NIU gymnastics hosted its last home meet of the season against Bowling Green State University. The scoring came down to the wire, and the Huskies rose above the Falcons by a 0.025 point difference in the final tally. 

With eight podium finishers across the events and two all-arounders making the podium, NIU (5-11, 2-3 MAC) beat the Falcons (4-12, 0-6 MAC) 194.275-194.250. 

“Everybody knew it was a close race,” said NIU gymnastics interim head coach Dawnita “Nita” Teague. “We were a little nervous going in, but we also trust our girls. It was great to see them perform and rise to the occasion.”

The Huskies made their presence felt on the uneven bars, sweeping the podium for the first time this season. Freshman Katie Ferguson scored 9.800 on the uneven bars to take first place in the event. Ferguson was self-critical of her performance but was proud of her win for the team.

“I wasn’t the happiest with my routine today,” Ferguson said. “I know I could’ve definitely done better. I was happy to be able to go up and hit, and get the winning score for today. That was really fun.”

Senior Talia Kraus and freshman Aliyah Kelly each tallied a 9.750 score to complete the podium sweep. Their routines helped the Huskies win the event with a total uneven bars score of 48.475.

Senior Ellery Werner executed a first-place finish on the balance beam, scoring 9.850 in the event. This marks her fourth first-place victory of the season on the beam. Despite mishaps with earlier beam routines for the Huskies, Werner anchored the line and helped NIU win the event with a score of 48.325. 

“We had a really strong line,” Werner said. “I was excited for everyone to hit and do their stuff. There were some little bumps and wiggles or whatever, but we kept the energy up. When it was my time to go, I just tried to do what I do in the gym. (It was) definitely a good day, especially with the win.”

Sophomore Mikayla Brown tied for first place on floor, scoring 9.800. She tied with Falcon freshman Kayla Shaw. She deemed this routine her most poised of the season, helping build momentum as the regular season winds down. 

“I felt really confident,” Brown said. “That is the best floor routine that I’ve ever put up so far. I know I’ve gotten a higher score before on floor, but that felt like my most confident routine that I’ve done this year. I’m really happy about that.”

UP NEXT 

The Huskies look to win their second consecutive MAC matchup against Central Michigan University at 5 p.m. Friday in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.