NC State gymnastics placed second out of eight competing teams on Saturday night, falling 0.075 points shy of Towson, who claimed its first-ever EAGL championship in program history.
The Wolfpack (12-8) put forth a solid overall effort in its first meet of the postseason, accumulating 196.425 points through four rotations.
NC State started its night on the balance beam and continued to the floor for the first two rotations. The Pack racked up a score of 98.350 through the first two events, trailing only North Carolina halfway through the contest.
The Pack gained a lead on its competitors after the vault routine but couldn’t retain that lead through the final rotation. Towson wrapped up the meet with a 49.225 on beam to claim first place with a 196.500 score.
The Wolfpack had four gymnasts earn All-EAGL honors in seniors Chloe Negrete, Emily Shepard and Alexis Ortega, as well as sophomore Lauren Rutherford. This was on full display with the red-and-white at the top of the scoreboard all evening despite the second-place finish.
Day one of the EAGL championships saw low scores from Pitt, LIU, George Washington and Temple, with Temple coming away with the best score at 194.925, leaving the door open for a day-two team to walk away with the top prize.
NC State began the night on beam where things were far from perfect but consistent enough to earn a 49.075 team score anchored by Negrete’s 9.850. NC State’s best routine — the floor exercise — was up next, with the team executing as it has all season behind Negrete, Rutherford and junior Gabrielle Diaz — all three nailing their respective tumbling passes.
Shepard failed to meet her usual standards on beam and with her floor exercise, earning a 9.700 after stumbling on the balance beam and a 9.775 on floor — both team lows.
Wolfpack gymnastics had its worst team score of the night on vault, but still managed to take the lead through three rotations due to mishaps from other teams and picky but consistent judging. Shepard bounced back with a 9.850 to pace her squad, which up to this point had been having some uncharacteristic struggles as a unit.
The Wolfpack has set such a high standard this season that anything short of near-perfect execution seems mediocre. NC State completed its day with a 49.050 score on the uneven bars — a score that failed to keep the red-and-white atop the standings, and culminated in a 196.425 finish.
Scoring for this meet was done by four judges instead of the standard regular season two, so high scores proved to be a Herculean task. A 196.425 is by no means a shameful score, and if Shepard and the rest of the team work out some kinks, the team has a real shot at a high finish in the NCAA Regional Championships.
The Pack had already locked in a spot in the NCAA Regional Championships prior to this meet due to the fact that it is a top-30 team in the country and will look to execute at a high level on March 30.
