UNC gymnastics takes second place in away meet

Propelled by season-best scores on the the uneven bars and on the floor exercise, the North Carolina gymnastics team earned second place at Friday's competition in Washington, D.C.

Competing in their first event away from Carmichael Arena since Jan. 24, the Tar Heels edged out New Hampshire (193.700) and William & Mary (193.175) with a score of 193.750. 

George Washington, which hosted the competition, took first place with a score of 195.400 to extend its home unbeaten streak to 17 straight wins.

UNC opened the meet with a strong performance on the uneven bars, scoring a season-best 48.600 in the event. Sophomore Morgan Lane was the Tar Heels' highest finisher in the event, taking ninth place with a score of 9.775.

Sophomore Madison Nettles and senior Lexi Cappalli also shined on the apparatus. Nettles tied for 16th place with a score of 9.675, while Cappalli and senior Josselyn Mackey tied for 10th with a score of 9.750.

From there, the season-best scores kept coming for Cappalli. 

The Tar Heels next competed on the balance beam, where the senior recorded a season-high score of 9.700 to take 12th place. And after tying for eighth on the floor exercise, Cappalli posted a season-best score of 9.600 on vault.  

“I was just more focused on what I wanted to accomplish,” she said.

As strong as her performance was, Cappalli couldn't carry UNC to a first-place finish.

North Carolina recorded a season-best score of 48.700 on the floor exercise, but the Colonials posted the top score in that event and on the vault to seal their first-place finish.

Quotable

“It was a solid meet. There is still a whole 'nother level that we haven’t really reached in competition that we will next week.” — Cappalli on her team's performance.

Notable

After being plagued by injuries in recent weeks, the Tar Heels entered six gymnasts in all four rotations on Friday. In UNC's previous meet against N.C. State and William & Mary, North Carolina only used five gymnasts instead of the usual six on three of the four rotations because of injuries.

Three numbers that matter

2: Lane finished second overall in the all-around competition with a score of 39.125, marking her fourth straight meet with an all-around score above 39.000.

4: Nettles was UNC's highest finisher on the vault, tying for fourth place overall with a score of 9.775. The score tied her career high, which she set on Jan. 30 against George Washington.

9.675: Sophomore Kaitlynn Hedelund scored a 9.675 on the floor exercise after not fully practicing earlier in the week because of a virus. The performance came after she posted a score of 9.200 in the same event on Feb. 19 while dealing with a sprained ankle.

What's next?

The Tar Heels host Rutgers at 7 p.m. on Friday at Carmichael Arena.

@niaeverette

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