University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Take Vault, Beam And Floor Titles At Raleigh Sweetheart Invitational
February 13, 2009 | Women's Gymnastics
Feb. 13, 2009
Raleigh, N.C. - After only six days, the UNC gymnastics team traveled back to N.C. State University to compete in a quad meet against EAGL rivals George Washington and host N.C. State as well as William & Mary in the Sweetheart Invitational. The meet on Friday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum exhibited strong performances from all teams in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 2,112. The Tar Heels took second in the meet, finishing with a team score of 193.525; another score that will help the team raise its regional qualifying score. The Tar Heels left Raleigh en route to Chapel Hill with the meet titles on vault, beam, and floor.
"Carolina Fever was great!" exclaimed head coach Derek Galvin. "They followed us down to beam. It seemed like the closer Fever got to us, the better we did. So, we thanked them after the meet and I told them that we needed them closer to us on every event and we would have done better."
The Tar Heels began the meet on floor exercise with junior Christine Nguyen's 9.875 leading the team on the event, taking the floor title home from Raleigh, N.C. the second time in a row. Teammate Krista Jasper had a strong performance, scoring a 9.850 and placing second. Junior Teri Diamond provided the Tar Heels with added support on floor, earning a 9.675 with a seventh place finish. The Tar Heels posted a 48.425 as a team on floor.
"This is a very springy floor and we have to learn to adjust to that," said Galvin. "We had some out-of-bounds issues with a couple of gymnasts. So, floor was a little bit ragged at points, but we added some more difficulty to the routines. Krista Jasper did a full twist and double back; the first gymnasts since Brooke Wilson to compete that skill and she did very well."
On vault, the Tar Heels were led off by sophomore Karli Jones, sticking her landing to give the team a 9.700 on the event. Nguyen posted a 9.875, tying for first on vault. Senior Jennifer Valby and freshman Morgan Evans both gave the Tar Heels a boost as they tied for fourth with a score of 9.800. The Tar Heels as a team scored 48.775 on vault.
"We had fairly good vaults," said Galvin. "Christine Nguyen threw a more difficult vault and she did an excellent job on that. Morgan Evans had a very strong vault, as did Karli Jones who stuck her vault."
The UNC gymnasts moved to uneven bars to compete in their third rotation of the meet, scoring 47.500 as a team. The Tar Heels were led on bars by freshman Zoya Johnson who placed second with a score of 9.775. Junior Kara Wright had a strong contribution on bars, scoring 9.750 and placing fourth.
"On bars, we just had some focus problems," said Galvin. "But, Zoya Johnson did a great job on bars. Rachel Schneider and Kara Wright also had solid routines the team. We just need to learn how to focus on every skill throughout the bars."
In their final rotation, the Tar Heels took to balance beam. Strong performances were met by all competitors for the team as the UNC gymnastics team scored a 48.825 on beam. Nguyen and Tina Jacob led the Tar Heels on the event, tying for first with a score of 9.850. Johnson placed third for the Tar Heels with a 9.800. The team scored a 48.825 on beam.
"I asked the team after bars to focus on beam," said Galvin. "They're capable of hitting their routines on beam, they're capable of doing their skills, they're strong and well-prepared, but they just have to focus on every skill in the routine; and they did that on beam. So, at the end of the meet I told them I was proud of the way they re-focused and came back strong beam. In fact, it was the best team performance on beam this year. So the lesson we're walking out of here with is that we've got to focus from the very beginning to the very end, and we cannot let up."
Next, the Tar Heels will take it on the road to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to face competition from LSU and the University of Illinois at Chicago. The meet is set to begin at 7 p.m. and the UNC gymnastics team is eager for another chance to test their mettle.
Team Scores
1. North Carolina State University - 194.350
2. University of North Carolina - 193.525
3. George Washington University - 192.575
4. College of William & Mary -187.875
Vault - 48.775
1. Christine Nguyen - 9.875
4. Morgan Evans - 9.800
4. Jennifer Valby - 9.800
10. Karli Jones - 9.700
17. Kara Wright - 9.600
24. Zoya Johnson - 9.250
Bars - 47.500
2. Zoya Johnson - 9.775
4. Kara Wright - 9.750
8. Rachel Schneider - 9.675
19. Christine Nguyen - 9.250
20. Karli Jones - 9.050
24. Morgan Evans - 8.100
Beam - 48.825
1. Kristina Jacob - 9.850
1. Christine Nguyen - 9.850
3. Zoya Johnson - 9.800
9. Kara Wright - 9.675
11. Karli Jones - 9.650
12. Krista Jasper - 9.625
Floor - 48.425
1. Christine Nguyen - 9.875
2. Krista Jasper - 9.850
7. Theresa Diamond - 9.675
15. Karli Jones - 9.575
18. Rachel Schneider - 9.450
23. Kara Wright - 8.950
All-Around
3. Christine Nguyen - 38.850
6. Kara Wright - 37.975
6. Karli Jones - 37.975
Players Mentioned
