University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Governor's Cup
Tar Heels Take Two Event Titles In Raleigh Meet
February 7, 2009 | Women's Gymnastics
Raleigh, N.C. - The Tar Heels traveled just down the road to N.C. State University to compete in the annual Governor's Cup in front of an enthusiastic audience of 1,887. The meet in Reynolds Coliseum featured competition between teams in the state of Maryland (Towson and Maryland) and teams in the state of North Carolina (UNC and N.C. State). The North Carolina teams combined to score a 389.400, topping the 385.375 combined score of the Maryland teams. Also competing in the meet was EAGL opponent New Hampshire, who placed fourth overall with a score of 191.775.
The UNC gymnastics team took away two event titles in the meet in Raleigh, N.C., junior Christine Nguyen on floor exercise and junior Kara Wright on uneven bars. The Tar Heels placed second overall in the meet, with a team score of 194.450.
"Beam was our first event tonight and we got off to a little bit of a tentative start," said head coach Derek Galvin. "We told the girls after the meet that there's no need for us to be nervous on that or any event in the beginning of the meet. We want them to be confident and to be prepared because they've worked hard to get ready for the competition. There's no need for them to be nervous. Overall, I felt that Tina Jacob had her strongest routine on beam tonight; she looked great on that event. On floor, we had several strong routines. Morgan Evans did a great vault for us and Karli Jones did her best vault for us thus far in the season. On bars, Morgan had a great bar routine, she led us off really strong. The freshmen have done a great job on vault and bars for us, and Zoya did very well tonight. I thought that Kara's bar routines was one of her better bar routines."
Krista Jasper led the Tar Heels off on the meet in their first rotation on balance beam, scoring a 9.725. Tina Jacob gave the Tar Heels a boost on beam, scoring 9.775 as the team's final competitor on beam. Jacob placed third on beam. The UNC gymnasts had to count a fault on beam, but scored 47.925 as a team.
Nguyen led the Tar Heels on floor exercise. For the second time this season, Nguyen tied her personal best on floor, earning a 9.925 and taking the meet title on floor. Jasper placed third with a 9.875 for the Tar Heels' second highest score on floor. Senior Rachel Schneider also had a strong contribution for the team on floor, scoring a 9.800 and placing ninth.
"Our performance on floor was a little bit stronger than our first rotation," said Galvin. "We added some more difficulty, which has been our plan over the last couple of weeks. Teri Diamond added some difficulty to her routine tonight, as did Christine Nguyen. Vault and bars showed that we were a stronger second-half team."
The UNC gymnastics team gave great effort on vault to earn a 48.875 on the event. Senior Jennifer Valby had a strong contribution of vault, scoring 9.825 and placing sixth. Evans also helped lead the Tar Heels on vault with a strong performance, finishing tenth with a 9.800. Wright scored just behind Evans with a 9.775 and sophomore Karli Jones earned a score of 9.750.
In their last rotation of the meet, the Tar Heels took to the uneven bars where they scored a team total 48.900. Wright led the team on the event, scoring a 9.875 to earn a personal best on bars. The personal best also earned Wright the bars title in the meet. Nguyen took second for the Tar Heels with a 9.850. Placing just behind Nguyen, Evans earned a score of 9.800 on bars.
"This is just beyond the first third of the season, so we expect to see a little bit more consistency over the next couple weeks," said Galvin. "We will be adding some new elements to the routines, which can always create the potential for inconsistency. But, to be ready for the things we want at the end of the season, we have to start putting in the elements now."
The Tar Heels will be back in Raleigh, N.C. next Friday, Feb. 13 to compete in the Sweetheart Invitational, hosted by N.C State. The meet features UNC, N.C. State, George Washington, and William & Mary and is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum.
Team Scores
1. North Carolina State University - 194.950
2. University of North Carolina - 194.450
3. University of Maryland - 193.675
4. University of New Hampshire - 191.775
5. Towson - 191.700
Vault - 48.875
6. Jennifer Valby - 9.825
10. Morgan Evans - 9.800
12. Kara Wright - 9.775
16. Karli Jones - 9.750
20. Zoya Johnson - 9.725
25. Christine Nguyen - 9.675
Bars - 48.900
1. Kara Wright - 9.875
2. Christine Nguyen - 9.850
3. Morgan Evans - 9.800
3. Zoya Johnson - 9.800
16. Karli Jones - 9.575
22. Rachel Schneider - 9.275
Beam - 47.925
3. Kristina Jacob - 9.775
8. Krista Jasper - 9.725
11. Christine Nguyen - 9.675
18. Zoya Johnson - 9.550
26. Kara Wright - 9.200
29. Morgan Evans - 9.125
Floor - 48.750
1. Christine Nguyen - 9.925
3. Krista Jasper -9.875
9. Rachel Schneider - 9.800
12. Kara Wright - 9.750
24. Karli Jones - 9.400
25. Theresa Diamond - 9.200
All-Around
2. Christine Nguyen - 39.125
4. Kara Wright - 38.600
Players Mentioned
