For the second straight week, the NIU gymnastics team found themselves in a position to come back and win the meet.

But this time, NIU fell just short Sunday.

The Huskies (2-4 overall, 2-2 MAC) were defeated by Western Michigan (4-5 overall, 3-0 MAC) by a score of 192.500-192.425.

Going into the final event, the Huskies were trailing 145.100-143.500. NIU scored a 48.925 in the floor exercise, thanks to two scores of 9.825 by freshman Jennifer Naughton and sophomore Jennifer Rice. The high score closed the gap but not enough to take home a victory.

Despite the loss, head coach Mark Sontag found positives in the team’s performance.

“We hit this meet better than the others,” Sontag said. “We had four pretty good routines.”

NIU posted two season-highs in Sunday’s meet. NIU’s score of 48.375 in the uneven parallel bars, an event the team has been struggling in, has been the highest score this season. NIU’s total score of 192.425 beats the old season-high by nearly two points.

“We’re coming through,” Sontag said. “We’re going in the right direction.”

One of the main matchups in Sunday’s meet was between two of the MAC’s top all-around gymnasts. NIU’s Leah Johnson and WMU’s Cherisse Marier are two perennial MAC Gymnast of the Week winners and have posted the two highest scores of all-around so far in the MAC.

Marier won the event with an overall score of 38.500 and Johnson placed second with an overall score of 38.425.

“They’re definitely the two top athletes in the conference,” Western Michigan head coach Terry Karwoski said.

Despite the second place finish, Sontag said Johnson wasn’t her usual self on Sunday.

“Even with an off-day for her she’s awfully good,” Sontag said. “Western’s a great team. It’s a good match up to see where we are with the rest of the teams.”