Jan. 3, 2008

2008 Roster

2008 Schedule

2008 Media Guide (PDF)

North Carolina welcomes back 10 letterwinners in 2008 for what should be another exciting gymnastics season. Last year's squad was relatively young in terms of overall collegiate competitive experience. At times, 16 of the 24 competitive spots were filled by athletes competing in their first year of college gymnastics. Still, the Tar Heels will have several areas to grow as they look to replace the leadership and guidance of departed seniors Christine Robella, Courtney Turco, Miranda Ross and Claire Smith.

"I believe we are going to see more consistency in the team performances this year, because the majority of the competitive line-up will be bit older and more experienced than the line-up last year," says head coach Derek Galvin. "The current senior, junior, and sophomore classes all have athletes who have competed significantly for the team over the past two years. We also expect to benefit from the contributions of our two freshmen, Karli Jones and Krista Jasper."

The Tar Heels experienced an atypical preseason this year while their training facility in Fetzer Gymnasium was undergoing renovation. The majority of the training during the fall semester took place in a 2,000 square foot area at one end of Woollen gymnasium.

"We shared the gym with recreational and intramural basketball players," says Galvin. "The environment, including the occasional stray basketball, created some unique opportunities for us to hone our abilities to focus and concentrate. We compensated for the limited access to some of our apparatus by placing an even greater emphasis on fitness development and conditioning. As a result, the overall fitness level of the team progressed a little faster than usual.

"Nonetheless, we were thrilled to be back in our normal training facility in mid-November, and we are thoroughly enjoying the luxury of additional pieces of equipment, especially our spring floor."

Entering his 27th year with Carolina's gymnastics program, Galvin is encouraged with the quality of leadership the seniors are providing and the effort the entire team has displayed during the preseason. In examining the team's depth, Galvin feels Carolina may be slightly stronger than last year.

"Certainly, when you graduate student athletes like Christine Robella, Claire Smith, Courtney Turco, and Miranda Ross, who all played key roles within the team in past few years, it's going to be a challenge to fill their shoes," he says. "However, some of the athletes who were hampered by injuries from last year are expected to be back stronger in 2008, and everyone else returning from last year has shown a focused commitment to growing stronger as competitors too."

In addition to the anticipated contributions from senior leaders Shawna Kelly and Sarrie Rubin, Galvin and assistant coach Penny Jernigan are excited to see senior Alice Xu, a key competitor for Carolina during her freshman and sophomore years on balance beam, back in the running for a spot in the beam lineup. Xu missed all of the 2007 season with a severe ankle injury. Angela Lauten, who also missed much of the 2007 campaign due to an foot injury, is expected to vie for a spot in the line-up this year also.

Kelly and Rubin are the most experienced collegiate competitors on the squad. They provide inspiring leadership, strong skill levels, and intense competitive desire. Kelly's strongest events to date have been uneven bars and vault, but she has shown during the preseason that she is prepared to step into the line-up on all four events. Rubin's preseason training has been particularly impressive on floor exercise, vault and balance beam. She has enhanced her level of execution on each event and appears stronger than at any time during her collegiate career.

The junior class, featuring Jennifer Valby and Rachel Schneider, will look to fill more spots in the line-up this year. Schneider, who was red-shirted her freshman year and competed for the Tar Heels on floor exercise last year, has been strong on beam and bars during preseason practice, and may well be a possible all-around competitor this year. Valby has been a mainstay in the vault line-up during her first two years as a Tar Heel, and she is now prepared to play that same role on floor exercise.

The sophomore class of Kara Wright, Christine Nguyen, Teri Diamond, and Tina Jacob all gained valuable experience in the lineup last year. Jacob finished third in the EAGL on balance beam and Nguyen finished third on that event at NCAA Regionals. Wright placed third on vault at NCAA Regionals, and she and Nguyen are strong candidates as all-around competitors again this year. Diamond also has demonstrated she is capable of making a strong impact in the line-up on each event.

"I believes all four sophomores are stronger now than they were this time a year ago," says Galvin. "With the experience of their freshman year to build from, they will have a better sense of what to expect going into each meet, both from themselves as well as from the team, and that will bode well for the entire squad."

