NIU gymnastics went head-to-head with the Eastern Michigan University Eagles on Sunday in its red out meet at home. Seven Huskie gymnasts made the podium, and three claimed first-place spots in their respective events. NIU (2-7, 1-0 MAC) took down the Eagles (4-2, 1-2 MAC) to win their first meet of the season 193.375-193.300.
EMU looked like they were going to come out on top before NIU gymnastics interim head coach Dawnita “Nita” Teague noticed a discrepancy with sophomore Dawsyn Sallee’s floor routine score. After sending in a video inquiry, Sallee’s score was corrected, which changed the outcome of the meet.
“We knew we had to send in an inquiry because (the judges) had missed a skill,” Teague said. “When (EMU) pulled ahead, we were like ‘well, wait.’ They asked for a video inquiry, and it came back to our advantage. We were correct, and they missed something. I was a judge for over 25 years… it was a very easy skill to miss. It can easily happen, so I had a good idea that’s what it was.”
Junior Kiera O’Shea tied for first in the vault event with a score of 9.725. Sallee met O’Shea on the podium, also tying for first on vault alongside EMU senior Alana Fisher. This marks O’Shea’s third consecutive first-place finish on vault this season.
“I try to go in with the same mindset of calmness, letting my body take over,” O’Shea said. “My coaches have really stressed autopilot, focusing on the front of the board and the little corrections. (That’s) what makes all of it come together. I feel like I showed up in competition.”
O’Shea and Sallee helped the Huskies win the event, who scored 48.400 on vault overall. With a 38.650 score across all events, O’Shea also placed third in all-around competition.
Senior Ellery Werner placed first on the balance beam for the third time this season. Werner’s routine scored a 9.875, her highest of the season, and helped NIU to a 48.525 balance beam score.
“This is my fourth year doing (balance beam), so you kind of get in the groove,” Werner said. “Having all of these girls to support me makes a huge difference. I would call it a team win; we all really support each other. Putting all of the pieces together and getting that third (first place) finish feels really great. Hard work is paying off, and we love to see it.”
For the first time this season, NIU saw two gymnasts make the podium for floor. Freshman Drake White placed second, scoring 9.825 with her routine. Sophomore Mikayla Brown tied for third place with a score of 9.775, and the Huskies totaled 48.700 in the event.
After mishaps in her uneven bars and balance beam routines, White was happy to end her meet with a personal best on floor.
“I go into a floor routine with full confidence and trust that my teammates will have my back and that I’ll do what I’ve been training to do,” White said. “I really took my time and thought about one skill at a time. I’m just super happy for myself, because I felt like this meet was a little rough at the beginning. The way that I was able to bounce back at the end was really exciting.”
UP NEXT
The Huskies host their last meet of the month in another MAC matchup against Kent State University at 7 p.m. Friday at the NIU Convocation Center. Gymnastics will compete alongside wrestling in NIU’s annual Beauty and the Beast meet.
“We’re always looking at that MAC record,” Teague said. “More importantly to me is our girls and their confidence. This was a big confidence builder for our team. They’ve had a lot of the right internals going on, but it’s nice to get affirmation on the outside, getting a win against a MAC opponent.”