Women's Gymnastics | February 21
DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University gymnastics team finished in second place in the Beauty and the Beast Meet while crowning three. Following the meet,
Jocelyn Harbeck,
Samantha Nickle and
Kiera O'Shea were recognized for senior night.
Competing against Southeast Missouri State and Wilberforce, NIU finished with a team score of 191.700 while SEMO took first place with 193.900 and Wilberforce rounded out the three with 180.775.
Sophomore
Drake White (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) placed in two routines on Friday night, tying for first place on floor and taking third on vault. Junior
Dawsyn Sallee (Versailles, Ky./Woodford County High) finished with a 9.825 on vault, taking first place for the second consecutive meet.
Three freshmen swept on bars for NIU in
Elizabeth Poncin (Tinley Park, Ill./Tinley Park),
Deziray Boykin (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley) and
Avery Riiff (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East). Junior
Mikayla Brown (Suwanee, Ga./Peachtree Ridge) placed on beam for the second straight meet, taking second place with a 9.850.
Rotation One
While Sallee and White led NIU on vault, sophomore
Audrey Brenner (Fond du Lac, Wis./Fond du Lac) turned in a 9.700 from the anchor position. Brenner has earned a score of 9.700 or higher in five straight meets and six of the seven meets this season.
Friday night was Sallee's third time placing on vault this season and White's first.
Rotation Two
Riiff opened the second rotation with a 9.700 on bars, setting the table for Poncin to stick a career-best 9.825 from the No. 2 position. Poncin's 9.825 is the highest score on bars from the Huskies this season.
Boykin earned a score of 9.725, her second in the last three meets.
Rotation Three
Brown tied a career high and set a new mark for the season on beam with a 9.850, her second straight meet with a 9.800 or higher.
Boykin was able to ride the momentum from the previous rotation, earning a career-best 9.750 and tying for fifth. Nickle (Yorktown, Va./York) added a 9.725 from the No. 2 spot.
Rotation Four
Sallee opened in the final rotation with a 9.700 and shortly after, Harbeck (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) earned a score of 9.725 – her fifth straight meet with a 9.725 or higher.
White won on floor for the second time this season with a 9.800.
