University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
New Hampshire
Tar Heels Achieve Highest Team Road Score Since 2005
February 1, 2009 | Women's Gymnastics
Feb. 1, 2009
Durham, N.H. - Taking it on the road again, the UNC gymnastics team came off a two week hiatus from competition to earn an impressive 195.950 team score; the highest since the 2005 EAGL Championships. The Tar Heels faced EAGL opponent the University of New Hampshire in Lundholm Gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 31. Head coach Derek Galvin expressed his delight with the team's performance and energy in their first dual meet of the season.
"It was a great college gymnastics meet," said Galvin. "Both teams had a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and energy. The high energy level on our team made it very enjoyable to watch and coach. It was an exciting competition and it was tight all the way through. The kids put it all out there and we got the highest team score since 2005. It was great to get this kind of a score on the road. UNH had one of the best meets in the history of their program. We would have loved to come out with the highest team score, but coach Penny Jernigan and I both feel good about the fact that our kids gave it everything they had."
Junior Christine Nguyen posted a 9.925 on floor exercise, tying a personal best on the event. Nguyen's impressive score on floor exercise earned her the floor title and helped her win the all-around with a score of 39.250.
On vault, senior Jennifer Valby and freshman Zoya Johnson led the Tar Heels, tying for second on the event with a 9.875. Freshman Morgan Evans placed fourth on vault with a 9.850. UNC posted a score of 49.025 on vault as a team.
Junior Kara Wright took first for the Tar Heels on uneven bars, scoring 9.875. Senior Rachel Schneider also had a great bar routine, placing just behind Wright with a 9.825. Nguyen and Johnson landed a 9.800 on bars in a five-way tie for third. The UNC gymnastics team scored 49.050 on bars as a team.
Scoring 48.700 as a team on balance beam, the Tar Heels were led by Nguyen who earned a 9.800 with a fourth place finish. Karli Jones, Kara Wright, and Kristina Jacob tied for sixth on beam with a score of 9.750.
Placing first, Nguyen led the UNC gymnasts on floor exercise with a 9.925. Krista Jasper contributed a 9.900 on floor to tie for second, and Schneider earned a 9.875 on the event. The team earned a 49.175 on floor.
"On vault, this is the strongest we've been," said Galvin. "We increased our difficulty on vault, which was great and that is reflected in the score. We also changed our floor lineup. This was Teri Diamond's first meet on floor. She led off the team on that event and it was great to see her back in the lineup. Our event scores on floor, bars, and vault were all above 49, and we know we can get cleaner on beam. If we can continue to bring the type of energy and focus we had today, it will bring us one step closer to qualifying for NCAA Regionals and doing well at the EAGL Championships."
The Tar Heels have only four training sessions left to get ready for the Governor's Cup, which will be held at N.C. State University on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 6:00 p.m. The meet will feature N.C. State, North Carolina, Maryland, and Towson (ECAC), as well as New Hampshire.
Team Scores
1. University of New Hampshire - 196.225
2. University of North Carolina -195.950
Vault
2. Zoya Johnson - 9.875
2. Jennifer Valby - 9.875
4. Morgan Evans - 9.850
9. Christine Nguyen - 9.725
10. Kara Wright - 9.700
11. Karli Jones - 9.675
Uneven Bars
1. Kara Wright - 9.875
2. Rachel Schneider - 9.825
3. Zoya Johnson - 9.800
3. Christine Nguyen - 9.800
9. Morgan Evans - 9.750
12. Karli Jones - 9.050
Balance Beam
4. Christine Nguyen - 9.800
6. Karli Jones - 9.750
6. Kara Wright - 9.750
6. Kristina Jacob - 9.750
10. Krista Jasper - 9.650
11. Zoya Johnson - 9.575
Floor Exercise
1. Christine Nguyen - 9.925
2. Krista Jasper - 9.900
5. Rachel Schneider - 9.875
7. Kara Wright - 9.775
10. Theresa Diamond - 9.700
12. Karli Jones - 8.950
All Around
1. Christine Nguyen - 39.250
3. Kara Wright - 39.100
4. Karli Jones - 37.425
Players Mentioned
