Northern Illinois at Western Michigan

Recap

Recap

The Big Storyline: This was an exciting conference matchup, and it did not disappoint. Northern Illinois walked away with the win with a strong showing, which is not always an easy feat on a double-meet weekend. For Western Michigan, this marked the return of sophomore Payton Murphy, who competed in the all around after missing all of last season due to a severe injury. 

Implications: The Huskies should find themselves sitting comfortably in third after this week, with their conference counterparts having weaker days across the board. The Broncos did not have their strongest showing but demonstrated the talent is there. We expect them to continue to improve over the course of the season.

Preview

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: The reigning MAC champions versus the reigning regular season MAC champion? Sign us up.  Both of these teams have their eyes on the conference title this year and are more than capable of challenging conference-favorite Central Michigan. Expect this matchup to be a close one. 

Need More Proof? This meet should mark the return of Payton Murphy, who sat out all but one meet for the Broncos after a major injury last season. We are excited to see what events she competes since it appears she is training all four. The Huskies also have some exciting freshmen on their roster, one of which we have a lot of questions about: former elite Alyssa Al-Ashari.