Nov. 30, 2007

The University of North Carolina gymnastics program has signed Zoya Johnson of Silver Spring, Md., Taylor Brown of Durham, N.C., and Morgan Evans of Norfolk, Va., to national letters of intent. The trio of freshmen will join the team for the 2008-09 academic year.

"Our coaching staff and team are extremely pleased that these three outstanding student-athletes have chosen to attend Carolina," said head coach Derek Galvin. "These young ladies are all strong students, talented athletes, and outstanding individuals. They were all here on the same weekend for their official recruiting visits and they got along very well together. They have each shown an impressive work ethic in school and in gymnastics and I'm thrilled that they will be joining our team."

Johnson is an excellent student as well as a top gymnast at Magruder High School in Rockville, Md. She trains at Hill's Gymnastics in Gaithersburg, Md., where she is coached by Kelli Hill. A three-time Junior Olympic Nationals qualifier, she placed third in the All-Around in 2006 and was named to the Junior Olympic National Team. This past May she placed fourth on vault and sixth on floor exercise at the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic National Championships in Ohio.

Brown trains with Sam Schuh at Wake Gymnastics in Raleigh, N.C. Also an excellent student, Brown attends Hillside High School in Durham, N.C. A 2006 and 2007 USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic Nationals qualifier, she was the 2005 and 2006 North Carolina USAG Level 10 state balance beam champion. She was also the North Carolina High School state uneven bar and all-around champion in 2007, after winning the uneven bar titles in both 2005 and 2006.

Evans, a strong student at Maury High School in Norfolk, Va., trains under the guidance of Dena and Jim Walker at Excalibur Gymnastics in Virginia Beach. A former U.S. National Team member during the 2004 and 2005 seasons, Evans has gained international competitive experience while representing USA Gymnastics. As a Senior International Elite in 2006 Evans participated in the qualification process for the 2006 USAG World Championships Team. In preparation for her collegiate career Evans is training and competing as a Level 10 Gymnast in the USAG Junior Olympic Program during the 2007-08 season.

"These three young ladies will be a wonderful addition to our gymnastics program and our campus community," said Galvin. "I'm delighted that Zoya, Taylor, Morgan, and each of their families recognized the quality of the academic and athletic opportunity available to student athletes here at Carolina. (Assistant Coach) Penny (Jernigan) and I are eagerly looking forward to sharing in their college experiences. We have a great group of seniors who will be graduating in May 2008, fortunately we also have a terrific group of returning team members who will be here to welcome and guide the incoming freshmen next year. I believe Zoya, Taylor, and Morgan will fit in perfectly with our returning team members as they carry forward the tradition of Carolina Gymnastics."