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Junior Lauren Deuser celebrates her 9.850-winning bar routine as she bounces up from her dismount during the 2009 EAGL Championships in Reynolds Coliseum 3/21. The Pack won by a margin of 0.2 points and could never have won without an error-free performance on the bars.
The gymnastics team will hold the NCAA Regional Tournament in historic Reynolds Coliseum Saturday at 6 p.m. The meet will see West Virginia and North Carolina return to the Coliseum after falling to the Wolfpack in the EAGL Championships. Georgia, four-time defending national champions and number one team in the country, will also be returning to Reynolds for the second time this season. Nebraska, who N.C. State faced earlier in the season in Lincoln, and unfamiliar Penn State, will complete the six team field.
“Last time Georgia was here they didn’t have a great meet so that is kind of in the back of their heads,” senior Ashley Shepard said. “Nebraska is hosting nationals so that puts more pressure on them to make it. And Penn State is more consistent but we have the same skill ability. So I think we can definitely be in the mix.”
The team will be looking to build off of the conference championship from late March. The team won the championship in a bit of dramatic fashion, winning it in the last rotation. The Pack will look to use the same home court advantage from last week to help boost them to victory this week. According to Shepard, the team has nothing to lose and will look to leave it all out on the mat.
“We definitely have nothing to lose and we are pretty confident about it,” Shepard said. “We don’t get any home field advantage scoring wise, but it is good to have more fans here cheering us on.”
The gymnasts will not be looking to change up their game plan for the regional meet. The theme throughout the season has been for them to just do their job, and that is what they will be looking to do on Saturday. According to coach Mark Stevenson, the team will be looking to hit its routines the way it knows how.
“We are not changing our philosophy from any of the meets we have had this year,” Stevenson said. “Our goal is to go in and hit 24 routines for 24 attempts. If we do that we are going to be in the mix with everybody. Anybody can miss, it is about getting your job done.”
According to freshman Brooke Barrr, the ultimate goal this Saturday for the team is to make it to the NCAA Championships in Lincoln, Neb. In order to make it to Lincoln, as a team, the Pack will have to finish in the top two overall. Individuals can also make it on individual events and for the all-around. For an individual event you have to win the event to make it to nationals. For the all-around you have to place in the top two outside of the gymnasts that are already seeded for the all-around.
“We all would like to make it to nationals. We are all going to give it our best shot,” Barr said. “Anything is possible, other teams could mess up so we just have to make sure that we do our job so when that happens we have a secure spot for nationals.”
In order to make it to Lincoln, as a team, the Pack will have to finish in the top two overall. Individuals can also make it on individual events and for the all-around. For an individual event you have to win the event to make it to nationals. For the all-around you have to place in the top two outside of the gymnasts that are already seeded for the all-around.