BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Northern Illinois sophomore gymnast Ashley Guerra has been selected the Mid-American Conference Specialist of the Year in voting by MAC coaches, the league office announced Friday from Bowling Green, Ohio, site of Saturday's Mid-American Conference Gymnastics Championships.
Guerra is the first Northern Illinois gymnast to earn the Specialist of the Year Award, which goes to a league athlete who competes in two or less events. One of the Huskies leaders on uneven parallel bars all season, the Orland Park native has developed into one of NIU's top balance beam performers in the last third of the season.
"Ashley has really lit it up on bars, and now beam for us this year," said NIU coach Mark Sontag. "She's been improving her performances throughout the year. Her hit percentage has always been really good on bars, and now it's really, really good. {Consistently hitting] was a challenge for her earlier in the year on beam, and she's been very solid the last third of the season. She is certainly very deserving of this award."
Guerra has twice earned Northern Illinois' team-high score of 9.825 on uneven parallel bars and has won the bars event at five of NIU's 10 competitions this season. She has scored 9.725 or higher seven times this season, including in each of NIU's last four meets.
"Sometimes with bars, you're just a natural good swinger and Ashley came to NIU with that type of ability," Sontag said. "It's not something you can teach. She's got a natural aptitude and is a hard worker. That's what it takes on bars."
On balance beam, Guerra has improved her consistency throughout the season and scored a season and career-high 9.775 on the apparatus last week to take fourth place at the Illinois Classic state championship meet. She has four top four finishes on balance beam this year and has averaged a 9.695 on the event over the Huskies' last five meets.
