University of North Carolina Athletics
2004 Gymnastics Season Preview
January 8, 2004 | Women's Gymnastics
Jan. 8, 2004
After posting the winningest season in school history in 2003, the North Carolina gymnastics team returns 11 letterwinners in 2004 while adding five talented newcomers to its roster.
The 2004 team enters the season with three goals: 1) to place in the top three teams at the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Championships; 2) to qualify as a team for NCAA regionals; and 3) to advance to NCAA nationals.
"With the squad we have, we're going into the season expecting to be one of the top teams contending for the EAGL Championship," says head coach Derek Galvin. "I feel we have the talent within our team to perform well at regionals and qualify for nationals. They have displayed the work ethic and focus to achieve that. With the depth we have on each of the events, the caliber of our team and the skills we have, aiming for nationals is a realistic goal."
In 2003, the Tar Heels boasted a third place finish at NCAA regionals, trailing runner-up Florida by a mere .05 in a struggle for a bid to nationals, a result which required at least a second place finish. Despite the team's disappointment, two members of the Carolina squad - Anna Wilson and Courtney Bumpers - executed all-around performances good enough to take them to Lincoln, Neb., for the national meet. Wilson and Bumpers became the first UNC gymnasts to qualify for the NCAA Championships since 1986.
In addition to its athletic success, the gymnastics team continued its tradition of academic excellence last season, as 13 gymnasts were named to both the Atlantic Coast Conference Honor Roll and the EAGL All-Academic Team. With the addition of three freshmen who were former class valedictorians and one who finished sixth out of a senior class of 1,187 students, Carolina expects another strong season in the classroom.
To realize its goals in 2004 UNC will count on the leadership of the senior class. The Carolina gymnastics program has traditionally thrived under strong senior leadership, leaving this year's group of Maddy Curley, Skylar Inman, Amanda Smith and Anna Wilson with big shoes to fill. Galvin thinks they have what it takes.
"The current senior class had the benefit of being a part of past Carolina teams that had strong senior leadership," he says. "They are inspired and motivated to provide that same kind of leadership for this year's team."
The senior class, especially Curley and Wilson, will lead the group of returning gymnasts, whom Galvin boasts are looking stronger in this year's preseason than they did before their successful season last year.
Galvin described seniors Curley and Wilson as "two of the most accomplished gymnasts we've ever had." With three years of experience in postseason competition, the two know what it will take to reach those levels again this year. Both Curley and Wilson qualified as individuals for NCAA Regionals in their freshman seasons and returned with the Carolina team in the following two years. Wilson, who was a member of the gymnastics team at the University of Pennsylvania as a freshman and transferred to UNC as a sophomore, competed as an individual in last year's national meet. Curley and Wilson are both expected to compete as all-arounders in 2004.
Smith and Inman, both competitors on uneven bars in previous years, have shown promise in preseason workouts on that event.
This year's junior class of Elisabeth Alsop, Morgan Stanley, Olivia Trusty and Amy Williams has had a great deal of success at Carolina.
Trusty, named the team's 2003 most outstanding gymnast, enjoyed success on vault, uneven bars and floor exercise last year. She finished in the top 10 on each event at both the EAGL Championship and NCAA Regionals and closed the season with 10 first or second place finishes.
"Olivia had an exceptional year and was our most consistent competitor through the course of the season," Galvin says. "She has established herself as one of the top competitors in the EAGL on vault, bars and floor and has shown increased proficiency on balance beam entering this year."
Alsop, the recipient of the team's 2003 Tonietto Award for her aesthetic performances, and Williams, a consistent vault performer and Carolina's most improved gymnast in 2003, were both key competitors in the previous two seasons. The coaches believe they will again play important roles this year.
"Elisabeth and Amy both showed significant improvements," Galvin says. "Along with Olivia, they are all capable of competing as all-arounders this season."
Stanley competed for the Tar Heels on vault in her past two seasons, and that will again be her strongest event this year.
The sophomore class features three talented gymnasts in Bumpers, Mikel Hester and Cecilia Liu.
umpers had a standout freshman season. She became the first Carolina gymnast to advance to the final round of the NCAA Championships and earn first-team All-America honors. Her fourth place finish on balance beam at nationals was the highest ever of any ACC or EAGL gymnast. Her midseason 10.0 on floor exercise was only the third perfect score in the 22-year history of Carolina's program, and her 39.600 all-around score at the Wolfpack Invitational set a UNC record.
"Courtney is certainly the most accomplished gymnast in the history of our program," Galvin says. "She and Mikel each had an exceptional year. They will both be looked to as top all-around competitors again this year."
Hester started the season by earning vault titles in her first two competitions and continued to improve throughout the year, especially in all-around competition. Her top all-around score of 39.300 places her fourth among UNC's all-time best scores.
Liu, a Level 9 national champion in uneven bars, did not compete during the 2003 season while recovering from a knee injury sustained in high school. Now fully recovered, Liu's technique and ability will allow her to compete among the team's top eight on uneven bars.
In addition to its impressive academic resume, Carolina's five rookies - Christine Robella, Miranda Ross, Claire Smith, Lisa Tegethoff and Courtney Turco - possess impressive gymnastic skills as well.
"Christine joins the team as one of the top ranked age group competitors from last season," says Galvin. "The coaching staff anticipates that she will be among the top all-around competitors at this year's EAGL Championships. Her skill inventory and her level of execution are exceptional."
