KENT, Ohio – The Northern Illinois University gymnastics team concluded a double meet weekend by posting its second-highest score of the season Sunday at Kent State with a 195.325 but fell to the Golden Flashes who finished at 196.925.
 
NIU built on its 194.575 total from Friday night's Beauty and the Beast Quad Meet by recording its highest bars score and second-best vault team totals of 2024.  
 
"We're definitely going in the right direction," said NIU head coach Sam Morreale. "We had a good day on Friday and to come here and build off of that, I love it. We tend to do better on the second day of these double meet weekends. The only way to get better at this time of year is to compete. We had two really good days this week and they came at a great time to propel us down the stretch."
 
The Huskies opened on uneven parallel bars and got six hit routines, led by senior Alyssa Al-Ashari who tied her career high with a 9.925 to take second on the event. Natalia Kraus and Emmalise Nock each earned their career highs on bars with a 9.800 while Isabella Sissi added a season best 9.825. The Huskies totaled 49.100 on the event.
 
NIU followed that with a 49.050 on vault with sophomore Kiera O'Shea tying for first with a 9.875 while Sissi and freshman Dawsyn Sallee each contributing 9.825s and Jocelyn Harbeck a career best 9.775.
 
"We haven't hit bars here [in Kent] in a while so that was a huge start for us," Morreale said. "That's the bars team we were hoping to have this year. Vault is the event that's going to surprise the most a lot of people. Kiera O'Shea did a great one-and-a-half to finish it off."
 
NIU was solid on its third event, floor exercise. Emmalise Nock scored a 9.850 with Alana Anderson and Mikayla Brown, one of three freshmen in the Huskies' floor line-up, adding 9.800s. The Huskies totaled a 48.950 on floor.
 
Al-Ashari's score of 9.925 on balance beam marked a season high and the fourth time in her career she reached that mark as she tied for first on the event.  Senior Kendall George's 9.775 was the Huskies' next highest score on beam, although freshman Mikayla Brown's exhibition performance earned a 9.900.
 
"We are a good beam team," Morreale said.  "On floor, we are relying on three freshmen out there and they are getting better every event.  We were really good on three events today and we're just going to keep getting better. We have seven meets left and we can be whatever we want to be. All of our goals, minus the MAC regular season championship, are in front of us."
 
Sissi hit all four of her events for the second time on the weekend and recorded a 39.100 all-around score for the second time in as many meets.
 
NIU is on the road again next week as the Huskies travel to Ypsilanti, Michigan to take on Eastern Michigan on Sunday, February 18 beginning at Noon (CT).  
 
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