The N.C. State women’s gymnastics team will be showing its skills at the EAGL Championships hosted by George Washington in Washington, D.C. over the weekend.
The Wolfpack finished the regular season last weekend in Minneapolis, Minn., against No. 19 Minnesota. In a very close match, the Pack fell by less than a tenth of a point with a final score of 195.400 while Minnesota registered a score of 195.475.
“Our kids did everything we asked them to do,” head coach Mark Stevenson said. “It was their [Minnesota’s] senior night. They competed well and so did we. However, we were unable to hold on.”
Nonetheless, the team had several successful individual finishes. Despite the loss, first place finishes were recorded by juniors Jess Panza, a senior in business administration, Brooke Barr, a junior in nutrition science and Rachel Fincham, a sophomore also in nutrition science.
One of the gymnasts Wolfpack fans should pay attention to this weekend is Panza, who has achieved successful finishes over the past two weekends of competition. As a third-year veteran of Stevenson’s squad, Panza has repeatedly finished with some of the best scores of the season, and with multiple podium finishes.
“This weekend is a bigger [meet] than usual,” Panza said. “We need to go into it thinking it’s like every other meet and every other one we’ve done this season. Of course it’s more pressure and we have very high expectations.”
The Wolfpack is also looking for Fincham to be a standout performer for the team with a possible podium finish. For the first time, she will have the responsibility of an all-around gymnast, allowing her to compete in all four events.
Against the Golden Gophers, Fincham finished in a tie for first on bars with a score of 9.85, which became her sixth-straight podium finish in the event and second consecutive win. The week before against Pittsburgh, Fincham placed first in bars with an outstanding score of 9.90.
“We had a good meet and we could fix a few things,” Fincham said. “As for this weekend, [the coaches] wouldn’t put me in if I wasn’t prepared for it [all-around]. We, as a team, have faith in the freshmen that we are putting in and we think they will do great.”
Other key gymnasts the Pack will rely on include Barr and Brittney Hardiman, a senior in sports management. Both Barr and Hardiman achieved first place finishes in the floor exercise and vault events.
However, one of the challenges Stevenson will face at the conference championships will be trying to replace injured gymnast Brittany Vontz, a senior in biological sciences and a top performer and leader for the team.
“During our Senior Night, Brittany tore her Achilles tendon on her last rotation,” Stevenson said. ”Because of that, we will be starting more freshman this time and have five freshman routines. I’m not worried though because they have been doing a phenomenal job.”
Other schools competing in the EAGL Championships will be Rutgers, New Hampshire, and in-state rival North Carolina.
The gymnastics team has had a recent string of successes in the EAGL Championships. Since 2006, the team has recorded a top-three finish each year, including two first place finishes in 2007 and 2009.
“We do our jobs and the scores show it,” Panza said.
After the EAGL Championships, the team will have the opportunity to compete at the NCAA Regional Championships held in Athens, Ga., followed by the NCAA Championships in Cleveland, Ohio.
