University of North Carolina Athletics
Hedelund and Lane Prepare for NCAA Regionals on Saturday
March 29, 2016 | Women's Gymnastics
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – On Saturday, April 2, two North Carolina gymnasts will compete in the NCAA Regionals in Athens, Ga. Sophomore Morgan Lane will compete in the all-around, while sophomore Kaitlynn Hedelund will compete on the uneven bars for the Tar Heels. The competition is set to begin at 4 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum.
“[I am] excited for Morgan and Katilynn,” said UNC head coach Derek Galvin. “We are going to go into regionals excited and enthusiastic about what they can do.”
Galvin continued, “We are very disappointed that the entire team is not going to be there, but we are thrilled that we have two people representing our team and our school. I think that they will both do a very good job.”
Throughout the season, Lane has been a consistent competitor in the all-around competition for the Tar Heels. She has scored a 39.000 or better in all of her 10 appearances in the all-around during the season. On March 19, Lane notched a career-high of 39.400 at the EAGL Championships to take second place in the competition. Lane is set to rotate with Georgia at the NCAA Regionals.
“Morgan's performances both in the last meet at Florida and at EAGL Championships were impressive,” said Galvin. “If Morgan's performances are consistent with what she did at Florida and the EAGL Championships, then she's going to have a very good experience at regionals.”
Despite persistent injury throughout the 2016 season, Hedelund has been a leader for the Tar Heels on the uneven bars. On Jan. 17, she notched her career-high of 9.900 to take first place on the apparatus at the Lindsey Ferris Invitational in Washington, D.C. Hedelund will compete alongside Michigan State on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday's competition will be both Lane and Hedelund's second appearances at NCAA Regionals. In the 2015 meet, Lane scored a 37.950 to take 14th in the all-around, while Hedelund notched a 9.750 on the bars to earn a 23rd place finish.
“Training has been going well. It is different because we don't have the entire team training, but what the have been doing at practice has been good. It's very encouraging,” said Galvin.
The top two finishers in the all-around competition will qualify for the national championship meet on April 15-16 in Fort Worth, Texas. The individual event winners will receive a berth to the national championship if they are not a part of a qualifying team or an all-around qualifier.
Athens, Ga. (University of Georgia) – 4 p.m.
Teams
LSU
Georgia
Oregon State
Arizona
George Washington
Michigan State
All-Around Competitors
Brittni Watkins, NC State
Morgan Lane, UNC
Tyra McKellar, Towson
Brittany Stover, William & Mary
Chelsea Knight, NC State (alternate)
Individual Event Specialists
Vault – Kathy Tang, Maryland
Vault – Chelsea Knight, NC State
Bars – Abbie Epperson, Maryland
Bars – Kaitlynn Hedelund, UNC
Bars – Kathy Tang, Maryland (alternate)
Beam – Mary Elle Arduino, Towson
Beam – Nicole Wild, NC State
Beam – Evelyn Nee, Maryland (alternate)
Floor – Kathy Tang, Maryland
Floor – Macey Roberts, Maryland
Floor – Emily Brauckmuller, Maryland (alternate)
Players Mentioned
