March 14, 2008

• Final Results

Raleigh, N.C. ------ Led by sophomore Christine Nguyen, the University of North Carolina gymnastics team scored a season-best 49.225 on the balance beam to finish with a third-place score of 193.500. LSU won the meet with a 196.500, NC State was second at 194.850 and George Washington placed fourth at 192.550.

Nguyen had another spectacular meet, winning the balance beam title and finishing third in the all-around. Nguyen's 9.925 on beam matched her career high, which she set earlier this year at West Virginia. Nguyen scored a 9.800 on vault, a 9.600 on uneven bars and a 9.800 on floor for a 39.125 all-around score. She was narrowly edged out in the all-around by NC State's Leigha Hancock (39.200) and LSU's Sabrina Franceschelli (39.150).

Carolina beat all four teams on the balance beam, including fifth-ranked LSU, as the Tar Heels hit all six routines. In addition to Nguyen, sophomore Tina Jacob (9.875) and freshman Karlie Jones (9.850) posted career highs on the beam. Senior Alice Xu, who missed all of last year with an injury and has been limited this season, scored a season-high 9.800 and sophomore Kara Wright had a 9.775.

"Our team performance on beam was fantastic," said head coach Derek Galvin. "Alice started us off with a great first routine and it kept building from there. We went into that event in fourth place and hit six of six routines to move past George Washington and close the gap with NC State. The coaching staff is very pleased and happy for the team."

With a lineup decimated by a succession of season-ending injuries, Carolina could only field five competitors on both the vault and uneven bars. Every other team in the meet had six gymnasts on every event (teams count the best five out of six scores).

Wright scored a 9.775 to lead the Tar Heels on valut and senior Shawna Kelly had a team-high 9.675 on bars. Nguyen's 9.800 was the team's top score on floor and Jones had a9.725. Junior Jen Valby competed on floor for the first time and scored a 9.425.

"It's been a challenging year and we keep battling," said Galvin. "The heart of this team is huge. Tonight's performance is another illustration of the type of character this team has."

Carolina's next meet is at Pittsburgh on March 22.