DeKALB — The Gymnastics team got its first win of the season against Winona State University Warriors in its meet Saturday, defeating them 193.675 to 184.750.

NIU placed third overall in the event, falling against the Minnesota University Golden Gophers and the University of Maryland Terrapins, while defeating Winona State.

Even with the 1-2 finish at the event, Head Coach Sam Morreale said he was pleased with his team’s performance, the improvement and how they approached the event.

“We definitely improved and built off last week, our overall approach and how we handled and prepared for the meet,” Morreale said. “We were more relaxed and just went out there and had fun. You can see it in the results. We came up a little bit short and were little bummed by that, but it was not from a lack of trying.”

NIU lost to Minnesota by .625 points and Maryland by .45 points, while beating Winona State by 8.825.

Despite a competitive score, NIU did not finish with a gymnast better than third in any of the four events. Senior Ashley Potts and sophomore Allison Richardson competed in all four events, posting a combined 76.375 on the evening.

Morreale praised Potts for her performance, and he is excited to watch her succeed and lead the team throughout the season.

“She’s just our leader,” Morreale said. “She’s a kid that we count on and one of those athletes that is truly blessed with a ton of talent, and she is one of the hardest workers on the team. We’re really happy to have her, and she’s going to have a really good year.”

Morreale said he is optimistic about the team’s chance to improve throughout the season.

“The mistakes we made are identifiable, and we can fix that stuff, so we’re really looking forward to get back at it next week,” Morreale said.

The Huskies will be back in action 6 p.m. Friday in Ohio against Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.