GoHeels Exclusive: Unrelenting

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

Every coach, regardless of their sport, has athletes who become a special part of their coaching career and experience, says North Carolina gymnastics coach Derek Galvin.

Since taking the helm of the UNC program in 1982, Galvin's had several.

There's been Courtney Bumpers, Christine Nguyen and Christine Robella. Tammy Gilbert and Suzanne Tonietto, among others, also come to mind. And over the last four years, Galvin said senior Morgan Lane has cemented herself as part of that group.

"I've been fortunate to have a lot of wonderful young women who I've had the privilege of coaching," Galvin said, "and I care a great deal about all of them. But Morgan is one of the few who has made a little bit more of an impression." He paused, searching for the right words as he finished, "She's just had a little bit more of an impact, just seeing the way she has been unrelenting in going after her goals."

This unwavering determination has defined Lane's time in Chapel Hill, where she's flourished both in and outside gymnastics. It's also why her illustrious collegiate career will conclude Friday night in St. Louis with her first-ever NCAA Championship appearance.

In each of her first three seasons, Lane qualified for the all-around competition at NCAA Regionals. But she never advanced to the NCAA Championships. Finally, on April 7 at the NCAA Southeast Regional – what could have been her final meet – she became the first Tar Heel to qualify for the NCAA Championships since Morgan Evans in 2012.

"I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to compete on this stage," Lane said. "It's something I've been looking forward to my entire career at Carolina. I'm super excited and just trying to go out there and have as much fun as I possibly can because it will be my last meet."

And it's a moment she's long been building toward.

Lane's older sisters, Chelsea and Tessa, began competing in gymnastics at an early age. As soon as she could walk, Lane joined them. She said her mother Cindy Mason and father John Lane, both Duke graduates, were "trying to get (her) energy out" when they enrolled her in classes.

By the time she reached middle school, Lane said she started wanting to continue her gymnastics career in college. But she was unsure if she'd receive the opportunity.

"I wasn't someone who was great, and I wasn't being recruited by all these colleges," said Lane, from Columbus, Ind. "I was having to reach out and be like, 'Hey, coach, is there any way I can walk on your team?'

"But when Derek told me I could come here and that I'd have a spot on the team as long as I could get into the school, that was probably the best day of my life."

Galvin said Lane's joyfulness, the same quality that's made her a fan favorite inside Carmichael Arena, first struck him. He also noticed she possessed the mental focus needed to succeed in college and was mature beyond her years based on the questions she asked.

Because of Lane's gymnastics background, Galvin said he knew her fundamentals would be strong. Still, she developed faster than expected.

"When she arrived at the beginning of her freshman year, I felt she could be a good gymnast," Galvin said. "But I didn't really know how good until we got to late October, November, and she was progressing so quickly and had moved into the position where she was one of our top all-around gymnasts."

Lane carried her momentum into the spring, when she earned first-team All-EAGL honors for the balance beam, the floor exercise and all-around. She had to settle for second-team honors on the uneven bars. No matter, more accolades would come.

As a sophomore, she became the first UNC gymnast to notch a score of 39.000 or higher in the all-around in every meet. She received four team awards, including the Most Outstanding Gymnast Award, that season. The next, she was named EAGL Gymnast of the Year.

Lane credits the environment she's been in as a significant part of her success.

"I came from a fairly small club gym, and I didn't have any teammates who were at my level or even really a couple of levels below," she said. "So being around people who are at my level or actually above my level in gymnastics, that forces me to up my game and work harder."

Even during Lane's senior season, Galvin said there have been times in practice when he's complimented Lane for something. To that, she's typically replied, "No, it could be better."

"She won't settle. She's constantly pushing for a higher level of execution in her gymnastics and she's very, very responsible," Galvin said. "I never have to worry about whether she's going to follow through on a training assignment or not. If anything, she'll do more than is necessary."

Recently, Galvin said he's compared Lane to Bumpers.

In 2005, Bumpers won the floor exercise at the NCAA Championships with a perfect score of 10.0. She was the floor exercise co-champion the previous season. Currently, Galvin said Lane ranks second behind Bumpers for career points at Carolina.

The similarities don't stop there. Like Bumpers, Lane, a chemistry major and biology minor, has also excelled outside the gym.

A four-time EAGL All-Academic honoree, Lane was named the 2018 EAGL Scholar of the Year in March. She earned that designation shortly after becoming one of 52 student-athletes who received the Atlantic Coast Conference's Weaver-James-Corrigan Award, part of the league's postgraduate scholarship program. In November, she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.

Last summer, Lane volunteered with Get REAL & HEEL, a program that provides individualized exercise and psychosocial therapies to strengthen the bodies and minds of breast cancer patients. It's sponsored by the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and UNC's department of exercise and sports science.

Lane has also been heavily involved with Athletes in Action.

"I would hope to say that I can be most proud of making a lasting impact, even if it's on just one person," said Lane when asked for the accomplishment she's most proud of. "I hope I can have changed someone's life for the better."

She's certainly impacted Galvin's.

"There are times where I look at Morgan and think, 'I need to work as hard as she's working in every aspect of my life,'" Galvin said. "She's much younger than me, and I think she's got a level of focus and maturity that's way beyond the norm for people her age and, quite frankly, way beyond the norm for most adults.

"She's one of those people who throughout the course of her life, she'll be successful in whatever she pursues."

Players Mentioned

Morgan Lane

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