Gymnastics Place Second at Governor's Cup
Feb. 3, 2007
Raleigh, N.C. - Freshman Christine Nyugen finished first in the all-around to lead the University of North Carolina gymnastics team to a second place victory at the 12th annual Governor's Cup held at Reynolds Coliseum on Friday night. NC State narrowly won the meet with a 194.600, while North Carolina finished second with a 194.200, Maryland was third at 191.925, and Towson placed fourth with a 191.850. The Wolfpack and the Tar Heels combined for a score of 388.880, as the state of North Carolina won the Governor's Cup for the sixth consecutive time over the state of Maryland (383.775). "Even though NC State won the meet, this was by far our strongest performance as a team," says Coach Derek Galvin. "I was so pleased with our level of execution and energy level. Our team thrived on the rivalry with NC State and the `boos' we got from the crowd. It motivated the girls, and we had a lot of fun." Nyugen set a personal record and tied for highest score of the meet with a 9.900 on vault. In addition to her win on that event, the Plano, Texas native also won beam (9.825), placed second on floor exercise (9.825), and third on uneven bars (9.775). Senior Christine Robella also had a strong meet with wins on uneven bars and floor exercise. Robella finished second in the all-around, second on beam, and third on vault to cap off an outstanding meet. "Both Robella and Nguyen were just phenomenal at the meet," says Galvin. "Nyugen had really an exceptional meet, performing strongly on all four events. It's a good indication of what she can do and great things to come." Juniors Shawna Kelly and Sarrie Rubin helped set the tone of the meet with strong individual performances on uneven bars and beam. Kelly had her highest score of the season with a 9.725 on uneven bars. Equally impressive, Rubin had what Galvin called "her best meet in college and best beam routine ever." Rubin scored a 9.600 on beam and tied for fourth on floor exercise (9.725).
Freshman Kara Wright was also a standout at the meet. Wright tied for third with Robella on vault with a 9.875 and tied for sixth on floor exercise with a 9.700. Carolina (7-3) will have another opportunity to face NC State when the team hosts its first home meet of the season, the Tar Heel Invitational, on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. at Carmichael Auditorium. In conjunction with the meet, the Tar Heels are also hosting their second annual Women's Health Fair. The Health Fair hopes to raise awareness for pancreatic and breast cancer, as well as, honor women whose lives have been affected by cancer. |
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