Tribe Gymnastics Opens Season Against North Carolina

Senior Christina Padilla Takes Second on Vault, Freshmen Strong on Beam in Debut

01/14/07 6:15PM

Williamsburg - William and Mary senior gymnast Christina Padilla (Sterling, Va.) placed second on vault, and freshmen Ali Medeiros (Hudson, Ohio) and Stephanie Bevan (Bridgewater, N.J.) enjoyed a good start to their collegiate careers with solid marks on beam in the Tribe’s season-opening competition against North Carolina Sunday afternoon at Kaplan Arena. The Tar Heels claimed individual titles in all four events, including two by Christine Robella, and prevailed in the dual meet by a final score of 191.425-180.475.

“We got off to a very rough start to the season today,” said head coach Mary Lewis. “The injury situation obviously didn’t help, but we have to make the best of what we have right now and hopefully we can manage to handle things a little better next week.”

Robella turned in the top scores on vault (9.800), bars (9.750) and floor (9.600), and Christine Nguyen placed first on beam (9.825) to give UNC a clean sweep of the four events. Robella was the top all-arounder as well, finishing with a total of 38.275.

Competing with a depleted line-up in each event due to a number of preseason injuries, the Tribe provided a few bright spots in the opener. Padilla, a reigning USAG All-American, highlighted a solid team effort on vault in the first rotation, starting her senior campaign with a second-place mark of 9.700. Sophomore Ashley Lugo (Central Islip, N.Y.) delivered with a personal-best score of 9.475 in the event, and Medeiros was strong with a 9.375 in her first col-legiate event. Sophomore Becca Bacharach (Lancaster, Pa.) scored a 9.375, and Tricia Long (Humble, Texas) rounded out the team score on vault with a 9.325.

W&M’s other highlights on the afternoon came in the third rotation on beam, as Medeiros and Bevan placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Medeiros, who finished with an all-around score of 36.00 in her first meet, delighted the home crowd with a 9.650 to lead the team in the event. Bevan was also impressive in her debut, notching a 9.575.

Long paced the team on floor in the final rotation with a tally of 9.300, and Bevan wasn’t far behind with a 9.150. Long finished the team’s top all-around total of 36.375. Senior Janelle Greene (Fairfax, Va.) had the team’s top mark on bars with a 9.050.

The Tribe returns to action next weekend, participating in the George Washington Invitation on Sunday afternoon in the nation’s capital.

Complete Results (.html)

Final Score
North Carolina 191.425, W&M 180.475

William and Mary Team Scoring
Vault: 47.225
Bars: 44.650
Beam: 45.575
Floor: 43.025
Total: 180.475

Top W&M Individuals
Vault: Christina Padilla (9.700)
Bars: Janelle Greene (9.050)
Beam: Ali Medeiros (9.650)
Floor: Tricia Long (9.300)
All-Around: Tricia Long (36.375)