The N.C. State women’s gymnastics team put in a strong performance on Friday night, finishing second in a four-team meet at Reynolds Coliseum.
The Wolfpack ended the evening with a score of 195.65, falling short of No. 8 Michigan by just over a point. UNC-Chapel Hill finished third with a score of 192.45, and Towson finished in last place, accumulating only 191.325 points.
Thursday’s event was the Pack’s first since its season opener at Chapel Hill, where the Tar Heels came out on top by only one-eighth of a point. Wolfpack head coach Mark Stevenson said that the fans in Reynolds made a difference for State on Friday.
The Pack started the night on the vault, the team’s best event so far this season. State continued to deliver, totaling a score of 48.850. Senior Diahanna Ham led the Pack in the event, scoring a 9.875 after a perfect landing on her routine.
Ham had a terrific performance on Friday, accumulating a score of 29.50 in three events – vault, uneven bars and balance beam – after a mediocre performance at Chapel Hill on Jan. 12. Stevenson said that he was pleased, but not surprised by the improvement in Ham.
“Diahanna is one of our best gymnasts,” Stevenson said. “She has to be good for us to be good. She’s been a leader on our team in three or four events for her whole four years here. Right now she’s doing three events for us, and she did all three of them really well tonight.”
State’s second event was the uneven bars, a skill that gave the Wolfpack trouble in its last meet. However, the Pack shined on the bars on Friday, scoring an impressive 48.825 points, a 0.875-point improvement from the past weekend. Stevenson said he attributed the improvement to “confidence in making routines and consistency.”
The best event of the night came third for the Pack: balance beam. The team’s score of 49.350 was tied for seventh-best in school history, and three members of the team set personal bests: Ham (9.875), sophomore Brittni Watkins (9.900) and senior Stephanie Ouellette (9.850).
Balance beam was the only event in which State finished first among all teams, with Michigan taking first place in the other three events. Watkins said that she and her team members benefitted from fully committing to their routines.
“On beam, it wasn’t just moving from one skill to the next,” Watkins said. “We actually finished the skill. I think we did a really good job in that department.”
The Pack capped off the night with floor exercise, scoring 28.625 in its final event. Watkins led the team with 9.850, but Ouellette, the team’s usual anchor for the event, sat out, making her ineligible for all-around honors for the first time in nearly two years. Stevenson said that Ouellette choosing to sit out the last event was actually a good sign for the team.
“In their own minds, [the gymnasts] have figured out that it’s ok to tell me, ‘I can’t do this today,’” Stevenson said. “Somebody else can take their spot who will make the difference and do the job.”
Junior Ellen Marion did a great job filling in for Ouellette on the floor, scoring a 9.70, good enough for third best on the team.
At the end of the match, Watkins finished second place in the all-around competition, despite scoring a personal best of 39.375. Senior Joanna Sampson of Michigan, the all-around winner, finished with an overall score of 39.625. Sampson also scored a match-high 9.950 on the floor exercise, an event in which she won Nationals in 2013.
Watkins said that her mindset was more focused knowing the skill of her opponent.
“I came in with confidence,” Watkins said, “and tried to hit four-for-four like always.”
The Pack will have its next meet on Friday against William & Mary and Texas Woman’s. The match begins at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum.
