University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC Hosts Third-Ranked Florida Gators on Friday Night
January 18, 2017 | Women's Gymnastics
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of North Carolina gymnastics team will open the home schedule against the No. 3 Florida Gators in a #BETRUE event on Friday night. The meet is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in Carmichael Arena.
“We are excited to begin the 2017 University of North Carolina gymnastics home meet season, and we are delighted to welcome Tar Heel fans to Carmichael Arena at 7 p.m. on Friday for our home opener with the University of Florida," said head coach Derek Galvin.
#BETRUE is a Nike campaign that celebrates the passion and pursuit of sport by all athletes. According to Nike, “Since its inception, Nike has championed athletes of all walks of life, believing that diversity creates better communities and fosters innovation and growth. The 2016 #BETRUE [campaign], inspired by the LGBTQ community, represents this conviction and commitment.”
"As head coach, I am pleased, along with associate head coach Amy Smith, assistant coach Whitnee Johnson, and our team, that our great university encourages and celebrates diversity and inclusion in our community," said Galvin.
Galvin continued, "At this Friday evening's gymnastics meet, in celebration of the LGBTQ members of our campus community who have added diversity and beauty to our Carolina experience through their talents and creativity, the gymnastics program is proud to honor former head coach Kendra Ourso. During her tenure as the gymnastics coach at the University of North Carolina from 1975 to 1981, Coach Ourso enriched the lives of the student-athletes she coached, and was a leader in the growth of college gymnastics. We will be forever grateful for the contributions Coach Ourso made to the University of North Carolina and the sport of gymnastics."
The meet is sponsored by the UNC Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office, the Sports Equality Foundation, UNC's LGBTQ Center, You Can Play, UNC's Safe Zone and the LGBT SportSafe Inclusion Program.
This is the second consecutive year in which the Tar Heels have competed against Florida, as the team travelled to Gainesville, Fla., to take on the Gators to close out the 2016 regular season. UNC lost, 198.050-193.725, to a highly talented Florida team that went on to finish fourth at the NCAA Super Six finals. The 2017 North Carolina gymnastics team looks to prove itself against top competition when the Gators come to Chapel Hill, N.C.
“The best way for us to build excitement about our team this year is to face one of the top teams in the country. We feel confident about the ability of our team. It's a young team relative to teams we've had in recent years, but we feel that having Florida here for this meet is going to help bring the best out in our team,” said Galvin.
WEEK 1: LINDSEY FERRIS INVITATIONAL
On Jan. 14, UNC began the 2017 season at the Lindsey Ferris Invitational in Washington, D.C., where the team took on George Washington, Cornell and Penn. After a competitive meet, the Tar Heels finished in third-place with a score of 192.300. North Carolina defeated Cornell (190.825), the defending ECAC champions, but fell to George Washington (195.225) and Penn (193.275).
During the meet, seven newcomers – Alexis Allen, Madison Hargrave, Mikayla Robinson, Grace Donaghy, Mekyllah Williams, Khazia Hislop and Emma Marchese – made their collegiate debuts.
A number of UNC gymnasts recorded impressive performances to lead the Tar Heels to a solid team score.
Morgan Lane started off her junior campaign by winning the all-around competition with a score of 39.150 on Saturday. This marked the 10th consecutive meet that Lane has scored a 39.000 or higher in the all-around. Lane also tied won the floor exercise title (9.850) and tied for fifth place on the balance beam (9.850). On Tuesday, Lane was named the EAGL Gymnast of the Week following her stellar performance in Washington, D.C.
After a leg injury limited her in 2016, Kaitlynn Hedelund returned to the lineup of three of the four apparatuses at the Lindsey Ferris Invitational. Hedelund had a standout performance on the bars, where she tied for second with a score of 9.825. She competed on the vault for the first time since Feb. 19, 2016, and posted 9.675 to place 11th. Hedelund was also in the lineup for the balance beam, which she has just started training again.
Madison Nettles had a stellar first meet for North Carolina, where she competed on the vault, bars and floor. Nettles notched scores of 9.750 on both the vault and bars, which earned her a tie for sixth place on both events. On the floor exercise, she notched a score of 9.650, which was good for 17th place among all competitors.
Over the course of the meet, three UNC gymnasts set career-high scores on an event. Allen (9.750) and Hargrave (9.750) both set personal bests on the vault, while Hislop set a career-high of 9.800 on the floor exercise.
THE OPPONENT: FLORIDA GATORS
No. 3 Florida is off to a blistering start in 2017 following impressive victories against NC State and Kentucky. The Gators currently have an average score of 197.350, which is the third best in the nation.
Florida opened its home schedule on Friday against the SEC-rival Wildcats, winning the competition 197.600-196.950. A Florida athlete won or tied for first place on every apparatus and in the all-around. Kennedy Baker, a senior All-American for the Gators, won both the floor exercise (9.925) and the all-around (39.575). This was the second consecutive meet that Baker has won the all-around competition.
HOW TO WATCH
Attendance to Friday's meet is free and the public is encouraged to see the Tar Heels take on one of the country's most talented gymnastics teams.
For those unable to attend, the meet will be live streamed via FloGymnastics, which is available to subscribers for a $19.97 monthly or $147 annual fee.
Players Mentioned
