University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Gymnastics Announces 2019 Schedule
October 23, 2018 | Women's Gymnastics
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The University of North Carolina gymnastics team released its schedule for the 2019 season on Tuesday, just under three months before it holds its home opener. Carolina hosts four meets during the 2019 season and will travel around the country for its other six competitions.
"Our coaching staff and team are very excited about our schedule," head coach Derek Galvin said. "It's a challenging schedule and we're facing some strong teams but this team is preparing for that challenge."
To open the season, Carolina visits the nation's capital to go up against EAGL foe George Washington, Cornell and Ball State in the Lindsey Ferris Invitational. This meet is the first of three meetings between the Tar Heels and the Ball State Cardinals.
Returning to Chapel Hill, the Heels host two meets in back to back weekends. First, Carolina hosts Ball State and defending national runners-up Oklahoma in their annual Women's Equality and Pink meet. This meet is focused on supporting breast cancer survivors and promoting women's equality.
"Oklahoma has been one of the perennial powers of gymnastics over the last five or six years," Galvin stated. "They've won three national championships and placed second by a very slim margin last year in a tremendous battle with UCLA. Having a team with Oklahoma's caliber here is going to be very exciting for our team as well as for our spectators."
The following weekend, Carolina holds its Diversity and Inclusion meet when it hosts a powerful EAGL opponent in a NC State squad that finished 20th in the year-end rankings. This meet will be the first meeting that newly hired assistant coach Emma Sibson will coach against her former team.
"It is going to be awesome to compete against the reigning EAGL Champions, NC State," Sibson stated. "I am looking forward to welcoming them into my new home in Carmichael Arena. It will be a great match up between two talented teams!"
Carolina hits the road the next weekend, heading north for a tri-meet in Pittsburgh against EAGL opponent Pittsburgh and Temple. Last year, the Tar Heels defeated both of these opponents during the regular season.
The Tar Heels return to Research Triangle Park for the following three weeks for three different EAGL competitions. First, they host Towson in Chapel Hill in their mental health awareness meet. At the meet the Tar Heels will host mental health awareness organizations to set up in the concourse and give out informational resources during the meet.
The next weekend Carolina travels to Raleigh to face rival NC State in the Sweetheart Invite before returning home to face New Hampshire in its last home meet. During the meet the Tar Heels will honor its seniors as well as first responders and members of Carolina's campus security staff and their families in appreciation for all they do.
For the last three weeks of the season, Carolina hits the road. The first weekend in March, the Heels will go one state north to take on William and Mary. A week later, they will travel to Kent, Ohio for a quad-meet against Kent State, Rutgers and Ball State. This will be the first time assistant coach Marie Case Denick faces and coaches against her alma mater and all three of her collegiate coaches.
"I am really excited," said Case Denick. "I think it will be a lot of fun to go back. I haven't been back in almost four years. I'm excited to see my coaches but also to put on a good show for them and show them what Carolina gymnastics is all about."
During the final week of the regular season, the Tar Heels will fly out west to meet a competitive Oregon State squad along with Iowa and Seattle Pacific. The Tar Heels have never faced the Beavers during the regular season.
Carolina will go into the EAGL Championships in Durham, N.H. with a chip on its shoulder this year. After going 2-3 in the regular season against EAGL opponents, Carolina finished in sixth at the postseason tournament. This will give Carolina a bit of extra motivation to prove itself and seek its first EAGL Championship since 2011.
"We wrap up the season with the EAGL Championships at the University of New Hampshire," said Galvin. "That's the site where we won an EAGL Championship many years ago, in 2010. They've got a great venue and we are looking forward to competing there."
With high expectations, Carolina hopes to return to the NCAA tournament after coming up just short from qualification last year. The first weekend of April will host the NCAA Regionals. The NCAA National Championships will be two weeks later, April 19-20, in Ft. Worth, Texas.
Carolina has its work cut out for it during 2019 as it faces a tough slate of opponents. It should be a fun, competitive and entertaining year for Carolina Gymnastics and their fans.
Last season, the Tar Heels finished the 2018 campaign with a record of 8-9. After dropping their season opener to NC State, Carolina bounced back to finish the month of January by topping Temple and then placing first in a quad-meet against Towson, Yale and Ursinus. A rough patch in the middle of the season resulted in the Heels dropping eight of their next 11 match-ups. In its last meet of the regular season, Carolina put up its best score of the season, 196.600, against Pittsburgh.
In the regular season East-Atlantic Gymnastics League meetings, Carolina achieved victory over Towson and Pittsburgh but fell to NC State in two separate meetings and New Hampshire— ending with a record of 2-3. At the EAGL Championships, Carolina finished in sixth with a score of 194.775.
