Northern Illinois senior gymnast Courtney Dowdell opened the season on a big note and was named the Mid-American Conference Specialist of the Week.
Dowdell finished tied for third place in the floor exercise and fourth in the uneven bars – scoring 9.8235 on both – in the Huskies' home opener against Lindenwood, Iowa and Western Michigan. As a team, Northern Illinois won the four-way meet with a score of 194.825 and it was the 17th best score in the country.
“She’s trained since last season to be one of our better competitors, one of our most consistent, solid ladies," NIU coach Sam Morreale said.