University of North Carolina Athletics
Gymnastics Team Signs Three Student-Athletes For 2005
November 25, 2003 | Women's Gymnastics
Nov. 25, 2003
The University of North Carolina gymnastics program announced Tuesday the signing of three letters of intent from Stacy Geare of Colorado Springs, Colo., Shawna Kelly of Chantilly, Va., and Alice Xu of Rockville, Md., to join the 2005 team. The three future Tar Heels all qualified to participate in the 2003 USA Junior Olympic National Championships.
"(Assistant) Coach Penny Jernigan and I, as well as all our current team members, are extremely pleased that these three outstanding student-athletes have chosen to attend Carolina," said head coach Derek Galvin. "Their commitment to academics, their talents as gymnasts and their delightful personalities will be a wonderful addition to the terrific group of young ladies participating in our program."
Geare, a student at Coronado High School, trains at Aerials Gymnastics with coaches Kathy Vigil and Jason Baits. She won the 2003 USAG Region 3 balance beam title and earned a silver medal in the event at the 2003 USAG Nationals. An excellent student as well as a top gymnast, Geare recently received a perfect score on the verbal portion of the SAT.
Kelly, a senior at Chantilly High School, trains at Chantilly Academy with coach Anne Foster. An honor roll student and member of the National Honor Society, Kelly was the 2003 Virginia state USAG balance beam champion. She placed second on uneven bars and fifth in the all-around at the USAG Region VII Championship to secure her qualification to the 2003 USAG Junior Olympic National Championships for the third consecutive year.
Xiaoying (Alice) Xu trains at Marvateens Gymnastics Club with coach Ken Anderson while attending Walter Johnson High School. Another excellent student, Xu earned a perfect score on the math portion of the SAT. She was the 2003 USAG Junior Olympic National Champion on uneven bars and placed 10th in the all-around at that competition.
"I'm very excited about the upcoming season and the strength of our current team," said Galvin, "but I also can't help but smile when I think about adding Stacy, Shawna, and Alice to the squad next year."
The Tar Heels will begin the 2004 season at the annual George Washington Invitational on Jan. 18 in Washington, D.C.
