University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
NC State, William & Mary
Tar Heels Take Second Place in Chapel Hill Tri-Meet
February 13, 2016 | Women's Gymnastics
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – For the third consecutive week, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill gymnastics team competed at home, taking on NC State and William & Mary in a tri-meet. North Carolina finished in second place with a score of 193.000, defeating the Tribe (192.400), but being outlasted by a highly talented Wolfpack squad (194.050).
Friday's meet was the Tar Heels' second competition against both the Wolfpack and the Tribe in the 2016 season.
A crowd of 1,723 was in attendance for the Pink Meet, which was in support of UNC-Chapel Hill's “Get REAL & HEEL” program and breast cancer awareness.
The “Get REAL & HEEL” program provides a combination of exercise and psychosocial therapy to physically and mentally strengthen breast cancer patients across North Carolina.
In the all-around competition, Morgan Lane took first place with a score of 39.100. Kaitlynn Hedelund notched a score of 38.625, which earned her a tie for fourth place with Briana Gironda of William & Mary. Lexi Cappalli earned a sixth place finish with a score of 38.325, which tied her season-high that was set on Saturday, Feb. 6 in Carmichael Arena. Christina Pheil scored a season-best of 38.225 to take seventh place.
Due to injuries to several gymnasts, North Carolina only had five gymnasts in the lineup during three of the four rotations, including vault, beam and floor. Despite the minimal room for error, the Tar Heels were able to overcome adversity and post an impressive team score on Friday.
“Knowing that we were counting every score on three events, it meant that everybody had to show up on those events,” said UNC head coach Derek Galvin.
Sarah Peterson was unable to compete for the Tar Heels, and Madison Nettles was only able to compete on the uneven bars due to injury.
“We gave up a lot by not having them in the lineup,” said Galvin.
UNC kicked off the competition on the vault, and the team posted a score of 48.325. All five gymnasts notched season-high scores on the apparatus. Hedelund led the way for the Tar Heels, scoring a career-high of 9.875 to take first place. Lane finished in fifth place with a score of 9.775. Lauren Weisel notched a score of 9.625 to tie for 12th place among all competitors. Cappalli added a 9.550 for North Carolina, while Pheil had a score of 9.500.
The Tar Heels next competed on the uneven bars, where the team notched a score of 48.050. Lane scored a 9.775 on the apparatus, which earned her a tie for first place with NC State's Brittni Watkins. Hedelund notched a score of 9.725 to tie for third place with the Wolfpack's Courtney Turner. Josselyn Mackey had a score of 9.600 for the Tar Heels to finish in ninth place. In addition, Nettles scored a 9.550, while Pheil added a 9.400.
On the balance beam, North Carolina posted a score of 48.575. This proved to be the Tar Heels' strongest apparatus on Friday. Four out of the five competing gymnasts had season-high scores during the rotation. Hedelund led the team with a career-high score of 9.825 to take second place. Mackey notched a season-high of 9.775, which earned her a tie for third place with Amanda Fillard of NC State. Lane tied for fifth place in the event with a score of 9.750. In addition, Cappalli added a season-high score of 9.625 for the Tar Heels, while Pheil scored a season-high of 9.600.
UNC closed out Friday's competition on the floor exercise, where the team notched a score of 48.050. Lane scored a 9.800 for the Tar Heels, to take third place among all competitors. Cappalli tied for fifth with Paris Phillips and Caitlyn Fillard of NC State with a score of 9.750. Pheil notched a score of 9.725 on the apparatus, which earned her a tie for eighth place. Weisel added a score of 9.575 for the Tar Heels, while Hedelund had a 9.200.
“Even though the final score was lower [than last week], it seemed like there was a more confident approach on each event,” said Galvin. “I didn't see anybody that was timid. I saw people going strong and going big. That's what we need to be doing at this point in the year.”
Galvin continued, “We've got to build consistency through the season and carry it all the way through.”
North Carolina will return to competition on Friday, Feb. 19 in Washington, D.C. The Tar Heels will square off against two highly ranked East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) opponents, No. 17 George Washington and No. 22 New Hampshire. The meet will begin at 7 p.m. in the Charles E. Smith Center.
Players Mentioned
