University of North Carolina Athletics
Gymnasts Prepare For 2004 Debut Meet
January 16, 2004 | Women's Gymnastics
Jan. 16, 2004
The North Carolina gymnastics team will begin its 2004 season with high hopes at the George Washington Invitational Sunday. The 2003 squad proved victorious at the same competition last season after placing second each previous year they attended the invitational.
Head Coach Derek Galvin claimed the team's biggest strength will be the student-athletes' enthusiasm. "Mentally and spiritually, we are ready," Galvin said. "Physically we have a couple of girls coming off preseason injuries. We are still in the process of regaining our fitness level following the holidays, but we are progressing very well."
Galvin said the team will most likely shine on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise, with vault being an area of improvement, although one in which the team is steadily improving.
Galvin expects William & Mary, which he labeled as a "much-improved squad," and George Washington to be Carolina's toughest competition on Sunday. William & Mary, a team that the Tar Heels defeated four times in 2003, fell by only .05 last weekend to NC State, one of Carolina's biggest challenges in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL). Cornell, Temple and the University of Pennsylvania possess some of the talent but not the depth of the other three teams.
Depth will be one of the Tar Heels' strongest features this season, an advantage that could place up to five all-arounders in Sunday's competition with eight gymnasts having the potential to compete on uneven bars and balance beam even though each event only allows for six competitors.
Juniors Elisabeth Alsop and Olivia Trusty, sophomores Courtney Bumpers and Mikel Hester and freshman Christine Robella could all possibly compete in every event. Senior Skylar Inman, who has been rehabilitating from a shoulder injury for the past two years, is a likely contender on uneven bars, as are senior Maddy Curley and sophomore Cecilia Liu.
Vault has the possibility of featuring junior Amy Williams and freshman Lisa Tegethoff in addition to Alsop, Trusty, Bumpers, Hester and Robella. Galvin will choose six to compete on balance beam out of the five possible all-arounders, Curley, Williams, and freshman Claire Smith. One can expect any combination of Alsop, Bumpers, Curley, Hester, Robella, Trusty and Williams to perform on floor exercise.
Most of Carolina's performers will be experienced upperclassmen, something Galvin thinks could be beneficial for the team. "What we have in the upperclassmen - they're more familiar with what we're going to be facing, which leads to a good confidence level," he said.
Carolina, Cornell and George Washington will all open their seasons on Sunday; however, Pennsylvania, Temple and William & Mary have each competed in one meet already. Temple and Pennsylvania both possess records of 1-0.
The meet will take place Sunday at George Washington at 1 p.m.
Players Mentioned
