Jan. 3, 2009
- Cancun Classic Results
Cancun, Mexico - University of North Carolina gymnast Christine Nguyen scored a 9.90 to win the balance beam title at the Cancun Classic. Nguyen led a strong performance by the Tar Heels, who scored a 190.325 to finish fourth in the first session.
"We were very pleased with our team's performance," said head coach Derek Galvin. "We had great team support, our energy level was great and we are thrilled by some of our individual performances. Given that this is our first meet, we realize we have some work to do, but to compete at the level we did against seven other ranked teams was encouraging."
In addition to Nguyen's effort on balance beam, junior Tina Jacob scored a 9.775 to finish third on the same event. Junior Kara Wright was sixth on the vault and was the team's top all-arounder with a 38.250.
"This was a very competitive meet against several ranked teams," said Galvin. "Everyone that competed for us had an individual highlight."
North Carolina, which entered the meet unranked, outscored Michigan - a competitor in the NCAAs last season - on two events (bars and beam) and tied the Wolverines on vault.
North Carolina began its first rotation of the season on floor exercise scoring 46.150 under difficult circumstances in the arena. Wright scored the highest for the Tar Heels on floor with a 9.725 and sophomore Karli Jones scored a 9.500.
The Tar Heels moved to vault for the second rotation where they scored a team total of 47.950. Wright's score of 9.750 on vault led UNC on the event. Senior Jennifer Valby and sophomore Karli Jones both had the second-highest score for the Tar Heels on vault with a 9.575.
On the uneven bars rotation, Carolina did not have any falls and earned a score of 48.300.
The Tar Heels ended the season opener on balance beam with a team score of 47.925. Nguyen took the beam title with a 9.900, the highest score on any event in the meet.
LSU posted a 194.900 team score to place first in the competition.
The team has enjoyed its time in Cancun and will go on a snorkeling adventure Saturday before returning to Chapel Hill Monday morning. The Tar Heels' season continues at the George Washington Invitational on Friday Jan. 16, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. ET in Washington, D.C. This meet will mark the Tar Heels' first meet of the season against EAGL rivals, facing George Washington University and Rutgers University.
"This was a great experience for our athletes," said Galvin. "They've had a wonderful time. We had a cheering section here in Cancun that supported the Tar Heels. We are looking forward to our next meet at George Washington."
Team Scores
1. Louisiana State University - 194.900
2. Boise State University - 193.700
3. University of Michigan - 192.700
4. University of North Carolina - 190.325
Vault
Taylor Brown - 9.450
Karli Jones - 9.575
Jennifer Valby - 9.575
Zoya Johnson - 9.525
Kara Wright - 9.750
Christine Nguyen - 9.525
Uneven Bars
Morgan Evans - 9.700
Tina Jacob - 9.575
Rachel Schneider - 9.375
Zoya Johnson - 9.675
Kara Wright - 9.650
Christine Nguyen - 9.700
Balance Beam
Krista Jasper - 9.475
Zoya Johnson - 9.050
Karli Jones - 9.650
Kara Wright - 9.125
Tina Jacob - 9.775
Christine Nguyen - 9.900
Floor Exercise
Morgan Evans - 9.200
Zoya Johnson - 7.425
Rachel Schneider - 8.775
Karli Jones - 9.500
Kara Wright - 9.725
Christine Nguyen - 8.950
All Around
Kara Wright - 38.250
Christine Nguyen - 38.075
Zoya Johnson - 35.675
