Women's Gymnastics | September 26

DeKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University women's gymnastics head coach Sam Morreale has retired from NIU after 13 years leading the program and 22 years as a member of the gymnastics staff, NIU Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation Sean T. Frazier announced Thursday.
 
"Under Coach Morreale, NIU gymnastics has been an exemplary program," Frazier said. "From winning the MAC Championship in 2019 to a number one national ranking in team GPA in 2021, he has elevated Huskie gymnastics in competition and in the classroom. We thank him for his dedication and his commitment throughout his time at NIU, going back to his days as a student-athlete here; we wish him all the best moving forward."
 
Morreale, a former NIU gymnast, was elevated to head coach in June of 2011 after serving on staff as an assistant coach beginning in 2003. Under his direction, the Huskies won the 2019 Mid-American Conference Championship, the first in school history, while NIU gymnasts earned 18 All-MAC selections – including in each of the last nine seasons - and made 28 NCAA Regional appearances. He was twice named MAC Coach of the Year (2017, 2019) and also was the South Central Region Coach of the Year in 2019.  
 
Morreale's NIU teams rewrote the school record book, setting – and re-setting – the marks for total team score and earning the highest team scores on each of the four events. NIU gymnasts won the MAC Specialist of the Year honor six times in Morreale's 13 seasons at the helm and claimed 11 individual event titles at the MAC Championships.
 
Academically, the gymnastics team has annually ranked among the nation's best squads under Morreale with a team GPA ranked in the Top 10 in the country in each of the last six seasons, including a nation-leading 3.874 mark in 2021.  
 
"I want to thank NIU and specifically NIU Athletics for the opportunity to lead the women's gymnastics team over the last 13 seasons," Morreale said. "I'm super proud of everything we accomplished.
 
"I'm grateful to all of the student-athletes that came through the program during my time at NIU; they gave their heart and soul to NIU gymnastics and worked extremely hard so we could enjoy the success that we did. Obviously, the 2019 MAC Championship was at the top of the list, but we broke records and sent individuals to [NCAA] Regionals almost every year and it wouldn't have been possible without the student-athletes, [associate head coach] Nita Teague and [assistant coach] Chris Weiss and all of the staff who supported NIU gymnastics. Thanks especially to my wife, Lisa Morreale, for taking this journey with me and supporting me every step of the way. 
 
"One of the things I'm most proud of is the sustained record of academic success NIU gymnastics has had during my time as head coach, from our APR scores and graduation rates to our GPA rankings. The student-athletes' dedication in the classroom matched their dedication in the gym.  
 
"It is time to step down. This is where my chapter at NIU ends, but my book is definitely not over, and I'm looking forward to the next chapter. NIU gymnastics will always have a place in my heart and as the saying goes, once a Huskie always a Huskie."
 
Associate Head Coach and NIU Athletics Hall of Famer Nita Teague has been named interim head coach.
 
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