Alabama has an extra special meaning for NIU gymnast Martha Unger this weekend.

Unger left Thursday night for Alabama, because she qualified last Saturday for the NCAA Regional Championships.

Only seven individual gymnasts received bids to compete in the tournament. Unger is ranked fifth with a 36.47 all-around average.

“Obviously I was very happy when I heard,” Unger said of her regional berth. “I went into last week’s meet seventh, but I did well enough to move up to fifth.”

Last weekend the NIU women’s gymnastics team finished its season against Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are one of the nation’s top 20 teams and the fourth-ranked team in the region.

NIU Coach Bobbie Cesarek said Martha had to perform well, especially on beam, during the meet against Minnesota to get a chance for a regional bid.

Because of ankle problems, Unger’s performance is usually shaky on the balance beam. Last Saturday’s meet was different. Unger scored a 9.25, and although the score did not place her in the top three spots, it was one of her best scores on beam this season.

“I did great on beam,” Unger said. “It was the first time I scored at least a nine. It is definitely my best.”

Unger said she is looking forward to Saturday’s meet not only because of the competition, but also because she will see people she knew before she entered college.

“I will see a lot of girls I competed against when I was in private club,” Unger said. “I will also get a chance to compete against gymnasts I had heard of in club but never met.”

Unger said she practiced this week the same way she did last week. She has been putting in extra effort on the beam and hopes it will bring good results Saturday. Unger says her favorite event is the floor exercise because she is more at ease and can express herself.

Unger said she has enjoyed her freshman year on the team. She said she got a lot of her self-discipline from her coach at private club and it carried over into her college career.

Cesarek said it is very difficult for an individual to advance to nationals, but she is excited Martha will get the chance to try.

“The ability to go from regionals to nationals is very hard,” Cesarek said. “The top all-around winner is the only gymnast who goes on to nationals.”

During regionals the top seven teams also compete. This year’s competition includes Alabama, Auburn, Illinois State, Louisiana State, Michigan, Minnesota, and U of I.