University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
William & Mary
Tar Heels Set Season-Best on Bars in Second Place Finish
March 6, 2016 | Women's Gymnastics
WILLIAMSBURG, VA. – On Saturday afternoon, the North Carolina gymnastics team took to Kaplan Arena to square off against William & Mary for the fourth time in the 2016 season. The Tribe recovered from deficits in the first three rotations to defeat the Tar Heels, 192.450-192.225. The competition was highlighted by Morgan Lane's performance, who earned first place finishes in the vault, beam, floor and all-around.
Lane earned first place in the all-around competition with a career-best score of 39.300. Lexi Cappalli notched a score of 38.800, which tied her season-best that was set on Feb. 19 in Washington, D.C. This score earned her a third place finish in the all-around. Christina Pheil scored a 37.850 to take fourth place among all competitors.
“Morgan [Lane] and Lexi [Cappalli] both had strong all-around performances,” said UNC head coach Derek Galvin.
Due to injuries to several gymnasts, North Carolina only had five gymnasts in the lineup for three of the four rotations, including vault, beam and floor. Despite the limited room for error, the Tar Heels managed to overcome significant adversity and post a solid team score.
“We just didn't have enough depth. We couldn't have any falls, but we had to count three falls and that was a big handicap,” said Galvin.
For the second week, Sarah Peterson was unable to compete, while Kaitlynn Hedelund was only in the lineup for two rotations – bars and beam.
North Carolina began the competition on the uneven bars, which proved to be the Tar Heels' strongest apparatus of the afternoon. The team posted a season-high score of 48.725. Josselyn Mackey and Hedelund led the way for the Tar Heels with both gymnasts posting scores of 9.800, earning them a tie for first place. This score represented a season-best for Mackey and tied her career-best set on March 16, 2013 against Pennsylvania. Lane placed third among all competitors with a score of 9.775. Pheil notched a season-best score of 9.700 to take sixth place. In addition, Cappalli tied for eighth with Katie Webber of the Tribe with a score of 9.650.
UNC next competed on the vault, where the team posted a score of 48.150. Lane notched a score of 9.775 on the apparatus to tie for first place with Brittany Stover of William & Mary. This score tied Lane's season-high, which was set on Feb. 12 against NC State and William & Mary. Cappalli tied for fourth place with a score of 9.675. Lauren Weisel had a season-best score of 9.650 to finish in seventh place among all competitors. Madison Nettles had a score of 9.625 on the vault for the Tar Heels. Additionally, Pheil added a score of 9.425 for UNC.
On the floor exercise, the Tar Heels had a score of 47.250. North Carolina led the way with a career-best score of 9.900 on the apparatus to take first place among all competitors. Cappalli took fifth place with a score of 9.750, while Weisel notched a score of 9.700 to take seventh place. Pheil earned a ninth place finish with a score of 9.125. In addition, Nettles had a score of 8.775 for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina closed out the competition on the balance beam, where the team notched a score of 48.100. Lane led UNC with a score of 9.850, which earned her a first place finish in the event. This score tied her season-best, which was set on Jan. 30 against George Washington. Hedelund took second place with a score of 9.750, while Cappalli tied for third place with a season-best score of 9.725. Pheil scored a 9.600 to earn an eighth place finish. Mackey took eighth place with a score of 9.175.
“The lack of depth really hurt us,” said Galvin.
UNC will be back in action on Friday, March 11 in Gainesville, Fla. to take on the No. 2 Florida Gators for the final regular season competition of 2016. The meet will begin at 4 p.m. in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Players Mentioned
