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Carolina Takes Third Place in Raleigh
February 15, 2020 | Women's Gymnastics
RALEIGH, N.C. – The North Carolina women's gymnastics team took third place in a close tri-meet with NC State University and the University of New Hampshire in Reynolds Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. The Heels held first place through the second and third rotations, but strong performances from UNH and NC State allowed them to pass North Carolina. The Tar Heels finished with a score of 194.600, trailing NC State's 194.950, and New Hampshire's 195.150.
The Tar Heels opened the meet on the balance beam, posting a team score of 48.200. Senior Alexis Allen, sophomore Emery Summey, and freshman Elizabeth Culton all posted a team-leading 9.725 on the event. Senior Grace Donaghy also added a 9.625 to the team score. Folllowing the first rotation, the Tar Heels were trailing New Hampshire by .300 and NC State by .625.
North Carolina moved on the floor exercise for the second rotation and posted a season-high team score of 49.325. Senior Khazia Hislop tied her career high on the event, posting a score of 9.950 and fellow senior Mikayla Robinson posted a season-high 9.900. Hislop and Robinson were a part of ties for first place and third place on the event, respectively. Culton also added a 9.850 to the team score. Strong performances from the team on floor allowed the Tar Heels to take the lead with a score of 97.525. New Hampshire trailed close behind with a 97.225, and NC State fell to third with a score of 96.675.
For the third rotation, the Tar Heels moved on to vault and posted another season-high team score. The team's 49.125 on the event marks the first time this season the team has broken 49.000 on vault. Hislop led on the event, posting a career-high 9.925 on the event and claiming first-overall on the event. Robinson was close behind, posting a 9.875 to earn second place. Summey also competed on the event for the first time this season, posting a score of 9.825.
The Tar Heels' final rotation of the day took place on the uneven bars. North Carolina needed to keep their momentum from previous rotations in order to hold on to first place, but a few unfortunate slip-ups occurred. The team posted a score of 47.950, their lowest event score of the night. Culton led the team on the event, earning a 9.800 and tying for first place. Donaghy was close behind with a score of 9.750, and freshman Hannah Nam and Summey earned scores of 9.700.
Elizabeth Culton was the only all-around competitor from North Carolina, finishing with a score of 39.100 and tying for second place.
Despite holding third place after the first rotation, the Tar Heels' strong performances through the second and third rotations allowed them to take first place. However, Carolina eventually fell to third place after their fourth rotation on the uneven bars, finishing with a score of 194.600.
Next Up
The Tar Heels are back in action in Carmichael Arena on Monday, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. The University of New Hampshire will make the most of their trip south as they compete in their second competition of the trip in Chapel Hill Monday evening.
The University of New Hampshire is currently 9-2 (5-0 EAGL), with wins over Illinois State, Pittsburgh, Towson, George Washington, Brown, West Virginia and Temple, and losses to Southern Utah and West Virginia in a tri-meet. Monday will mark the second of four meetings between the two teams this season.
"New Hampshire has a good team and they are returning some very talented gymnasts from last season that helped them win the EAGL Championship," said Galvin. "They have some new girls who are doing really well. They were pre-season picked as a top team and that's the way it's played out at this point."
Players Mentioned
