NIU gymnasts earn conference honors

By Northern Star Staff

The gymnastics team had two gymnasts named Wednesday to the All Mid-American Conference team.

Junior floor specialist Anna Martucci was named to the All-MAC First Team and senior all-around gymnast Ashley Potts was named to the All-MAC Second Team.

Martucci recorded the highest individual score in 20 years when she scored a 9.975 March 4 against the Western Michigan University Broncos.

Head Coach Sam Morreale said passion and attention to detail were key to Martucci being named to the All-MAC First Team.

“[Martucci’s] attention to detail in practice, the way she goes about her training, we were talking, yesterday, just trying to label it,” Morreale said, according to NIU Media Services. “It’s like when she is out there, there is a passion in her performance that is really starting to pay off It’s just really nice that she has been rewarded for it.”

Potts ranked No. 2 in the MAC as an all-around gymnast, including finishing second on the uneven bars and third on vault. The standout senior set career bests this season on uneven bars, floor exercise and beam. She also tied her career best on vault three times this season.

“[Potts] is super consistent,”Morreale said, according to NIU Media Services. “She’s everything that you look for in a Division I college athlete from a competitive, prep or any of those intangible standpoints. She added a new skill to her bars routine as we came down the stretch here in her senior season. She is definitely one of the best I’ve ever coached, whether here or in my club career.”

The Huskies compete in the MAC Championship 1 PM Saturday at Central Michigan University.