UNC Gymnastics (9-6) celebrated its senior and alumni night on Thursday with a meet at Carmichael Arena against West Virginia (12-3), though the team fell 196.250-195.225.
What happened?
North Carolina began the meet with vault, as senior Emery Summey started her senior night off strong with a solid 9.775 score. The team built off of this momentum, accumulating 48.950 points in the first rotation. No Tar Heel put up less than a 9.625 on vault, and first-year Lali Dekanoidze led the rotation with a 9.875. West Virginia also had a strong performance on bars to begin the meet, and after the first rotation, UNC led by .075 points.
The Tar Heels moved to the bars for their second rotation, finding even more success. Sophomore Jamie Shearer kicked things off for North Carolina with a 9.775. Dekanoidze once again led her team with her second 9.875 of the night. The Mountaineers were not as successful on vault as the Tar Heels had been, allowing UNC to widen its lead to .375 points.
UNC began to wither in the second half of this meet. North Carolina’s third rotation of the night was beam, which was also started by Summey. She continued her impressive senior-night performance with a clean routine that resulted in a 9.825. The gymnasts thrived on beam until they were interrupted by Dekanoidze’s unsuccessful dismount that resulted in injury. The Tar Heels battled on, but first-year Julia Knower also struggled on beam, receiving a 9.225. West Virginia was able to take advantage of UNC’s struggle on beam to take a .200 point lead.
North Carolina ended the night with floor routines. Junior Hannah Nam performed first and received a 9.825. She was followed by senior Shailyn St. Brice, who showed out for her final home performance. Her energy and strong execution allowed her to score a 9.825 as well. However, this score did not become the standard for the Tar Heels on floor. The scores that followed were a 9.400 and the lowest score of the night for the team, a 9.075.
The team’s difficulties two rotations in a row kept them from taking home a win on Thursday night. UNC finished the meet with 1.8 points behind West Virginia.
Who stood out?
Dekanoidze shined in the first half of Thursday night’s meet, serving as the top performer in both of the first two events of vault and bars. The first-year demonstrated the level of consistency that has come to be expected of her this season, as she has acquired three all-around titles and has been named EAGL Gymnast of the Week three times. Her injury on her beam dismount put her out of the meet, but does not discount the way in which she aided her team against West Virginia.
