University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Towson
Tar Heels Travel to Towson for Friday Night Match-Up
February 6, 2020 | Women's Gymnastics
CHAPEL HILL, N.C – The Tar Heels are looking to bounce back after falling to NC State in a dual meet last Saturday in Raleigh, N.C. This weekend, the North Carolina women's gymnastics team will travel to Towson University for a meet on Friday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.
"It's been a good week of training," said Coach Derek Galvin, "We had an opportunity to learn from a few things we experienced at NC State, and hopefully we've applied a few things in training that will help us perform at a higher level. That's our intent. We're looking forward to a strong performance."
The Tar Heels currently hold a 4-2 (2-1 EAGL) record, and are hoping to improve that this weekend against fellow EAGL opponent, Towson University. As a team, the North Carolina women's gymnastics team currently ranks 20th on floor exercise in the nation by 0.005 and could move up in the rankings this week.
LAST WEEK
After a few mishaps on the uneven bars in the first rotation, the Tar Heels were unable to rally and defeat the dominant performance put on by NC State, falling 196.250 to 193.375. However, there were still notable performances across all apparatuses.
North Carolina opened the meet on the uneven bars and had three girls fall on the event. Seniors Mekyllah Williams and Grace Donaghy demonstrated great leadership by keeping the team consistent, with scores of 9.600 and 9.775, respectively. However, it was the freshman Elizabeth Culton who posted a team-leading 9.825 on the event. The Heels finished this rotation with a score of 46.925, trailing NC State by 1.825.
"We've rearranged our bar line-up," noted Coach Galvin. "We've done some different things in training this week, and we know that it's inevitable that bars will be a good event for us. We just have some gymnasts we are preparing who don't have a whole lot of college experience yet, and as they gain more experience in each meet we feel that they will be performing more confidently and they'll do well."
The team was undeterred after the first rotation and went on to post season-high scores on vault in the second rotation. Seniors Khazia Hislop and Mikayla Robinson earned first and second place finishes with scores of 9.900 and 9.875. Senior Alexis Allen also performed well on this event, posting a 9.775 in the team's effort to make up some ground, however, a strong performance by NC State during the second rotation kept them in the lead by 2.025.
Next, the team moved on to the floor exercise for the third rotation. The team was able to secure a score of 49.125, breaking the 49.000 mark for the third time this season and helping them maintain their 20th in the nation ranking on the event. Culton led the team with a career-high 9.850, followed close behind by Hislop, Robinson, and freshman Hannah Nam who all scored 9.825. Junior Lily Dean also added 9.800 to Carolina's total.
The Tar Heels final rotation of the night took place on the balance beam, where the team posted a score of 48.450. Nam and Hislop led the team with scores of 9.800, while Allen was close behind with a score of 9.775.
Elizabeth Culton finished in first place in the all-around competition, defeating both a junior and senior from NC State, with a score of 38.750 over the four events.
THE OPPONENT
Towson University currently holds a record of 4-2 (0-2 EAGL), with wins over the University of Pennsylvania, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, William & Mary, and Cornell. Towson has lost their last two match-ups on the road against NC State and the University of New Hampshire.
"Towson is a good program," said Galvin. "They have a new head coach and he's brought a whole new level of enthusiasm to their program. He's just a really enthusiastic person and I think that program will benefit tremendously from his leadership in that way."
Players Mentioned
