North Carolina State University Athletics
Seaman Advances to NCAA Championships
4/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
RALEIGH, N.C. - Taylor Seaman won the floor exercise at the 2009 NCAA Gymnastics Southeast Regional with a career-high tying 9.95 to advance to the NCAA Championships.
Seaman, a junior from Greensburg, Pa., advances to the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career with a winning-score of 9.950. Seaman becomes just the second Wolfpack Gymnast to win an event at a NCAA Regional and advance to finals, joining Leigha Hancock (floor - 2006, beam - 2008).
"Taylor did by far her best floor routine of the year," head coach Mark Stevenson said. "No one at the meet did a routine as nice as hers, and the judges rewarded her with a trip to nationals. She will get herself prepared and be a strong representative for us at the NCAA Championships.
NC State had a team score of 193.800 to finish sixth at the meet. No. 1 Georgia and No. 11 Penn State advanced to finals at Lincoln, Neb. on April 16.
The Pack led after the first rotation, posting a 48.875 on vault to open the meet. Freshman Brooke Barr led the team with a 9.850, the 10th-straight meet that she hit 9.85 or higher in her debut season. Fellow freshman Jess Panza was second on the team with a 9.8, the sixth time in nine meets she scored that or higher this season.
The second rotation of the evening for the Wolfpack was bars, and the team scored a 48.550. Panza and sophomore Brittany Vontz tied for the team lead with a 9.75. Panza has scored a 9.75 or higher each of the four times she competed on beam in 2009. For Vontz it was the eighth time in 13 meets she went 9.750 or better.
NC State struggled on beam in its third rotation, with junior Taylor Seaman leading the team with a 9.750.
The team finished strong on floor with a season-high 49.150, the third-best at the meet. Seaman led the way with a career-high tying 9.950 to win the event at the meet. Barr scored a 9.825, and sophomore Brittney Hardiman scored a 9.8. Senior Ashley Shepard, in her last meet with the red and white, went out in style with a 9.8.
Seaman also led NC State in the all-around, scoring a 39.075 to finish sixth at the meet.
