University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
at Maryland, Temple
Tar Heels Put Together A Complete Meet In Maryland
March 6, 2009 | Women's Gymnastics
March 6, 2009
College Park, Md. - The University of North Carolina gymnastics team put together one of its best overall team performances of the season in a tri-meet against EAGL rivals Maryland and Temple. The Tar Heels received strong contributions from all performers and emerged from the meet on top with a score of 195.775. The UNC team took the meet titles on vault, bars, and beam, as well as the all-around.
"It was a very exciting meet," said head coach Derek Galvin. "We had 24 official performers and 2 exhibition performers, and we went 26 for 26. We didn't count any falls and we didn't count any out-of-bounds; it was a complete meet and the team did very, very well. Penny and I were particularly pleased with the focus that the team showed despite the demanding week we had and all the traveling we've been doing. We were concerned about possible fatigue, but the team did what they needed to throughout the competition. We had some good routines going early and just built off of that momentum. We achieved a great team score, which should really strengthen our position for qualifying for NCAA Regionals. I'm just very happy for all the young ladies on the team. They did a great job tonight, and it was a fun meet."
The Tar Heels started off on floor and performed good routines to earn 48.975 on the event. Junior Kara Wright took second for the UNC gymnastics team, scoring a 9.850 with a second place finish on floor. Placing just behind her was freshman Krista Jasper, who scored a 9.825. Senior Rachel Schneider and junior Christine Nguyen tied for fourth on floor with a score of 9.800 to give the Tar Heels a boost as well. Junior Teri Diamond also contributed to the team effort with a score of 9.700 on floor.
The UNC team then moved to vault, where they were led by freshman Zoya Johnson who scored a personal best of 9.900 to place first on the event. Placing second on vault was senior Jennifer Valby, adding to the team's strong performance on vault with a score of 9.825. Nguyen and freshman Morgan Evans finished vault in a tie for third place, scoring a 9.775. Freshman Taylor Brown scored a 9.550. UNC did very good team vaulting, scoring a 48.975.
Bars was an exciting event for the Tar Heels as well. Wright led the team, with their score of 48.850 on bars, taking the bars title for the meet with a 9.825. Tying for second, Evans posted a 9.800 on bars and Jasper scored a 9.775 to finish fourth. Schneider and Nguyen both scored a 9.725 as they finished in a five-way tie for sixth on bars.
Finishing the meet on beam, the Tar Heels earned a score of 48.975. Nguyen placed first with a strong score of 9.900. Juniors Wright and Kristina Jacob posted scores of 9.825 to tie for third on beam. Johnson, with a 9.750, finished beam in a three-way tie for sixth. Diamond scored a 9.675 for the Tar Heels on beam.
Nguyen and Wright finished the meet with a tie for first in the all-around with strong scores of 39.200.
"We had six sticks on beam dismounts," exclaimed Galvin. "We started off on floor and competed with good floor routines. One of the things they've been working on is staying in bounds on floor and they did a great job of that tonight. We also had a much higher percentage of sticks in the landings. Most importantly, we want to continue to focus on those little things because those little things make a big difference."
The Tar Heels with travel to Tuscaloosa, Al. on Friday, March 13 to face the likes of Oklahoma and host Alabama in another tri-meet. The competition is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. CT. This meet marks the last regular season meet for the UNC gymnastics team as they will soon begin to prepare for EAGL Championships on March 21.
Team Scores
1. University of North Carolina - 195.775
2. University of Maryland - 194.300
3. Temple University - 188.150
Vault - 48.975
1. Zoya Johnson - 9.900
2. Jennifer Valby - 9.825
3. Christine Nguyen - 9.775
3. Morgan Evans - 9.775
6. Kara Wright - 9.700
10. Taylor Brown - 9.550
Bars - 48.850
1. Kara Wright - 9.825
2. Morgan Evans - 9.800
4. Krista Jasper - 9.775
6. Rachel Schneider - 9.725
6. Christine Nguyen - 9.725
11. Zoya Johnson - 9.700
Beam - 48.975
1. Christine Nguyen - 9.900
3. Kara Wright - 9.825
3. Kristina Jacob - 9.825
6. Zoya Johnson - 9.750
10. Theresa Diamond - 9.675
12. Krista Jasper - 9.575
Floor - 48.975
2. Kara Wright - 9.850
3. Krista Jasper - 9.825
4. Rachel Schneider - 9.800
4. Christine Nguyen - 9.800
11. Theresa Diamond - 9.700
15. Taylor Brown - 9.550
All-Around
1. Christine Nguyen - 39.200
1. Kara Wright - 39.200
Players Mentioned