Freshmen Krista Jasper and Karli Jones add depth to the line-up on every event. Both are capable of competing right away for the Tar Heels. "They have a strong commitment to the team goals and have displayed a focus in preseason training that should lead to some outstanding performances during the competitive season," says Galvin.

Perhaps one of the most important returners to the Tar Heels is assistant coach Penny Jernigan, who is back for her 15th season.

"I'm very fortunate to have Penny Jernigan coaching with me at Carolina," Galvin says. "She has done a tremendous job in the overall competitive preparation of the team. Her insight as a coach, in particular on balance beam and floor exercise, has been a key ingredient in developing the talent of the Tar Heel gymnasts."

Joining Jernigan and Galvin for the fall semester was former UNC All-America Christine Robella who provided a perceptive eye and was a resource for her former teammates as a student assistant coach. While completing her undergraduate degree Robella assisted in coaching the Tar Heels on every event.

"Christine was especially helpful on vault," says Galvin. "She was able to work within the facility limitations and she got a lot accomplished with the team on that event. She supervised drills focusing on the entry and blocking phases of vaulting. We are going to be a better team on vault as a result of the drills and coaching Christine provided."

The Tar Heels also added former UNC gymnast Diane Dorney Whittier to the staff as a volunteer assistant coach.

"Diane's strength as a competitive gymnast was in her dance and choreography," says Galvin. "We are fortunate to be able to draw upon her talent as she assists our current team members with their dance and choreography on both floor exercise and balance beam."

The Tar Heels have high expectations for the 2008 season as they strive to continue to be one of the top teams in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League. During a goal setting workshop led by the team's seniors early in the fall semester, it was obvious to Galvin that this is a motivated team.

"They are going into this season with the attitude that it's all within our reach," he says. "We certainly have the talent, we are training with a focused approach, and it's going to be fun to step out onto the floor and compete with this team.

"One of the things that has been a trademark of our team in the past, and I think it certainly will be again, is the enthusiasm we display," Galvin continues. "These ladies enjoy cheering for each other and encouraging each other in practice as well as in competition. We want to continue to be one of the loudest, most enthusiastic teams out there. We want to perform great gymnastics, but we also want to raise the energy level at every meet we compete. It makes it a much more enjoyable experience for everyone when there is high energy in the arena and we plan on bringing it wherever we go. Both inside and outside of the gym, the gymnasts on our team really enjoy being with each other and I think that's a key to being an effective team. When team members have made a commitment to each other, and they enjoy being around each other, it makes it easier to obtain a higher level competitively."

VAULT
Vault was the Tar Heels' most exciting event at NCAA Regionals in 2007 and this year's team has more depth.

"It was our final event in the competition last season and it was the strongest team performance that we had all year in any event," says Galvin. "I think the momentum of what the team did at NCAA's last year is certainly going to carry over into our team's vaulting performance this year."

Kelly and Rubin lead the way in terms of collegiate experience on the event. They were both in the vault line-up that posted a season high mark at NCAA Regionals last year. Valby has been a consistent vaulter for the past two years and she has appeared strong again in the preseason training, as have Wright and Nguyen. With strong contributions from all of them in the past, Galvin expects each of them to be in the lineup this year. Diamond vaulted in several meets last year and she will again be vying for a spot in the lineup. Jacobs and Schneider also have made steady progress and will challenge for spots as vaulters. New to the team, Jones and Jasper are certainly capable of stepping into the vault lineup. The Tar Heels boast nine athletes capable of performing vaults that have a 10.0 value.

UNEVEN BARS
During early preseason training Galvin expectations were for Kelly, Wright, Nguyen, Diamond and Jasper to be among the regulars in the bar line-up. As the preseason training progressed Schneider began to make rapid progress, as did Jacob. Jones has also made progress, thus providing Carolina a good core of eight potential competitors on the event.

"We are trying to add more difficulty to the bar routines this year and we've focused quite a bit during the preseason on hitting handstands," says Galvin. "Uneven bars is the event where we possess the least amount of depth, but I believe it can be a strong event for us as our execution and consistency in our routines continues to improve."

BALANCE BEAM
Balance beam is the event where the Tar Heels possess the most depth in 2008.

"Christine Nguyen is unquestionably one of the most beautiful beam performers we've ever seen here at Carolina and is one of the best in the country," says Galvin. "She has a very elegant style and looks so at ease on the balance beam. Christine will anchor the beam lineup for us again this year."

