It was an atmosphere like none other at the MAC Gymnastics Championships Friday.

The faces of the NIU gymnasts grew tense as the team awards were being announced at the Convocation Center. Out of nowhere, the Huskies erupted as they found out they took third.

“We had been waiting all year for this championship,” NIU sophomore Amy Ristvedt said. “Our goal was to finish top three and we were absolutely thrilled when they didn’t call our name in fourth place.”

NIU’s score of 193.050 was topped by Central Michigan (194.650) and champion Kent State, with a score of 195.000.

The Huskies were within striking distance of winning the championship had three costly mistakes in the vault and uneven bars not occurred.

“They left it all on the floor and that’s all you can ask for,” NIU coach Mark Sontag said. “It was a really good meet and I’m very proud of how they performed.”

The third-place finish was yet another step forward for NIU after it finished the regular season fourth in the MAC. This accomplishment was most satisfying for the senior class.

“This meet was, oh, we just worked so hard,” NIU senior Mariah Howard said. “We finished seventh place [out of seven] in conference my freshmen year. We just kept coming back, doing better, and we really feel like we’re leaving on a bang.”

The two-point improvement on the balance beam during the regular season was one reason for the Huskies’ turnaround this year.

“We knew we had the ability at the beginning of the year,” Howard said. “It was just all the pressure sets the coaches put us in that built are confidence.”

Ashlee Williams led the way for NIU in the individual events. The junior scored a 9.875 on the uneven bars to win the event title.

Ristvedt was another top Huskie performer, as she placed eighth on the vault. Williams and senior Kristina Campos also tied for 10th in the floor exercise.

Campos continued her push for offseason competition by placing third in the all-around competition.