A fall in gymnastics is a high-priced mistake – costing exactly five-tenths of a point.

And for the NIU gymnastics team, one fall was the difference, as the Huskies fell short at the MAC Championships on March 29.

“Basically, we were one fall out of second place,” NIU head coach Mark Sontag said. “We had second locked up and then we had a fall on beam. We were very, very close, but one small thing and you seem so far away.”

Overall, the Huskies finished fourth in the conference finale. Though Kent State (195.675) ran away with the victory, NIU posted a 193.375, to fall within .425 of the second place Eastern Michigan Eagles (193.800). The Huskies trailed behind the third place Central Michigan Chippewas (193.675) by only .300 of a point.

Sontag said he was disappointed with the loss, but was surprised to see his team make some of the mistakes they did. In his opinion, if the squad avoided these uncharacteristic errors, they would have finished near the leaders.

“It is definitely one of the frustrating things about sports, that no matter how prepared or how well you’re doing, something can always happen,” Sontag said. “It’s just one of those things. You scratch your head and I can’t really tell you why it happened, but it did.”

One frustration came as the team watched junior Jennifer Naughton fall off the balance beam for the first time in the 2008 season. Naughton had averaged a 9.8 on the beam this year, but grabbed only a 9.250 at the MAC Championships.

“It’s part of the sport unfortunately,” Sontag said. “She’s been training well and has been looking good. You don’t hit all season like that and not be on top of your game.”

Despite weaker-than-normal performances, Sontag was impressed by freshman Holly Reichard. Reichard scored a 38.975 to take the third-place title in the all-around category.

“You’d swear she was a senior or an upperclassmen,” Sontag said. “She goes in their with her game face on. She competes very well and doesn’t let the situation affect her. It’s very hectic out on the floor, but she didn’t let it bother her at all.”

Reichard also was named to the All-MAC first team after the meet. The freshman became only the second Huskie to be named to the first team since its inception in 1999.

NIU’s fourth-place score will keep the team alive in its bid for the NCAA Regionals. The Huskies will wait for the announcement, which will be made April 7, to learn whether they will be participating in the event. Multiple Huskies, including Reichard, may also receive individual invitations.