Over the weekend, senior gymnast Holly Reichard will be competing at the University of Oklahoma in the Norman Regional.

This is Reichard’s third appearance at the NCAA Regionals, making her only the fourth Huskie to make three Regional appearances.

Her first selection came as a freshman in 2008, and then again as a sophomore.

Reichard scored above a 39 in the all-around competition three times this season. The senior was also the team-high scorer for the Huskies at least once in every individual event this year.

Her highest score of the year was 9.850, which she scored on balance beam, uneven parallel bars and floor exercise.

Her strongest event this year was balance beam, where she tied for third at the MAC Championships.

While the numbers may speak for themselves, gymnastics coach Mark Sontag was fervent in emphasizing Reichard’s impact over the course of the season.

“Holly was so important to our team this year,” Sontag said. “She performed well for us all year long, and she had a huge impact on our team. She is a very talented gymnast.”

Sontag said he believes that Reichard has an edge on the competition due to the experience that she has competing at the NCAA Regional level.

“The experience that Holly has will pay off tremendously for her,” Sontag said. “She has been to this exact regional in Oklahoma before as well. She knows what to expect. It’s a lot of pressure, but she is able to handle it and still give her best performances.”

Sontag is expecting good things from Reichard, believing that she could be very successful and even move onto Nationals.

“Holly is capable of anything,” he said. “If she rocks all four of her sets she will have a good chance of making it to Nationals. I think she could make it. She has the talent and the drive, but in order for her to get there she is going to have to really dig deep.”