North Carolina State University Athletics
Gymnastics Opens Season With Win Over UIC
1/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
RALEIGH, N.C. - The theme of the evening was youth for the NC State gymnastics team as it opened the 2009 season with a home meet win against Illinois-Chicago. Ten of the 24 competition slots for the Wolfpack were filled by true freshmen, including Jess Panza, who scored a pair of 9.8s to win beam and vault in her first collegiate meet. Junior Taylor Seaman won the all-around, bars and floor to start her third season off in typical fashion. NC State scored a 192.675, its highest opening meet score since the 2001 season when it posted a 193.375 in a quad meet. The Flames posted a 187.975.
Senior Ashley Shepard scored a 9.825 on floor to continue her strong showing on the event.
"We accomplished our one goal, which was to have no falls in our first competition," head coach Mark Stevenson said. "We were consistently hitting our routines, and that is the name of the game in college."
The Wolfpack squad opened the meet on vault as three freshmen competed in the starting six. One of those freshmen, Jess Panza, turned in the event high score in her first collegiate event, posting a 9.800. Panza's score helped NC State post a team total of 48.200. Last year's EAGL Rookie of the Year, Brittney Hardiman, posted a 9.625 on the event that she finished second in EAGL on last season as a freshman.
Next up for NC State were the bars, and the team scored a 48.250 with another three freshmen competing in the lineup. Junior Taylor Seaman led the Pack with a 9.825, just off of her career-high of 9.875 set last season against UPenn. Sophomore Brittany Vontz, a 2008 EAGL second-team bars selection, posted the team's second-best mark at the meet, a 9.725. Seaman and Vontz were also 1-2 in the overall event standings for bars.
Panza again paced NC State with a high score of 9.800, this time turning in a strong beam routine. Another freshman, Anna Kronenfeld, posted a 9.675 on beam, the second-best score of the meet on the event.
"Our expectations were very high for the freshman and we saw their talents come out today with only one miss out of their 10 routines," Stevenson said. "Jess [Panza] was second at the national meet her last year in high school, so we expect a lot out of her and she did what we expected tonight."
On floor, NC State finished strong, with four gymnasts posting over a 9.700 and sweeping the top-4 spots in the meet. The Pack was led by Seaman's 9.875 and Shepard's 9.825. Freshman Brooke Barr scored a 9.725 to finish third, while Vontz was fourth with a 9.700.
In the all-around, Seaman scored a 38.375 to place first, while Hardiman (37.925) was third.
NC State will return to action next weekend as it travels to Ann Arbor, Mich. to take on the Michigan Wolverines, the nation's No. 8 team in the preseason coaches poll.
Senior Ashley Shepard scored a 9.825 on floor to continue her strong showing on the event.
"We accomplished our one goal, which was to have no falls in our first competition," head coach Mark Stevenson said. "We were consistently hitting our routines, and that is the name of the game in college."
The Wolfpack squad opened the meet on vault as three freshmen competed in the starting six. One of those freshmen, Jess Panza, turned in the event high score in her first collegiate event, posting a 9.800. Panza's score helped NC State post a team total of 48.200. Last year's EAGL Rookie of the Year, Brittney Hardiman, posted a 9.625 on the event that she finished second in EAGL on last season as a freshman.
Next up for NC State were the bars, and the team scored a 48.250 with another three freshmen competing in the lineup. Junior Taylor Seaman led the Pack with a 9.825, just off of her career-high of 9.875 set last season against UPenn. Sophomore Brittany Vontz, a 2008 EAGL second-team bars selection, posted the team's second-best mark at the meet, a 9.725. Seaman and Vontz were also 1-2 in the overall event standings for bars.
Panza again paced NC State with a high score of 9.800, this time turning in a strong beam routine. Another freshman, Anna Kronenfeld, posted a 9.675 on beam, the second-best score of the meet on the event.
"Our expectations were very high for the freshman and we saw their talents come out today with only one miss out of their 10 routines," Stevenson said. "Jess [Panza] was second at the national meet her last year in high school, so we expect a lot out of her and she did what we expected tonight."
On floor, NC State finished strong, with four gymnasts posting over a 9.700 and sweeping the top-4 spots in the meet. The Pack was led by Seaman's 9.875 and Shepard's 9.825. Freshman Brooke Barr scored a 9.725 to finish third, while Vontz was fourth with a 9.700.
In the all-around, Seaman scored a 38.375 to place first, while Hardiman (37.925) was third.
NC State will return to action next weekend as it travels to Ann Arbor, Mich. to take on the Michigan Wolverines, the nation's No. 8 team in the preseason coaches poll.
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