NC State gymnastics made the trip up north to Durham, New Hampshire for a meet against New Hampshire, and despite having two rotations of 49 points or more, the New Hampshire Wildcats hung on to win the meet 196.125-195.850.This is NC State’s fourth straight loss to the Wildcats, dating back to March 2, 2019.
For its first event of the day, the Wolfpack (11-4, 4-2 EAGL) took on the bars. Sophomore Emily Shepard notched a 9.900 to anchor NC State in the event, and the Pack as a whole earned a solid 48.750 points to start things off. However, New Hampshire’s (7-3, 4-1 EAGL) 48.950 in the vault prevented NC State from taking the lead after the first rotation.
Next up was the vault for NC State, where the Wolfpack has consistently performed well. And today would be no exception, as NC State earned a respectable 48.925. Notable scores included Shepard’s 9.850, and sophomore Chloe Negrete and freshman Madison Benson’s 9.800s. That said, New Hampshire did just well enough on the bars to extend its lead, albeit only to .050 points.
NC State got its first 49-point event in the next rotation, earning exactly that amount in the floor exercise. Shepard and Negrete each earned 9.850s to try and get NC State back into the meet. Freshman Carina Jordan joined in the effort with a 9.800 of her own. Even still, just as NC State was starting to get hot, New Hampshire remained a few degrees hotter, this time earning a resounding 49.225 on the beam.
The Wolfpack earned yet another 49-point rotation, earning a 49.175 on the beam to close out the meet. Shepard earned another 9.900, the highest she’s scored in the beam in her career, and senior Nicole Webb joined Negrete in posting 9.875s. New Hampshire didn’t outscore the Pack in this rotation, but by tying NC State’s 49.175, the Wildcats guaranteed their victory in the meet.
NC State’s last meet in the regular season will be against the Long Island University Sharks. The meet will be the team’s last opportunity to prepare before the EAGL Championships. The meet against the Sharks is scheduled for Saturday, March 13, and will start at 1 p.m. at Reynolds Coliseum.
