University of North Carolina Athletics
Gymnastics Team Qualifies For NCAA Regionals For Second Straight Year
March 31, 2003 | Women's Gymnastics
March 31, 2003
INDIANAPOLIS -- The North Carolina gymnastics team was selected to appear at the 2003 National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Regional Championships for the Southeast region, held this year in Athens, Ga., on Sat., April 12, the NCAA announced Monday. Carolina was one of six teams to qualify for the Southeast Regional Championship. The team will compete against Georgia, Florida, Ohio State, NC State and Maryland.
Six teams, five all-around competitors not affiliated with a qualifying team and one individual event specialist per event with a minimum Regional Qualifying Score of 9.4 were selected to each region - West, North Central, South Central, Central, Northeast and Southeast.
The top two teams in each region will automatically advance to the national championshiops in Lincoln, Nebraska, hosted by the University of Nebraska, Lincoln on April 24-26. The two highest-scoring individual all-around competitors and each event winner (if not part of qualifying team or all-around competitor) will also be sent to the national championships.
This will be the first time since 1986 that Carolina has qualified as a team for the regional meet in two consecutive years. The team has been represented every year, however, by either the team or by individuals at the regional meet.
Last year, the Tar Heels placed fourth at the Southeast Regional Meet, ending the year with a No. 20 national ranking after winning the EAGL Championship Meet and setting a meet record.
Carolina's performance at the EAGL Championship meet on Sat., March 29, no doubt aided in its qualification for the regional meet. The team placed third with a 196.025 behind New Hampshire (196.750) and NC State (196.675), holding back both Towson and West Virginia, who were vying for the Tar Heels' spot.
"The team did very well, particularly in light of the injuries and illnesses we were dealing with, said Head Coach Derek Galvin. "It was a terrific competition, and I am very pleased with the caliber of our team's performance."
This will be the eighth team Galvin has coached to the NCAA Regionals since he started at Carolina in 1982, the first year women's gymnastics was recognized by the NCAA. He has also sent 16 indivuals to regionals during that time.
