University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
West Virginia
Tar Heels Suffer Their First Loss Of The Season
February 15, 2008 | Women's Gymnastics
The No. 19 University of North Carolina gymnastics team put up a strong effort against EAGL rival West Virginia University, scoring 195.075 at the meet on Friday, February 15. The Tar Heels suffer their first loss of the season, falling to WVU by only two-tenths of a point in Morgantown, West Virginia. The UNC gymnasts posted strong numbers on all four events, but were edged in every event except beam, where the team scored a 48.575.
"It was a long day for us," said head coach Derek Galvin. "The competition didn't begin until 8 p.m., an unusual time for a gymnastics meet, and we faced unique challenges because of it. However, it served as a good preparation for adversity that we may face later in the season. The experience tonight will make us a stronger team even though some of the circumstances of the competition challenged us in some unique ways. Despite the situation, we still managed to score above 195.0, which we are always pleased with."
The Tar Heels began the competition on the uneven bars, scoring 48.675. Sophomore Christine Nguyen led the team on bars, scoring a 9.850 and finishing third in the meet. Teammate Teri Diamond placed just behind Nguyen, tying West Virginia's Naja Johnson with a score of 9.750. Kara Wright took 6th place for the Tar Heels on bars (9.725) and Shawna Kelly placed 7th (9.700).
Junior Jennifer Valby posted an impressive personal best of 9.900 on vault, UNC's second event of the evening. Valby took 2nd on vault, falling just behind Chelsi Tabor of WVU. Kara Wright and Christine Nguyen tied for 5th with a score of 9.80 and teammates Karli Jones and Sarrie Rubin tied for 8th, scoring 9.750. The Tar Heels finished the event with a team total of 49.00 points.
The gymnasts then took to the floor exercise where they scored a 48.825. Kara Wright and Sarrie Rubin had a six-way tie for 2nd on floor with a score of 9.825. Tar Heel Freshman Karli Jones posted a 9.775 to place 7th with WVU's Kiersten Spoerke. Teammates Rachel Schneider and Teri Diamond took 9th in the event with a 9.700 score.
Transitioning into beam, their final event of the evening, the Tar Heels trailed the Mountaineers of West Virginia University 146.150-146.500. Christine Nguyen led the Tar Heels with a 1st place finish on beam with an impressive 9.925 score. Kara Wright took 4th for the Tar Heels with 9.775 and Sarrie Rubin scored 9.725 to finish 6th on the event. Although the UNC gymnastics team finished the meet with a 48.575 on beam over the Mountaineers, it was not enough to capture victory in the total team standings.
"We had a fairly solid team performance," said Galvin. "I felt our vault performance was strong again, especially the performances of Jen Valby and Kara Wright. On bars, Christine Nguyen had a very nice routine, as did Teri Diamond. I was pleased that we stuck more of our landings in bar and beam dismounts, which showed how much we have improved. Christine did an exceptional job sticking here landings, scoring a personal best on beam. On floor, Kara Wright and Sarrie Rubin both had strong routines."
The UNC gymnastics team looks forward to hosting the Gators of the University of Florida in their next competition. The meet will be held in Carmichael Auditorium in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Friday, February 22nd and will begin at 7:00 p.m. The No. 3 Gators are one of the highest-ranked opponents Carolina gymnastics has hosted and the meet is expected to attract a great crowd.
Players Mentioned
