University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
NCAA Regional Championships
Season Comes To An End At NCAA Regionals
April 12, 2008 | Women's Gymnastics
April 12, 2008
The UNC gymnastics team traveled to the University of Florida on Saturday, April 12 to face Florida, UCLA, Nebraska, West Virginia, and N.C. State. The Tar Heels placed sixth with a team score of 191.825. Florida finished first (197.525), UCLA second (196.625), Nebraska third (196.100), West Virginia fourth (194.825), and N.C. State fifth (193.825). The Tar Heels' season came to an end in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Florida as they finished the 2008 season 15-6.
"The long season caught up with us tonight," said head coach Derek Galvin. "They put what they had out there and they gave it a valiant effort. We kind of ran out of steam as a team, but we were pleased to be here as it was a goal of ours to qualify for NCAA Regionals. We would have preferred a stronger meet, but we had strong efforts from many of our gymnasts. The way we finished tonight was consistent with the way we finished at the EAGL Championships. Assistant coach Penny and I were pleased with the way the team kept going after it. Now we start getting ready for next year. We look forward to getting our injured team back to good health for the next season. We especially appreciate our seniors, Shawna, Angela, Sarrie, and Alice. They helped lead our team in the right direction all season long, and helped us continue to strive for success as we qualified for the NCAA Regionals for the 7th consecutive time."
The UNC gymnastics team started the NCAA Regionals meet on floor, scoring 48.125. Sophomore Christine Nguyen led the team on the event, scoring 9.775 and finishing 18th on floor. Teammate Kara Wright finished 24th with a score of 9.725. Junior Jennifer Valby took 29th on floor, scoring 9.675 for the Tar Heels.
The Tar Heels then took to the vault event where they scored a team total of 48.375. Jennifer Valby had a strong performance, scoring 9.800 and placing 16th. Kara Wright scored 9.725 and placed 27th on vault. Christine Nguyen placed 33rd for the UNC gymnastics team with a 9.650.
On bars, the Tar Heels scored 47.425 led by freshman Karli Jones who scored 9.625 with a 29th place finish. Senior Shawna Kelly performed well for the team, scoring 9.600 and placing 31st. Kara Wright scored 9.525 with a 36th place finish.
Finishing the meet on beam, the Tar Heels came up with a 47.900 on the event. Sophomore Tina Jacob put forth strong effort to score a 9.800 and place 13th. Christine Nguyen scored 9.775 and finished 16th on beam. Third for the Tar Heels was Karli Jones who finished 27th with a 9.650.
The Tar Heels end a tough, injury-stricken season, but look forward to having a healthy, strong team as they come back for the next season.
Players Mentioned
