University of North Carolina Athletics
Bumpers Wins Second National Title With Perfect Score
April 23, 2005 | Women's Gymnastics
April 23, 2005
AUBURN, ALA. - Courtney Bumpers went into the 2005 NCAA Gymnastics Championships ranked 68th nationally on floor exercise and came out with her second career national title and her sole perfect score in the 2005 campaign Saturday at Auburn University. She defeated her 2004 co-champion, Alabama's Ashley Miles (9.975), to become the uncontested 2005 champion with a meet-high score.
"I never expected to get a perfect score at nationals," Bumpers, who described herself as "elated," said after the meet. "I didn't even expect to win, especially because of the gymnasts I was up against. They were amazing, but I told myself I was going to go out there and have fun and not worry about the place or the score. I guess it worked out."
"The score speaks for itself," said head coach Derek Galvin. "It was an incredible routine, the best routine I have ever seen Courtney do. To get a 10.0 at the NCAA Championships, you have to be perfect, and she was."
After winning Session I in Thursday's preliminary round with a score of 9.95, Bumpers was named a first-team All-America for the second time on floor exercise and the third time in her career and advanced to the final round. She successfully defended her 2004 national title, topping last year's score of 9.9375. Miles, who was tied for a No. 1 ranking at the end of the 2005 season, was the runner-up, while Nebraska's Emily Parsons (No. 6) and Tabitha Yim of Stanford finished third.
Miles and Kristen Maloney of UCLA both earned 10.0s on floor exercise during the Super Six team finals Friday, but Maloney finished in 11th place with a 9.7625 at the individual finals. She did replace Miles, however, as the one to win double titles this year, capturing first place on vault and balance beam with identical marks of 9.9375. Miles tied with Bumpers on floor exercise in 2004 and was the vault champion as well.
Bumpers was competing without her team, which came in third at the 2005 NCAA Southeast Regional Championship where a second-place finish was necessary for a national bid. She faced gymnasts from five of the Super Six teams - Georgia, Alabama, Utah, UCLA and Nebraska - and two teams that competed in the preliminary round but did not qualify for the Super Six team finals - Iowa State and LSU.
"The crowd was amazing," said Bumpers. "They kind of adopted me. I'm not sure I could have done without them, especially with my team not being there."
"It was incredible," said Galvin. "She had a standing ovation and other fans chanting for her. It was like last year but magnified. Once again she was the `darling' of the meet. She went out there and did something truly amazing, and we are so proud of her."
Bumpers' scores during the 2005 season were not as consistent as those from the previous year, when she earned seven 10.0s and was ranked No. 1 for half the season, but she picked up steam at the conclusion of this year. She won the floor exercise title at the EAGL Championships with a 9.925, then a season-high score. Two weeks later, she earned a 9.95 to win the Southeast regional title, a performance that sent her to compete at the national championships. She landed another 9.95 in the first preliminary session Thursday and then topped the year off with Saturday's performance.
Bumpers is the first gymnast in the history of the North Carolina program to advance to the individual event finals at nationals and the only East Atlantic Gymnastics League gymnast to win a national title. As a freshman in 2003, she competed on balance beam in the national finals, earning a fourth place finish. She is also the first gymnast in school history to be an All-America, a status she has achieved in each of her three years competing at nationals.
After it was all over, Bumpers sat at a press conference table with an Olympian on either side of her, both of whom she competed against in the finals - Maloney and Alabama's Terin Humphrey, who won the uneven bars title - as the three were the only ones to win events in the finals
"They're amazing athletes," said Bumpers. "I was in good company."
Floor Exercise Results
1. Courtney Bumpers, UNC, 10.0
2. Ashley Miles, Alabama, 9.975
T3. Emily Parsons, Nebraska, 9.925
T3. Tabitha Yim, Stanford, 9.925
T5. Kelsey Ericksen, Georgia, 9.875
T5. Michelle Emmons, Georgia, 9.875
T5. Terin Humphrey, Alabama, 9.875
T8. Laura-Kay Powell, Iowa State, 9.8375
T8. Annabeth Eberle, Utah, 9.8375
10. Gritt Hofmann, Utah, 9.80
11. Kristen Maloney, UCLA, 9.7625
12. Kate Richardson, UCLA, 9.3375
13. April Burkholder, LSU, 9.2625
Players Mentioned