Among her many accomplishments, Robella was a two-time floor exercise and vault Junior Olympic National Champion. She is not the only hopeful addition to the 2004 squad, however. Turco was a regional vault champion in 2002 and a Level 9 state uneven bars champion, while Ross and Smith won state championship titles at least once in their gymnastics careers. Tegethoff was a runner-up all-around competitor at the Virginia state meet in 2002.
Each of the freshmen gymnasts have shown the work ethic and commitment necessary in the preseason to prepare for collegiate competition and to support the team effort.
VAULT
Carolina expects to have one of the strongest groups of vaulters in school history in 2004. "We have more depth on vault than we've ever had and more team members capable of performing vaults of higher difficulty than ever before," Galvin says.
umpers, Trusty and Williams all executed vaults with starting values of 10.0 last season, each performing a Phelps vault in layout position. Alsop, Hester and Wilson, all consistent vault competitors last year, are also training vaults with a 10.0 start value for this season.
Robella will be a welcome addition to the vault lineup as one of the country's top prep performers on the event. She executes a unique vault - a handspring front with full twist in pike position.
"Christine will add an exciting dimension to an already dynamic group of vaulters," Galvin says.
In addition to the Phelps vault, Bumpers will perform a handspring front with a half twist in pike position, a vault that both Alsop and Hester plan to perform also.
Curley, Turco, Wilson, Tegethoff and Claire Smith have all shown during the preseason that they have the potential to step into the vault lineup this season as well.
Wilson is training a handspring front with full twist in tuck position while Turco is working on a handspring front in pike position. Curley and Smith are both training Yurchenko vaults.
UNEVEN BARS
Similar to expectations on vault, the 2004 gymnastics team hopes to have one of its best years on uneven bars. Despite the loss Fritzie Cathcart from the bar lineup, several talented veterans and newcomers hope to take her place this season.
Inman, a consistent bar competitor in 2001, suffered a shoulder injury in 2002 that hampered her performance. She has now fully recovered, and will be a potential performer in this year's lineup. Inman's classmate, Amanda Smith, has also shown the potential to make the uneven bars lineup.
Liu, who sat out her freshman year while recovering from an injury, will return to competition this season. A former Level 9 national champion on uneven bars, she is projected to be among the team's top eight in the event this season.
Liu will be joined by classmates Bumpers and Hester fighting for a spot in the bars rotation. "Courtney, Mikel and Cecilia represent one of the strongest classes ever at Carolina on uneven bars," Galvin says.
From the freshman class, Smith and Turco will also contend for spots on the uneven bars. The lineup most likely will be anchored by upperclassmen Trusty and Curley and rookie Robella.
BALANCE BEAM
The gymnastics program graduated one of its most accomplished gymnasts on balance beam in Natalie Halbach, but the 2004 squad will count on talented freshmen and improvement from the upperclassmen.
umpers returns to the balance beam lineup in 2004 with the ultimate level of experience under her belt. The team will look to her as a leader on this event after her performances last year. She won NCAA regional co-championship honors, advanced to the national meet and became Carolina's first gymnastics All-America.
umpers will be joined by Curley, Wilson and Alsop, who have been in the beam lineup in the past and are expected to continue this season.
Hester and Williams gained significant experience on beam in 2003 and should be even stronger on the event in 2004. Williams plans to display a new routine in her performance.
Trusty, who has played an important role in vault, uneven bars and floor exercise in her two years at Carolina, looks to add a successful season on balance beam to her accomplishments. "Olivia is poised and prepared to step into the beam lineup this year," Galvin said.
Robella, Claire Smith, Turco, Tegethoff and Ross will also by vying for spots as potential competitors in the beam lineup.
The most important factor will be consistency, and those team members who execute the most consistent performances will earn spots in the lineup.
FLOOR EXERCISE
The floor exercise routines this season will feature changes in music selection and choreography, which Galvin says will be more "sophisticated and mature to foster a more exciting level of competition." The team will also display a diversity of styles to compliment the variety of music and choreography.
"Great music and great choreography raises the level of performance, setting teams apart and making it more exciting for both the athletes and spectators," Galvin says.
The floor exercise squad returns everyone from last year's lineup, which placed second at the 2003 regionals. In addition, all five freshmen have the potential to add to the floor exercise lineup.
"Anyone who sees the team compete will be impressed by the quality of the floor exercise routines," Galvin said. "We are excited about the prospect of performing those routines not only locally but nationally."
EAGL COMPETITION
Although the Carolina gymnastics team has improved each of the last two years, so have the rest of the teams in the conference, making the goal of winning the EAGL Championship an increasingly difficult task.
"The level of competition within the EAGL has grown stronger every year," says Galvin. "Last year was the highest level of competition I have seen yet at the EAGL Championships. Any one of the eight teams could win this year's championship."
In the past four years, a different EAGL team has won each conference championship (2000 - NC State, 2001 - West Virginia, 2002 - UNC, 2003 - New Hampshire). Carolina finished third at last year's conference meet, but ended the year ranked 23rd in the national standings, only three places behind conference member New Hampshire. Pittsburgh, Maryland and NC State followed close behind to finish 26th, 28th and 30th, respectively.
The 2004 squad is looking forward to the challenge the EAGL schedule always presents.
"We recognize that to finish among the top three at EAGL and to qualify for nationals at the NCAA regional championship we are going to have to stay focused as a team and maintain our enthusiasm throughout the entire season," Galvin says. "The atmosphere in the gym during preseason training has been energized and exciting, and we are very eager for the competitive season to begin. Between now and then we plan to play gymnastics as hard as we possibly can."
Players Mentioned