The Tar Heels also hope to see Xu back in the running for a place in the beam line-up, as her performances have very few execution deductions. Jacob is another performer who appears very confident and natural on balance beam.

Rubin was a regular in the beam line-up last year and has also displayed a confident style as a beam competitor during the preseason. Jasper and Jones have been impressive on beam thus far and earning a spot in the beam lineup will be even more competitive than last season. Wright, Schneider and Kelly have been persistent threats on the beam as well. Schneider, in particular, has impressed the coaching staff during preseason. Diamond has shown sparks of brilliance on the event and she has the potential to become a regular in the line-up.

"I'm excited about our potential on the balance beam," says Galvin. "We have a great group to draw from in putting together the line-up this season."

FLOOR EXERCISE
Like balance beam, Carolina has a deep squad from which to build its floor exercise line-up. This depth will create greater competition within the team. Rubin and Kelly will be ready early in the season to compete on this event. Galvin is also eager to see Valby compete on floor exercise for the first time during her collegiate career. She has not been able to complete on floor for the Tar Heels up to this point because of an injury she sustained during her senior year of high school. However, she has performed injury-free during preseason training, and the team is hopeful that she will soon have the opportunity to display her entertaining floor routine. Galvin believes the music and energy of Valby's routine will be a favorite among many of the Tar Heel fans.

Schneider was a regular in the line-up last year and is poised to do so again in 2008. She has added upgraded tumbling elements with new music and choreography. Diamond, Jacob, Nguyen and Wright all gained valuable experience on floor exercise last year and are prepared to take a leap forward this season. Wright and Jacob will perform new routines, while Nguyen and Diamond have modified segments of their former routines for a fresh look in 2008. Jasper and Jones will add to the variety and quality of the Carolina floor routines as they join the upperclassmen in the challenge to gain a place in the floor line-up.

"We're looking forward to displaying an interesting variety of styles in our choreography and tumbling elements on floor", says Galvin. "Floor exercise is a wonderful combination of the artistic quality of the dance elements and the dynamic athletic excitement of the tumbling elements. It's all driven by the accompanying music and the energy of the gymnast. Our goal on floor exercise is to have everyone captivated and energized by the performances delivered by our team."

SCHEDULE
Carolina will face a challening schedule in 2008, highlighted by a home meet vs. perennial power Florida. The Tar Heels open the season at the George Washington Invitational in Washington, D.C., in a meet that features six teams from the east coast.

"The schedule this year provides us with some great opportunities to test our metal," says Galvin. "The GW meet is a great way to begin the season because it is a format similar to what we will face at the EAGL Championships. When you have six teams competiting, there is a lot of noise, a lot of distractions, and it really challenges a team to focus on what they are trying to accomplish."

Two weeks later the team will compete in the Governor's Cup, a meet where the scores of North Carolina and NC State are combined and compared to the two schools from the state of Maryland. The winning state retains the Governor's Cup title.

The first home meet is on February 10th against defending EAGL champion NC State.

"Every time we face NC State, we know it's going to be a close competition," says Galvin.

Following that meet the team travels to West Virginia, and then comes home for its second home meet against the Florida.

"It's going to be exciting to have them here," Galvin says. "They are the highest ranked team that has ever competed in Carmichael Auditorium. We are hoping to have a huge crowd for that meet and to perform well."

In March, Carolina hosts the Tar Heel Invitational in a four-team meet featuring William & Mary and conference rivals New Hampshire and Maryland. Through the course of the regular season, the Tar Heels will face every team in the EAGL.

After traveling to Minnesota for an away meet, Carolinas returns to Raleigh for a tri-meet against NC State and LSU. The Tigers are another highly ranked team from the Southeastern Conference and will once again be a strong contender for an NCAA title. The Tar Heels end the regular season with a quad meet in Pittsburgh.

The EAGL Championships will be hosted by West Virginia on March 29. NCAA regionals and championships will follow in April.

"Our goal is to secure the EAGL team title this year, and I believe we have the talent to do that," says Galvin. "It's going to hinge on how effective we are in keeping people healthy during the season and how well we maintain our focus at the end of the season. We're excited about where we think we can be as a team at the end of the season."