SIX EAGL SQUADS QUALIFY FOR NCAA REGIONALS

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. * Six of the eight teams in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League have qualified for the postseason, NCAA officials today announced.

EAGL champion North Carolina, NC State and West Virginia all received bids to the NCAA Southeast Regional in Athens, Ga.

New Hampshire, Pitt and Rutgers received bids to the NCAA Northeast Regional in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Both regionals will take place at their respective sites on Saturday, April 8, beginning at 6 p.m.

No. 1 and reigning national champion Georgia will host the Southeast Regional at the Stageman Coliseum, while ninth-ranked Michigan will facilitate the Northeast Regional at the Crysler Arena.

Regional participants include the nation's top 18 teams based on regional qualifying score (RQS), who are seeded into six regions (three per region).

The teams assigned to the Southeast Regional include No. 1 Georgia (197.305 RQS), No. 12 Nebraska (196.035) and No. 13 Missouri (195.790), while the top-three teams at the Northeast Regional are No. 2 Utah (196.705), No. 9 Michigan (196.230) and No. 14 Auburn (195.695).

The remaining three regional slots were filled from within the region, and they include all six EAGL teams listed above.

Six individual gymnasts also qualified for the Southeast Regional. The include Maryland's Rachel Martinez (all-around), Rachel Colon (all-around), Angie Ferg (vault), Alex Gatch (beam), along with George Washington's Erin Aiken (all-around) and Jess Guilbert (floor).

2006 EAGL CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (March 25, 2006) * The North Carolina gymnastics team won the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Championship on Saturday, March 25, at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J.

The 23rd-rated Tar Heels claimed their third EAGL title and second straight with a team score of 195.325 after forging ahead from second-place finisher North Carolina State (195.075) and third-place finisher No. 22 West Virginia (194.9).

NC State head coach Mark Stevenson was voted EAGL coach of the year by his peers.

EAGL gymnast of the year Courtney Bumpers paced the Tar Heels by winning the all-around title with an EAGL season high score of 39.525, and was closely followed by teammate Christine Robella (39.475) and New Hampshire's Mariana Pena Trestini (39.175).

Bumpers and Robella also finished Nos. 1 and 2 on the floor exercise with scores of 9.95 and 9.9, respectively. Third-place on the floor went to EAGL rookie of the year Mehgan Morris, who tumbled a 9.875.

NC State's Leigha Hancock won the vault with a score of 9.9, while Bumpers, Maryland's Angela Ferg and New Hampshire's Amanda Hall, the defending champion on the event, tied for second on the event with a 9.875.

Robella took home top marks on the uneven bars with a 9.9, which was closely followed by a four-way tie for second place among Hall, Morris, and NC State's Elyse Adams and Amanda Jones with 9.85.

Pena Trestini won the balance beam competition with a 9.925, while Hancock and Bumpers tied for second carding scores of 9.875.

Bumpers' two individual titles gives her a league-record eight for her career. North Carolina becomes the third team in the 11-year history of the league to win back-to-back titles joining West Virginia (1996-98) and NC State (1999-2000).

Last Week's Results

Saturday, March 25

11th annual EAGL CHAMPIONSHIPS -- at Piscataway, N.J.

1. North Carolina 195.325

2. NC State 195.075

3. West Virginia 194.900

4. New Hampshire 194.450

5. Maryland 194.175

6. George Washington 193.775

7. Rutgers 191.425

8. Pitt 190.225

 

Postseason Schedule

Saturday, April 8

North Carolina, NC State, West Virginia at NCAA Southeast Regional, Athens, Ga., 6 p.m.

New Hampshire, Pitt, Rutgers

at NCAA Northeast Regional, Ann Arbor, Mich., 6 p.m.