• Campus
    • Campus
    • Student Life
    • Administration
    • Faculty
    • Higher Education
  • City & County
    • City & County
    • Chapel Hill
    • Carrboro
    • Education
    • Public Safety
  • Politics
    • Politics
    • North Carolina
    • National
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • Men's Basketball
    • Women's Basketball
    • Wrestling
    • Men's Tennis
    • Women's Tennis
    • Track and Field
    • Fencing
    • Swimming and Diving
    • Gymnastics
  • Culture
    • Culture
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Food
  • Opinion
    • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Cartoons
    • Columns
    • Letters
    • Kvetching Board
  • Multimedia
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Galleries
    • Audio
  • About
    • About
    • Hiring
    • Board of Directors
    • Alumni
    • Corrections
    • Contact
    • Meet the editors
    • Policies & Bylaws
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Events Calendar
    • Celebrations
    • Obituaries
  • Donate
  • Story Collections

  • HeelsHousing
  • Shop
  • Buy Photos
  • 1893 Brand Studio
  • Alumni
  • Events Calendar
  • Celebrations/Obits
    • Celebrations
    • Obituaries
  • Southern Neighbor
  • Newsletter
  • Classifieds
  • Campus
  • City & County
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Donate
  • HeelsHousing
  • Search
The Daily Tar Heel

125 Years of Editorial Freedom

The Daily Tar Heel

125 Years of Editorial Freedom

    • Campus
      • Campus
      • Student Life
      • Administration
      • Faculty
      • Higher Education
    • City & County
      • City & County
      • Chapel Hill
      • Carrboro
      • Education
      • Public Safety
    • Politics
      • Politics
      • North Carolina
      • National
    • Sports
      • Sports
      • Men's Basketball
      • Women's Basketball
      • Wrestling
      • Men's Tennis
      • Women's Tennis
      • Track and Field
      • Fencing
      • Swimming and Diving
      • Gymnastics
    • Culture
      • Culture
      • Arts & Entertainment
      • Food
    • Opinion
      • Opinion
      • Editorials
      • Cartoons
      • Columns
      • Letters
      • Kvetching Board
    • Multimedia
      • Multimedia
      • Video
      • Galleries
      • Audio
    • About
      • About
      • Hiring
      • Board of Directors
      • Alumni
      • Corrections
      • Contact
      • Meet the editors
      • Policies & Bylaws
    • Advertise
      • Advertise
      • Policies
      • Events Calendar
      • Celebrations
      • Obituaries
    • Donate
    • Story Collections

    • HeelsHousing
    • Shop
    • Buy Photos
    • 1893 Brand Studio
    • Alumni
    • Events Calendar
    • Celebrations/Obits
      • Celebrations
      • Obituaries
    • Southern Neighbor
    • Newsletter
    • Classifieds
  • In the News
  • Campus
  • Campus
  • Campus
  • UNC-Chapel Hill
  • N.C. General Assembly

2/19/2017, 10:42pm

UNC gymnastics brings along 11 first-years in successful 2017 season

UNC gymnastics brings along 11 first-years in successful 2017 season Buy Photos

First-year Khazia Hislop performs her floor routine on Friday evening. 

Sophia Chizhikova / The Daily Tar Heel

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Mail
  • Print
BY Madeline Coleman

Over the last 10 days, the UNC gymnastics team has scored at least 195.500 in three straight meets, established new career bests and introduced another gymnast to compete in all-around. The win against EAGL rival New Hampshire during Friday’s Pink Meet marked the Tar Heels’ highest score yet, pushing them closer to their goal of the season — to score a 196.

“I think we have a lot of good things in store, and I know that my team can keep moving forward ...” first-year Khazia Hislop said after a Jan. 20 meet against No. 3 Florida. “Hopefully, at the end of the season, we can come out and do well because I know we can.”

As the season winds down, and with the EAGL Championship on the horizon, North Carolina (9-3) can’t help but be encouraged with the progress it’s made as a relatively young team.

Last season, UNC placed second in a majority of their meets and only ranked first during their season-opening meet against William & Mary. But this season, the Tar Heels have nine wins and are 5-1 against other EAGL teams.

The difference between the two seasons is the 11 first-years on this season’s team. Juniors Madison Nettles and Kaitlynn Hedelund have kept it light in the gym, helping the first-years get acclimated.


Editors Picks

Students march to raise awareness of sexual assault


Wondering where to take your next bathroom break? The DTH has an answer!


CHCCS assistant teacher fired after being charged with murder



“It’s given the freshmen the sense to be like that, too,” head coach Derek Galvin said. “At times, the atmosphere in training can be intense. It still needs to be intense, but you gotta be able to breathe.”

Among the talented first-year class, a new star has taken the floor by storm. Hislop scored a 9.925 for her floor exercise against New Hampshire, tying her career high and matching teammate Morgan Lane for first place.

Hislop also has been awarded the EAGL Rookie of the Week honor for three weeks in a row — and she’ll be nominated again for this week.

“I was a little shocked,” Hislop said. “I thought maybe this was a one-time thing, but I’m just really happy and hopefully I continue with how I’ve been doing.”

As the players adjust to the new level of competition, Galvin stresses having fun while still focusing on their performance. And when he can’t get through to the gymnasts, he turns to a few of the upperclassmen to provide some comic relief and constructive criticism.

Lane, a junior all-around, has set an example for this young team. During the Pink Meet, her advice to have fun and trust their training stood out to Hislop — who watched Lane score not as highly as she hoped on the balance beam but still smile at the little victories during her routines.

“She’s awesome, I love Morgan so much,” Hislop said. “Since day one, she’s always been one of the ones who will give you advice if you need it, and is always there if you need to talk. She’s a role model inside and out of the gym, and it’s really nice to be able to have her to look up to every day.”

While Lane might not be as goofy as Nettles and Hedelund during practices, her demeanor doesn’t go unnoticed. Allowing the little smiles to creep onto her face when she sticks her landing — or even whispering words of encouragement to the newbies before they launch into their vault — is what being a role model is about.

When elementary school-age gymnasts came out onto the floor to perform before the awards ceremony, Lane couldn’t help but smile.

“All these little girls out here, I want to be the best role model I can be for them,” Lane said. “Not just on the competition floor. I try to have the character that I think would make a good role model for them, so that’s a huge inspiration to me.”

@mwc13_3

sports@dailytarheel.com


Next up in Gymnastics

  • UNC gymnastics loses 197.525 to 194.975 to Alabama

  • In win over Brown, UNC gymnasts support greater cause, each other

  • North Carolina gymnastics moves above .500 with 195.4-192.1 home win over Brown


Next up in Sports

  • UNC grad Anne R. Keene discusses pro baseball at UNC during World War II in new book

  • Tar Heels tame Catamounts in midweek game, 8-2, ahead of date with N.C. State

  • UNC track and field teams prove themselves in pair of weekend events


The Daily Tar Heel welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic.

Latest Print Edition

Print Edition Print Archive

The Daily Tar Heel for March 5, 2018

Special Print Edition
    • Front Page
    • Campus
    • City & County
    • Politics
    • Sports
    • Culture
    • Opinion
    • Donate
    • HeelsHousing
Daily Tar Heel To Homepage
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Shop
  • Buy Photos
  • 1893 Brand Studio
  • Alumni
  • Events Calendar
  • Celebrations/Obituaries
  • Southern Neighbor
  • Newsletter
  • Classifieds

All Rights Reserved

© Copyright 2018 The Daily Tar Heel

Powered by Solutions by The State News.