NC State
Iowa St. w/ George Washington
NC State Drops GW, Edged by #17 Iowa St.
2/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Feb. 4, 2011
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:
- Bars: Panza (9.725)
- Vault: Ham (9.725)
- Beam: Panza (9.85)
- Floor: Panza (9.85)
RALEIGH, N.C. --- 18th-ranked NC State gymnastics finished second, defeating EAGL-foe George Washington and falling to 17th-ranked Iowa State, Friday night in Reynolds Coliseum.
"I'm really proud of my kids and the way they performed," said NC State head coach Mark Stevenson. "It was their third meet of the season that we didn't count any falls. I'm pretty disappointed about the outcome, but not so much about the loss."
The Pack posted its lowest total of the year, 193.175, to miss first place by 75 thousandths of a point. Iowa State notched the meet's high score of 193.200, while George Washington fell into third place with a 190.300.
Junior Jess Panza turned in the performance of the night, scoring team-highs on the beam, floor, and uneven bars, landing on the podium in all three events.
Panza's 9.85 beam routine marked a season-high for both her and the team, and garnered a second-place finish. In the previous three meets, no Pack gymnast had broken the 9.8 barrier.
In the floor exercise, Panza hauled in a first-place finish by equaling her season-high of 9.85 for the third time this year. Freshman Stephanie Ouellette turned in a 9.725, her best score of the night, and the team's second-best for the rotation.
Freshman Diahanna Ham earned a first-place finish, the first of her career, with a 9.725 vault. Junior Brooke Barr also picked up third-place with a 9.675.
Panza finished third on bars after a 9.725. Freshman Kristen Harabedian and sophomore Rachel Fincham each added 9.7s for shares of fourth place.
"I thought Jess Panza had a phenomenal meet," said Stevenson. "She looked absolutely gorgeous in the three events she did, and I think she's potentially gymnast of the week in conference, even though the scores don't really reflect it."
The Pack hosts its second meet of the weekend this Sunday against Iowa. The meet is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on GoPack All-Access.
