exercise. Morgan Hooper (Lincoln, Neb./St. Pius X) also put together four solid routines, including a team-best 9.725 on balance beam, for an all-around score of 38.750.
 
"Tara had another super solid day and was great on vault and floor," Morreale said. "She is in that 39 ballpark all the time and easily could have been over that today.  It's good to see her hitting her stride here at the end of the year."
 
The Huskies totaled a 48.800 mark on floor exercise and a 48.750 on vault after opening the meet with a 48.625 on bars.
 
"Vault and floor were both solid for us, we can squeeze a little more out of those," Morreale said. "Bars, we know that's a good event for us and then it's a matter of staying on the beam.  I'm so proud of what we've been able to accomplish up to this point with all the ups and downs of this year.  I still have a lot of confidence in this team heading into MACs."
 
NIU next heads to the MAC Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Saturday, March 20 at 1 p.m.
 
-- NIU --