The NIU gymnastics team will compete at the 20th annual Fox Run Invitational hosted by the University of New Hampshire at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The No. 37 Huskies (2-2 overall, 1-1 MAC) will participate in their first quadrangular meet of the season. The competition includes host New Hampshire (5-3) as well as No. 2 Michigan (10-1) and No. 24 Michigan State (10-4).

“This weekend’s meet is a really good opportunity for us,” NIU coach Mark Sontag said. “The only way you can get better is by facing better competition.”

This weekend marks the second time NIU will face Michigan State in competition. MSU took the first meeting 193.200-191.600 on Jan. 30.

“We just didn’t hit when we needed to against MSU,” Sontag said. “Michigan State is very good, but so are we when we hit. We just need to let the pieces fall where they fall and go from there.”

There will be four gymnasts ranked in the top 25 this weekend; three from Michigan and one from Michigan State.

The most intriguing match-up will be in the floor exercise, Sontag said. After falling in competition against Bowling Green, NIU freshman Jennifer Rice has dropped from the rankings.

“Jennifer is going to come out with something to prove and try to redeem herself this weekend,” Sontag said.

Rice’s competition will include the floor routine of Michigan’s No. 4, Chelsea Kroll.

“We can’t worry about the rankings,” Sontag said. “We have to take the Joe Novak approach and worry about it one matchup at a time.”