Pride.

That’s what two Huskie gymnasts and their coach felt after the NCAA Regionals.

Junior Leah Johnson and freshman Holly Reichard closed out their seasons with a trip to Norman, Okla., to compete in the event this past weekend.

Neither gymnast earned a spot in the NCAA Championships, but NIU head coach Mark Sontag said their performances were great.

“I am proud of them for even just making it to that level of competition,” Sontag said. “It was really good for our program and for NIU.”

Johnson returned to regionals for the second straight year and posted a 38.100 in competition. Her score landed her in 15th place, a spot which Sontag was happy to see her reach.

“She did a great job,” the coach said. “She really hit a nice vault for us and had a nice bar routine. She had some great performances.”

Despite scoring a 9.725 on both the vault and bars, the junior hit a bump in her beam routine. A small miss on the beam landed her with a 8.900, which diminished her chances at making a championship spot.

Reichard made her debut at the NCAA regionals with an all-around score of 37.500. The freshman shined on the beam, grabbing an event-high of 9.625.

Both gymnasts rotated through events with different teams, but Sontag said the gymnasts made an effort to cheer each other on.

“Holly rotated with Oklahoma and Leah rotated with Boise State,” he said. “And during the byes, where their teams went to the back, our girls came out and stayed with the other one for support.”

With the season officially over, Sontag was glad to have sent the gymnasts to regionals. He said their experiences are crucial in helping the rest of the team learn and grow.

“We have two of them now coming back out next year,” Sontag said. “They were really excited after the meet and ready to get back and talk to their team. They want the whole team with them there next time. The future looks really bright for us.”