The NIU gymnastics squad prepares for the next chapter in its 47-year history.
In this chapter, the Huskies seek to flip the script from the one before after being left unsatisfied with their finish in last season’s conference title meet.
“They came in with a chip on their shoulder, wanting to improve from how we finished last year,” said NIU gymnastics head coach Sam Morreale at NIU Athletics’ Winter Sports Media Day on Oct. 27.
The Huskies went 8-5 in competitions last season, including a perfect 6-0 record at home. NIU finished last in the seven-team pool at the 2023 MAC Championships, ending its two-year reign as the league runner-up. Three Huskie gymnasts went on to compete at the NCAA Denver Regional.
VETERAN LEADERSHIP
Morreale enters his 12th season at the helm of NIU gymnastics, and 22nd with the program overall. Morreale’s soon-to-be 22-year stint in DeKalb makes him one of the longest-serving coaches at NIU.
Associate head coach Dawnita “Nita” Teague and assistant coach Chris Weiss join Morreale for their 18th and 12th seasons with the team.
RETURNING TALENTS
The Huskies’ 2024 roster lists 24 student-athletes, making it the largest roster of Morreale’s head coaching tenure.
NIU returns two of its three NCAA Regionals qualifiers from last season in senior Alyssa Al-Ashari and junior Emmalise Nock.
Al-Ashari is a specialist on uneven parallel bars and the Huskies’ anchor on balance beam. She logged the team’s season-high scores of 9.925 on both events in 2023. Al-Ashari earned a top-three finish on beam in her NCAA Regional debut last season after garnering All-MAC Second Team honors.
Nock enters Year 3 wearing an NIU leotard as the team’s anchor in the floor exercise. Nock pocketed a 9.950 on floor at the Beauty and the Beast tri-meet on Feb. 4, which was the highest score by a Huskie in any event in 2023. She became the fourth NIU gymnast in school history to notch a 9.950 or higher on floor.
Junior Isabella Sissi remains in the mix after her first full season as an all-arounder. Sissi was named to the 2023 MAC All-Tournament team following a 39.100 finish to tie for sixth in the all-around.
UNDERCLASSMEN ON THE RISE
Sophomore Kiera O’Shea is poised to make an impact after being limited for much of her freshman season due to illness and injury. O’Shea was one of two freshmen to earn a line-up spot last season. She posted the team’s 2023 season-high vault score of 9.875 during NIU’s meet with Eastern Michigan University on Feb. 17.
The Huskies’ 2024 roster includes seven freshmen: Mikayla Brown, Jade Golembiewski, Isabella Ross, Dawsyn Sallee, Savannah West, Haley Zampella and Natalie Ziebell. Of the seven, Morreale expects Brown, Ross and Sallee to push for all-around spots.
“I feel like our roster is one of our deepest and most talented rosters we’ve had in a while,” Morreale said. “Everybody is here to contribute.”
NO EASY MEETS
The Huskies’ winter schedule features four home meets and road trips to seven different states. Three of those will be visits to schools Morreale describes as “perennial powerhouses.”
NIU opens its competition schedule at the Mizzou Invitational hosted by the University of Missouri on Jan. 6. Near season’s end, the Huskies head to North Carolina State University (March 2) and the University of Minnesota (March 17) for a pair of quad meets.
“None of our meets will be easy,” Morreale said. “Everything we’ll be able to build off of to kind of see where we end at the end of the year.”
This year’s MAC Championships will be held on March 23 and hosted by Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.
FIRST GLIMPSE
Before competition begins in January, NIU will host the annual Red/Black exhibition meet at 6 p.m. Friday at Victor E. Court. The roster will be divided into the red and black teams, who will then compete in all four events. Admission to the event and all NIU home meets is free of charge.
