University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC Host EAGL Rival New Hampshire on Friday Night
February 15, 2017 | Women's Gymnastics
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of North Carolina gymnastics team will return to home competition on Fri., Feb. 17, as the team hosts New Hampshire at Carmichael Arena for a Pink Meet. The meet is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
“This weekend we are excited to be home,” said associate head coach Amy Smith. “Obviously, coming off a successful two-meet weekend, I think the girls are really fired up to come home and compete in Carmichael after not getting that opportunity two weeks ago.”
The Feb. 3 home quad meet that was cancelled due to the Chapel Hill water crisis was scheduled to be a Pink Meet. That theme will now carry over to this weekend's dual meet versus the Wildcats.
The meet is in support of “Get REAL & HEEL,” which provides post cancer treatment support for breast cancer survivors, and Super Cooper, which provides resources and assistance for children that are going through cancer treatment.
As many children come from afar for treatment at UNC and Duke Hospitals and are separated from their friends, the Super Cooper program connects children to college students. The objective is to provide a positive and dependable role model for each child in the Super Cooper program.
“We've got a Super Cooper group here on campus and we want to support and endorse the wonderful work that they do as well as the great work that “Get REAL & HEEL” does,” said head coach Derek Galvin.
North Carolina is currently ranked No. 4 in the EAGL and 35th in the NCAA with a record of 8-3 (4-1 EAGL). The Tar Heels look to pick up a conference victory over the second ranked team in the conference when the Wildcats come to town on Friday.
“I think we are going to have a little bit of shake up in the lineup. We're hoping to bring Emma [Marchese] in on floor. Last weekend we brought in Mikayla [Robinson] on floor and she did a great job at the end of the lineup. I'm hoping to have her improve on that performance,” said Smith.
“I'm looking forward to another energetic and enthusiastic crowd. We really appreciated the support at our last home meet and hope that all those people will come back,” said Galvin.
WEEK #6: UNC GOES 6-0 (3-0 EAGL) IN DOUBLE QUAD WEEKEND
For the first time since 2009, UNC competed in two quad meets within three days. The Tar Heels posted a 195.675 on Friday night, defeating EAGL rivals NC State and Pittsburgh, as well as William & Mary. North Carolina returned to the gym on Sunday afternoon at Towson, tallying a 195.525 to defeat the Tigers, Temple and No. 24 West Virginia.
UNC's score of 195.675 on Friday was the highest team score since 2013 and this weekend marked the first time since the 2013 season that the Tar Heels have scored a 195.000 or higher in back-to-back competitions.
On Friday, the Tar Heels had a 49.000 on the floor exercise, a 48.625 on vault, a 48.900 on the uneven bars and a 49.150 on the balance beam. UNC competed in the same order on Sunday afternoon, with a 49.000 on floor, a 48.950 on vault, a 48.850 on bars and a 48.725 on beam. The 49.000 in both meets was the highest score on floor exercise since a 2015 dual meet versus Georgia.
A multitude of phenomenal individual performances helped lead North Carolina to nationally-competitive team scores this weekend. Nineteen scores of 9.8 or higher were posted by UNC athletes across the two quad meets.
Morgan Lane performed exceptionally well this weekend, competing in the all-around during both meets. Lane scored a 39.000 or higher in both meets, which extended her streak to 15 consecutive meets. She posted a season-best of 39.325 on Friday at NC State and followed up with a 39.300 performance at Towson two days later. She won the beam at both meets, scoring a career-best matching score of 9.950 at NC State and a 9.925 at Towson on Sunday. Lane is currently tied for No. 2 in the nation on the balance beam with an average score of 9.900. Lane earned EAGL Gymnast of the Week honors following her stellar performance for the Tar Heels.
“She's really figured out how to be consistent and is competing incredibly well. I'm excited for her to come home and compete in Carmichael,” said Smith.
Madison Nettles competed in the all-around for the first time in the 2017 season on Sunday afternoon. She posted a career-best of 39.175 at Towson to place third in the all-around. This included a 9.825 on vault, 9.750 on bars, 9.775 on balance beam and 9.825 on floor exercise. Nettles also performed well at NC State, as she scored a career-best of 9.875 on floor, a 9.775 on vault and a 9.750 on bars.
“It was a big step to have Madison Nettles come in on the all-around. That was huge for her. Hopefully, she'll get the opportunity to do that at home on Friday,” said Smith.
Emma Marchese competed on the beam and bars for the Tar Heels during both meets. At NC State, Marchese tied her season-best with a 9.850 on the balance beam to place second behind Lane. On Sunday, she posted a career-best of 9.825 on the bars to finish fourth at the Towson quad meet.
Khazia Hislop, a freshman out of Concord, Mass., had a standout performance for the Tar Heels this weekend. On the floor exercise, Hislop notched a 9.900 on the floor in Raleigh to win the event and then followed up with a 9.850 on Sunday to take second place. She also finished in fifth place on the balance beam in both meets, posting a 9.800 at NC State and a 9.850 at Towson. Hislop was named the EAGL Rookie of the Week for the third time this season on Tuesday.
THE OPPONENT: NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire has a record of 10-2 (2-1 EAGL) and is currently ranked second in the EAGL behind George Washington. The Wildcats defeated Bowling Green State University, 194.700-193.850, in a dual meet in Bowling Green, Ohio, on Saturday afternoon.
The 'Cats scored a 48.175 on bars, a 48.900 on vault, a 48.725 on beam and a 48.725 in route to the victory. The Falcons won three out of the four events, but New Hampshire's dominant performance on the balance beam propelled the team to victory.
For the fifth time this season, Danielle Mulligan won the uneven bars competition with a score of 9.825. Danielle Doolin was the champion on the floor exercise after posting a 9.850 for the 'Cats. Doolin was the only competitor in the all-around and she posted a 38.875. Casey Lauter tied her season-best of 9.875 on the beam to earn a piece of the event title.
“New Hampshire is a strong team this year. They are the fourth EAGL opponent we will have faced in the last week. It's a big competition for us within our conference,” said Galvin.
Players Mentioned
