NC State gymnastics battles back at quad meet, finishes third in regular season finale

Bryan Pyrtle, Assistant Sports Editor • March 11, 2022

Sophomore Emily Shepard performs her floor routine on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 at Reynolds Coliseum. Shepard had the highest all-around score of the meet with a 39.375. The Wolfpack took first place in the tri-meet over North Carolina and Temple with a score of 196.200.

The No. 26 NC State gymnastics team finished third at a quad meet in Reynolds Coliseum on Friday, March 11. The No. 2 Florida Gators took top honors followed by the No. 44 Rutgers Scarlet Knights, with Wolfpack beating out the No. 52 Penn Quakers for third place.

NC State got a few good performances on beam and floor, scoring above 49 for both events as a team, but those scores weren’t enough to push the Pack further up the standings.

The Wolfpack stumbled out of the gate with its worst event of the evening in the first rotation, a 48.575 on vault. Junior Emily Shepard posted a 9.825 for the Pack’s only vault score above 9.800. Freshman Lauren Rutherford put up a 9.750 on vault, but NC State had a lot of catching up to do going forward.

State began to pick up steam on bars, but still couldn’t quite combine for over 49.000, scoring 48.950 as a team. Sophomore Carina Jordan led the charge on bars, posting a 9.850 for fifth place at the meet. Junior Alexis Ortega put up a 9.800 in the event, but hers was the only other Wolfpack performance on bars to eclipse the 9.800 mark.

The Pack continued to get the ball rolling in the third rotation, posting a 49.125 on beam. Shepard’s 9.900 tied for third place at the meet, and several other scores boosting NC State heading into the final rotation. Graduate student Nicole Webb and freshman Macy Jennings each put up a 9.850 on beam, with Ortega also stepping up with a 9.825.

Shepard’s performance on beam carried some individual significance as well. As her 24th career mark of at least 9.900, Shepard’s showing on beam broke the program record of career 9.900+ marks.

Sophomore Gabrille Diaz and Rutherford both lead the way on floor with a pair of 9.900s. Webb put up a 9.850 in the event, followed closely by freshman Hailey Merchant with a 9.825. Shepard rounded the Pack’s scoring on floor with a 9.775.

Even though the Pack posted a 49.250 on floor, its best event of the meet, NC State simply couldn’t keep pace with Florida or overtake Rutgers. Still, the Wolfpack’s resilience to fight back over the course of the meet is an encouraging sign for the team as the postseason approaches.

NC State will complete next at the East Atlantic Gymnastics League Championships in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, March 19.