Coming in sixth place at the MAC Championships on Saturday in Bowling Green, Ohio, the NIU gymnastics team suffered a let down.

Central Michigan went home with the victory scoring a 197.425 while Kent State came in second.

The Huskies (9-12, 3-3 MAC) were once again tripped up by the balance beam as they put up a 192.675 to finish sixth in the seven-team field.

“We had a very rough meet on beam, and that hurt us,” NIU coach Mark Sontag said. “We were in third place but then we struggled there and we were rattled after that on floor exercise. We thought we had a chance before the beam but that has been our trouble event for most of the season.”

Their sub-par score of 46.925 on the beam did in the Huskies. Senior Tiffany Nolen was the only Huskie to crack the top 30, scoring a 9.700.

In what might have been her last competition, senior Anna Gardina scored a 9.800 on the floor and a 9.700 on the vault.

Kristina Campos, who on Friday was named MAC Gymnast of the Year, proved she deserved the honor cracking the top 10 in three events on her way to an all-around score of 39.025 to finish fifth.

Campos put up a 9.825 on the vault and a 9.850 on the uneven bars. She did however struggle on the beam, scoring just a 9.475.

“We’re disappointed since we did so good this year and had such high expectations,” Campos said. “It’s just one meet and doesn’t show the improvements we’ve made this year. We’re disappointed, but we have accepted it and are fired up for next year.”

The Huskies will find out today if their season is over when the NCAA announces who qualified for regionals. If they make it, NIU will compete in the South Central Regional on April 12 in Columbia, Mo.