Gymnastics fever has hit NIU’s campus.

Tonight starts off a weekend stint for both the men’s and women’s gymnastics teams as each competes in a 7:30 p.m. meet at Chick Evans Field House. Coach Chuck Ehrlich and his men welcome No. 1-ranked Illinois and Big Eight contender Iowa State.

While the men contend to keep their fourth-ranked spot in the nation, the NIU women tumblers take on Southeast Missouri State, the nation’s top-rated Division II squad.

The Huskie women do not end the weekend with tonight’s bout. They come back on Sunday for a 2 p.m. meet with Valparaiso and defending NAIA national champion Winona State.

“It will be a very interesting night,” women’s boss Bobbie Cesarek said about tonight’s coed meet. “The men are doing three events at a time while the women do two events at a time. The spectators should have a good time.

“The meet kind of snowballed, actually. The field house is the only arena we have, and we wanted to have a meet and the men wanted to have a meet. It’s not going to be like the mixed pairs, but it should be okay.”

The NIU males enter their triangular with a 2-3 dual-meet slate after a 279.75-274.65 loss at Penn State. Ehrlich was not very pleased with his squad’s low score and hopes his crew will use tonight to build consistency.

“Their consistency was not there in the first two events,” Ehrlich said about the Penn State meet. “We thought we could come back, but their vault beat us out.”

While the team is gaining consistency, it is losing two key members for a short time. All-arounders Jens Furst and Thomas Koll returned to their homeland in West Germany in order to meet national team requirements to try out for the 1988 Olympic squad.

“It is definitely going to hurt,” Ehrlich said. “We are losing 12 routines and two all-around scores where each marks 56. But it is not a surprise, so we are just going to have to do the best we can.”

The NIU women come into the event carrying a second-place finish from Saturday’s State of Illinois Classic. NIU’s 178.35 finish followed Illinois’ 182.20 tally. Illinois-Chicago’s 166.55 score rounded out the tournament. NIU sophomore Martha Unger posted a school record of 37.05 in four events.

“The girls did an excellent job in the first three events, which was floor, vault and the uneven bars,” Cesarek said. “But then I think they got nervous during the balance beam, and we just couldn’t get back.”

NIU boasts a 7-3 mark while Missouri holds a 6-3 ledger. Winona State has a perfect 12-0 record while Valparaiso is 0-5 prior to a Saturday meet at Illinois-Chicago.

“I am anticipating victories,” Cesarek said. “It has been a tough week for the girls because of tests, so we have been carrying light loads during paractices.”