North Carolina State University Athletics
Gymnastics Ranked 17th Nationally
2/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
The NC State gymnastics team is ranked No. 17 nationally, its highest ranking since checking in at No. 13 in March of 2000. The Pack is ninth in the floor exercise as a team, one of its highest national rankings ever for an event. The team will return to action this Friday evening at 7 pm in historic Reynolds Coliseum as it hosts No. 4 Michigan. Tickets for the meet are $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, and are free for NC State students and children 17 and under.
The last time NC State had a team event ranked higher than ninth was in February of 2003 when the Pack's uneven bars ranked eighth in the nation, with the team ranking as high as seventh earlier in that same year. The Wolfpack is also currently 11th in the uneven bars, 17th in vault and 22nd on beam in the national ranks.
The Wolfpack squad turned in its third highest score of the season with a 195.150 this past weekend at the Sweetheart Invitational. The team downed then No. 18 Penn State and No. 25 Kent State. Over the last four meets, NC State is averaging a 195.169, with five of the eight teams it competed against ranking in the top-25, including No. 1 Georgia.
In the regional rankings, NC State faired even better, coming in at third overall behind No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 Florida. The Wolfpack ranks third behind those two teams in all four of the events.
Individually, several gymnasts made the top-25 national lists for their respective events.
Freshman Brittney Hardiman, a two-time recipient of EAGL Rookie of the Week and a Rookie of the Year candidate, is 24th nationally in the all-around with an adjusted regional qualifying score average (RQS) of 38.625. She is tied for 19th in the nation on vault with a RQS of 9.835. Hardiman ranks fifth in the region in vault, second in the all-around, 11th on floor, 12th on bars and 21st on beam.
EAGL Gymnast of the week and Gymnast of the Year candidate Leigha Hancock is tied for 25th nationally on the floor with a RQS of 9.805 and 15th on the beam (9.810). She ranks seventh on the floor in the region, 6th on the beam, and 10th on the vault (9.785).
