University of North Carolina Athletics
Seniors Decorated At EAGL Banquet
March 26, 2010 | Women's Gymnastics
March 26, 2010
Durham, N.H. - Carolina senior gymnasts Christine Nguyen, Kara Wright and Tina Jacob were honored Friday night for their hard work and accomplishments at the annual East Atlantic Gymnastics League banquet. For the third straight season, Nguyen was named EAGL Gymnast of the year. She was also honored as the 2010 EAGL Senior of the Year. Wright was named the 2010 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for her accomplishments in the gym and in the classroom. Jacob was honored as the team MVP.
"Penny and I are thrilled that Christine and Kara earned some of the highest honors that an athlete competing in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League can receive," said head coach Derek Galvin. "What makes these awards even more special in my mind is that these are awards that are the result of a vote by the coaches and when gymnasts are nominated for there awards, their coach cannot vote for them. To receive that kind of recognition and acknowledgement is even more noteworthy because it means that the other coaches recognize the contributions that Kara and Christine made not only to our team, but the contributions they've made as student-athletes to the league. It is a wonderful honor to receive and I am very happy for both of them."
Averaging a 39.028, Nguyen was the only all-around competitor to average over 39.000 in the league this season. She was honored as the EAGL Senior of the Year for her performance throughout her four years at Carolina. The Plano, Texas native earned first-team all-EAGL honors in all-around, uneven bars, beam and floor. Nguyen's 9.767 average on beam was the highest in the league. Nguyen was named to the all-EAGL second-team for vault.
The definition of student-athlete, Wright has excelled academically and athletically throughout her four years at Carolina. This season she earned first team all-EAGL honors on vault with a 9.803 season average and in all-around. Wright was named to the all-EAGL second team for uneven bars and floor exercise.
All-EAGL first team honors were awarded to the top six athletes based on seasonal averages. Second team honors were determined by a vote of the eight EAGL coaches.
Jacob's leadership earned her team MVP honors. The Raleigh, N.C. native has been a top competitor on balance beam and has earned the admiration of her coaches and teammates for her dedication to the team.
"Tina has been a steady competitor for us. She's been a mainstay in the lineup on balance beam for four years and she's done a great job for us on floor and bars at times," Galvin said. "But what Tina brings to this team goes way beyond what she does competitively. Her conscientious attitude about being a leader of the team and the concern that she has for her teammates, there was no question for Penny and I that she is our MVP. She's the rock. The strength begins with her on this team and she is certainly very deserving of the honor."
Jacob, Nguyen, Wright and the Carolina gymnastics team spent Friday afternoon preparing for Saturday's EAGL Championships at Lundholm Gymnasium on the University of New Hampshire campus. The eight-team competition begins at 2 p.m.
"In order for any student-athlete to receive those types of awards, they need to have a team behind them that supports and encourages them in training and competition," Galvin said. "It takes a team to help individuals achieve those types of accolades. It speaks not only highly of Kara and Christine, but of each of the members of our team and what they've done as teammates in supporting Kara and Christine in the same way that Kara and Christine have supported the other members of the team. It's a wonderful honor. It's wonderful recognition and tomorrow we want to step into the competition and have the type of team performance that reflects these awards and the significance of what the team did in helping Kara and Christine achieve them."
Players Mentioned
