Per NIU Athletics Press Release:

February 8, 2021 – Northern Illinois University junior all-arounder Tara Kofmehl, who hit all eight of her routines and established new career highs in three events and the all-around in a pair of meets last week, on Tuesday was named the Mid-American Conference Gymnast of the Week.

Kofmehl capped off the week with her best score as she tied her career high with a 9.900 on floor exercise at Ball State to win the event and give her a career high all-around score of 39.150, topping the 39.075 score she posted three days earlier at Central Michigan. The Red Mountain, Arizona product earned the first 39-plus all-around scores by a Huskie since 2018. Her second-highest score of the week also came on floor as she tied for third with a 9.875 on the event at CMU.

Kofmehl also achieved career high scores on uneven parallel bars on back-to-back meets with a 9.775 on bars at CMU, followed by a 9.800 on the event at Ball State.  She matched her season best of 9.700 on balance beam, achieving the score in both meets and scored 9.725 and 9.750, respectively, on vault.

Kofmehl is the first Huskie to win the MAC Gymnast of the Week honor – which goes to a gymnast who competes in three or four events during the week – since Ashley Potts in 2018.

“Tara is so steady,” NIU head coach Sam Morreale said on Sunday. “She trains super hard, she has the difficulty level on all four events and it’s great to see her step out there and get it done in competition. I’m really happy to see her getting these results.”

She earned the first MAC Weekly honor of her career and the first of the season by a NIU gymnast.

The NIU gymnastics team returns to action Friday night, February 19 at 6 p.m. when they play host to Eastern Michigan. The meet has been dubbed the team’s Pink Meet and is also “My Cause Night” with gymnasts wearing ribbons the color of a cause they support and are trying to bring awareness to.