Pack gymnastics searches for rebound in Pittsburgh

Nick Sinopoli, Assistant Sports Editor • January 31, 2018

Sophomore Drew Grantham performs on the floor during a tri-meet against William & Mary and Ball State on Jan. 20 in Reynolds Coliseum. Grantham finished first with 9.875 points for this event. The Wolfpack beat both other schools, with a final score of 196.350, to Ball State’s 14.750 and William & Mary’s 193.300.

On Saturday the NC State gymnastics team will aim to get back in the win column as it travels to Pittsburgh to take on Temple, Towson and Pittsburgh in a quad-meet following a loss in Dallas.

The Wolfpack (5-3, 1-0 EAGL) lost to the likes of UCLA, LSU and Washington on Jan. 27 in Dallas. The Pack scored 195.825 points, falling short to the Bruins’ 197.625, the Tigers’ 197.375 and the Huskies’ 196.525. The loss was NC State’s first of the season.

“The team entered the arena focused and excited about the opportunity to compete on podium against the nation’s best,” head coach Kim Landrus told NC State Athletics. “The way they handled themselves was extremely impressive; beam stood out as they finished with a season-high score after hitting 6 for 6. This was another great step towards our team goals this season.”

Though the Pack was defeated in Texas, it posted a season-high beam score of 49.175, beating its previous best of 49.000 one week earlier. UCLA, LSU and Washington are ranked No. 4, No. 2 and No. 15, respectively in the country so the Pack faced formidable competition.

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The gymnasts behind the season-best outing in beam were senior Chelsea Knight, junior Caitlyn Fillard and sophomore Alexis Beucler.

Knight paced the trio by placing in a tie for sixth with a score of 9.875. Fillard and Beucler followed each posting scores of 9.850. The mark was a season high for Beucler and a career-high score for Fillard.

Knight, who usually holds her own in the all-around, was a bit off her A-game in Dallas. The Waldorf, Maryland, native faltered to a 10th-place finish. Knight would also lead the Pack in scoring on the bars, posting 9.825 for tied for ninth.

Ahead of Knight in the all-around were sophomore Drew Grantham and Fillard in seventh and ninth place, respectively. Grantham posted a score of 39.225 while Fillard notched 38.850.

Meanwhile, junior Alexa Phillips led the way in the vault for the Wolfpack. She recorded a 9.800, and Beucler notched another high, this time a career-high 9.775 in the vault. Fillard and Grantham would match 9.775 to bring NC State’s total to 48.875 in the vault.

The Pack has an opportunity to place itself above more conference foes on Saturday, and should have more success in the quad-meet beginning at 2 p.m.