For Amanda Jones, Friday was the last time she would ever compete in Reynolds Coliseum as a Wolfpack gymnast. The senior was one of seven seniors on this year’s team. Following the meet, Jones was sad her time in Reynolds had come to an end.
“It was pretty bad for me,” Jones said. “Just because it was the last time, and I’ve been here so long, it was hard.”
The Wolfpack beat Pittsburgh on Friday by a total team score of 195.900 to 192.925. The Pack set season highs in vault, bars and floor routine, and the overall team score marked the second highest of the season.
The win against Pittsburgh followed a second-place performance on March 9 in which the Wolfpack scored a season-high 196.125. The No. 24 Pack needs to be among the top 18 teams to qualify for post-season play. Coach Mark Stevenson said the recent performances could put the Pack in the right position by season’s end.
“It’s a good score for us, and we needed it for qualification to go on,” Stevenson said. “We’re trying to get seeded in the top 18 teams, and right now we’re about 24. We’re hoping, after this meet, we’ll jump to about 20th, and then after the next two weekends, we can jump into that top 18.”
According to Stevenson, the emotion of senior night played a part in Friday’s outcome.
“It was senior night, and all the seniors are taking off,” Stevenson said. “Its sort of an emotional time, and the kids always get really up for this meet because of that. The seniors want to do their best, and the other kids want to do their best for the seniors. So they go out and have a great meet.”
Junior Leigha Hancock led the team in the vault, bars, and floor competitions. Her scores of 9.900 in vault, 9.875 in beam, and 9.925 on the floor routine were the highest marks on either team.
“It wasn’t like this in the beginning of the year; it takes me time to get into it,” Hancock said. “It came out really good, but I was just trying to do it.”
Of the other top performers for the Wolfpack, senior Heather Zolton notched a 9.850 in the floor routine and a 9.800 on the bars en route to a 39.100 overall score. Freshman Taylor Seaman took the overall title, her second this season, with a score of 39.175.
The Pack is set to face Michigan State next week just before the EAGL Championships on March 30. With consecutive strong performances behind them, Jones said the team is confident for the coming weeks.
“It’s that time of the year; we’re peaking right now,” Jones said. “We started out decent, and we’ve just been climbing ever since. Everything is coming together. We know what to do by now and our confidence is there.” After the meet, Stevenson was happy with his team’s effort and the seniors’ contribution.
“I’m really going to miss the seniors. They’re great kids; they work hard,” Stevenson said. “I just hope the freshmen come in with this good a mental attitude.”
