On paper, the NIU gymnastics team is 0-1, but to coach Mark Sontag, his young team, led by Kristina Campos, came within .525 points of ousting Illinois on Sunday.

For her efforts, Campos was MAC Gymnast of the Week. A senior, Campos’ award was the fourth of her career and follows last season’s MAC Player of the Year Award.

Campos will lead NIU in an attempt to improve on its 9-12 record in 2003.

“Every year since I’ve recruited her, she’s made it to the NCAA regionals,” Sontag said, “and she’s getting better all the time.”

Campos’ four-event total of 39.200 against Illinois tied her for the ninth best finish in NIU history. On top of a school-record 39.550, Campos holds seven of the 17 scores of 39.000 or higher in the school record books.

“Nobody can double Kristina’s ability,” Sontag said. “She has proven herself over and over as someone who can be counted on. She has consistently shown herself to be one of the top gymnasts in the MAC and in the country.”

Although Campos provides the leadership and experience of a front-runner in the MAC, she has a supporting cast, Sontag said.

“If you look at the scores the freshmen put up this week, they’re preforming excellently,” Sontag said. “I can’t say enough about the entire freshman staff – they’re really getting the job done.”

The team of 18 includes seven freshmen. Sunday’s non-conference meet against the Fighting Illini was a test, Sontag said.

“Any time you put up a group of freshmen, you don’t know what you’re going to get,” Sontag said. “I was very pleased to see my freshman compete like veterans.”

Freshman Jody Yednock impressed Sontag in her debut, placing second behind Campos in the uneven-parallel bars with a 9.825.

“I was just happy to have made it through my routine,” Yednock said. “I wasn’t worried about placing, but just not making any falls.”

Yednock said her first meet was a learning experience, but having teammates such as Campos helped.

“We love having her,” Yednock said. “She helps us out with everything. If we’re having a tough time with the pressure, she helps us out. She’s like an older sister and helps the freshmen out.”

NIU was picked fourth in the MAC preseason coaches poll behind Central Michigan, Kent State and Bowling Green, but Sontag hopes that by using the strategy of a successful NIU football coach, his team can win an upset.

“I’m just shooting to be ready for Eastern Michigan,” Sontag said, of the team’s next opponent. “I’m taking a page out of Joe Novak’s book: one thing at a time. I think this team can end up anywhere if we do that.”

Sontag said he would pick Kent State or Central Michigan to challenge for the MAC title, but added his team will be in the mix as well.

“The MAC championship?” Sontag said. “I think we can do that.”