North Carolina State University Athletics
Hancock Travels to Oregon State for NCAA Championships
4/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
April 17, 2006
Raleigh, N.C. - Sophomore Leigha Hancock of the NC State gymnastics team will make the cross-country journey to Corvallis, Oregon, this week to compete at the NCAA Championships at Oregon State. Hancock became the first NC State gymnast in school history to capture an event title at the NCAA Regional Championships, when she tied for first on floor at Georgia on April 8th. By winning that event, she advanced to the NCAA Championships, where she is the only non-all-around individual to qualify for floor this year. Hancock will be competing on Thursday, April 20 at 4:00 p.m. (eastern), as she is in the third rotation on floor in the days first session.
This year marks the fifth time NC State has had an individual or team compete at the NCAA Championships. The Wolfpack qualified as a team in 1998 at Los Angeles, and came away with an 11th place showing in the only time a NC State team advanced to nationals. Ashley Hutsell had the Pack's top finish that day, with a 22nd place showing on vault.
The Pack has also had three individuals qualify in the all-around in the programs history. Christi Newton advanced to nationals in both 1993 and 1995, and most recently, Amy Langendorf competed at the 1999 National Championships. Langendorf and Newton in 1995, both finished 27th in the all-around.
The NC State meet record at the NCAA Championships on floor is a 9.85 by Christi Newton in 1995. That year, Newton also recorded the top finish for a Pack gymnast on floor when she finished in 18th place. The Pack has only had five scores of over 9.8 on floor in its history at nationals.
If Hancock advances past the first day, the individual finals for all events will be held on April 22 at 7:00 p.m. (eastern).
Hancock's 2006 season in a glance: Named All-EAGL First-Team on both beam and floor this season, and earned second-team honors on vault ...Has competed on vault, beam and floor in every meet this season, and for the second straight year ...Is the first gymnast in school history to win an event title at the NCAA Regional Championships ...Finished tied for first with a 9.9 at the 2006 NCAA Southeast Regional Championships at Georgia ...She is also the first Pack gymnast to advance to Nationals since 1999 ...Also became NC State's first ever EAGL Champion on vault with her personal-best 9.9 ...Also finished second on beam (9.875) and fourth on floor (9.85) at the EAGL Championships ...Tops in the EAGL with being named EAGL Specialist of the Week four times ...Has won the floor title in five of the last six meets, and seven times this season ...Scored at least a 9.9 five times, and no lower than 9.85 in the past six ...Set a new career-high with a 9.95 in the Hearts Invite ...Scored a 9.925 in the Pack's first Quad Meet.
Leigha Hancock's Season Highlights: • 2006 Co-Champion NCAA Southeast Regional on Floor • 2006 EAGL Champion on Vault • 2006 All-EAGL First-Team Beam & Floor • 2006 All-EAGL Second-Team Vault • EAGL Specialist of the Week (four times in 2006)
