Tar Heels Win Season Opener
Jan. 14, 2007
Williamsburg, Va. - Competing in their first meet of the season, North Carolina gymnasts swept every event Sunday afternoon to outscore William & Mary 191.425-180.475 in Williamsburg, Va. Senior Christine Robella finished first in the all-around leading North Carolina to its fifth straight season opening win. "We had some first meet jitters, but overall I'm very proud of the girls," says Coach Derek Galvin. "Christine Robella looked particularly good in all the events and had a really strong meet." In addition to her win in the all-around, Robella finished first on vault (9.800), floor exercise (9.600), and tied for first with teammate Freshman Teri Diamond on uneven bars (9.750). Diamond, competing in her first-ever collegiate meet, looked extremely relaxed finishing second in the all-around (38.200) and on floor exercise (9.475). In their first win of the 2007 season, the Tar Heels had gymnasts finish in the top two on every single event. Carolina started the meet on uneven bars where it had the top five performers in that event. "This was by far the strongest team performance on bars that I have ever seen in an opening meet," Galvin said. "The girls really laid a great foundation for us to build upon." The first meet also showcased strong performances from the Tar Heels' freshman class, which some say could be the best in program history. Freshman Christine Nguyen achieved the highest score at the meet with a 9.825 to place first on balance beam. Nguyen also joined Robella and Diamond among the top three on the uneven bars. On balance beam, the freshmen class of Nguyen, Kara Wright, Tina Jacob and Teri Diamond turned in their strongest showing as a group with Nguyen's first place finish followed by Wright and Jacob in a tie for second. Wright's second place finish on vault, behind Robella, was also a good indicator of things to come from this freshman group. Likewise, Rachel Schneider, competing for the first time after red-shirting her freshman year, made an immediate impact on this relatively young Tar Heel team in placing third on floor exercise.
With the win, Carolina is now 1-0 to start the new season. The Tar Heels will return to action on Sunday, Jan. 21 at the annual George Washington Invitational, an event which the team has won four consecutive years. Team Scores Carolina's Scores Bars (48.500) Floor (46.800) All-Around |
 |
