No. 10 Tar Heels Win Seventh Straight Meet
March 13, 2004
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The No. 10 North Carolina gymnastics team topped host Rutgers (194.675), Cortland (188.95) and Ursinus (188.50) on Saturday in its final meet before the 2004 East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Championships on March 20. The Tar Heels' 196.275, their sixth-highest score of the season, will count toward their regional qualifying score (RQS), currently a 196.84. An RQS is composed of a team's top six scores during the season. Carolina won every event except for uneven bars, where the team placed second to Rutgers. The balance beam total of 49.45 for the Tar Heels was .025 shy of a school record set during the 2003 season. It is the only record the team has not broken this year. "The best part about the meet was that we were on beam last," said head coach Derek Galvin. "We had to count a fall on bars right before, but we were able to refocus on our final event, and we almost tied a school record. I was really proud of the way we fought and got that focus back after bars." Senior Anna Wilson won the all-around, her first all-around victory of the season, with a career-high 39.45. Carolina swept the top three all-around spots, with Olivia Trusty earning a 39.425 to place second and Mikel Hester, a 39.10 to place third. Five Carolina gymnasts collectively competed in the all-around for the first time this season. Of those five, each gymnast has captured an all-around title in at least one meet this year.
Wilson's best event was on uneven bars, where she tied for first, posting a 9.90. The score is the highest the veteran gymnast has achieved on uneven bars this season. Wilson was runner-up on both floor exercise and vault, earning a 9.875 and 9.825, respectively. She tied for sixth on balance beam with sophomore Mikel Hester with a 9.85.
"Anna had a great meet," said Galvin. "This was her strongest meet thus far this season." Sophomore Courtney Bumpers, the No. 1 floor exercise gymnast in the country, competed as an all-arounder despite spraining her ankle on Wednesday. The 2003 All-America gymnast ended her five-meet streak of perfect floor exercise scores with a fall at Rutgers, but she still managed to claim vault and balance beam titles. Bumpers, who placed fourth at last year's national meet on balance beam, earned a 9.95 on the event Saturday, the second best of her career. Five UNC gymnasts swept the top three places on vault to finish with a 49.125, the same score the team earned on floor exercise. Junior Amy Williams, Hester and Trusty all posted 9.80's to tie for third place on vault. On balance beam, Bumpers, Trusty and freshman Christine Robella all had scores of 9.90 or better. Bumpers led the pack, followed by Trusty and Robella who tied for third place. Trusty's 9.90 was a career-high. Carolina, now 22-1, will next compete in the 2004 EAGL Championships at the University of Pittsburgh on Sat., March 20, at 6 p.m.
Team Scores
Carolina's Scores
Bars 48.575 (2nd)
Beam 49.45 (1st)
Floor 49.125 (1st)
All-Around *denotes personal best |
 |
