Tribe Finishes Fourth at N.C. State Quad-Meet

Seniors Stevie Waldman and Tricia Long Shine in All-Around

03/09/08 10:30PM

Raleigh - The William and Mary women's gymnastics team was once again agonizingly close to breaking through Sunday night, posting a team score of 188.87 and finishing fourth in a competitive quad meet at N.C. State.

Seniors Tricia Long (Humble, Texas) and Stevie Waldman (Downingtown, Pa.) were brilliant on Sunday night, as the pair each scored season-high all-around totals with matching marks of 38.475. For Long, the all-around total stands a career-best.

The host Wolfpack took the team title with an eye-catching total of 195.075, easily outdistancing Central Michigan (191.950), Bowling Green (190.950) and the Tribe.

Sophomore Jen Stack (Enfield, Conn.) also enjoyed a terrific evening, notching a pair of top-10 finishes with personal records. Stack nailed her bars’ routine, scoring a career-high 9.725 to place ninth. Stack also hit on vault, posting a career-best 9.675 to lead the team and place 10th in the event.

Despite the standout individual performances, it was a tough night for the squad once again because of one single event. Tonight, the struggles occurred on beam (46.650), an event where the Tribe had just scored a season-high 48.000 one week ago at North Carolina, keeping W&M below the 190 mark.

W&M did however turn in another encouraging performance on floor, following up last week’s season-high 47.950 at UNC with a strong team total of 47.750 on Sunday night. The star of the line-up was Long, who was near flawless in her routine to record a career-high score of 9.750 in the event and place sixth.

Long shared sixth place in the all-around with Waldman behind her outstanding floor routine. Long also added a 12th-place finish on bars with a season-high 9.675 and matched her season-high on beam with a 12th-place score of 9.500. She rounded out the all-around total with a 9.475 on vault.

Waldman recorded a trio of sixth-place finishes, adding a strong sixth-place score of 9.775 on bars and a 9.675 sixth-place mark on beam to her all-around finish. Waldman also notched a 9.575 on vault to place 13th and a solid 9.425 on floor.

Freshman Dina McNaughton (Stoneham, Mass.) played a key role in the floor line-up’s success on Sunday, grabbing a 13th-place finish in the event with a strong 9.500. Junior Becca Bacharach (Lancaster, Pa.) joined the party as well, scoring a 9.500, and sophomore Stephanie Bevan (Bridgewater, N.J.) added a 9.450. Sophomore Ali Medeiros (Hudson, Ohio) matched Waldman with a 9.425, rounding out the team’s total on floor.

Behind Stack, the Tribe’s second-highest score of the night was on vault. The sophomore was on the mark in the event, scoring a career-best 9.675 to lead the line-up. Waldman was next with her 13th-place showing on vault, and junior Lauren Jackson (Westwood, Mass.) was also great on vault Sunday night with a career-high tying 9.525.

Waldman set the pace on bars for the Tribe, but Stack wasn’t far behind with her ninth-place finish which helped the squad bounce back from last week’s outing at UNC.

Waldman also led the team on beam and Long followed in 12th. Freshman Melissa Cream (West Windsor, N.J.) placed 15th with a 9.200.

After competing on the road in the first seven meets of the season, the Tribe finally will perform at home on Wednesday night at Kaplan Arena. W&M hosts ECAC rivals Towson and Penn at 7 p.m.

Complete Meet Results (HTML)

Team Scores: N.C. State (195.075), Central Michigan (191.950), Bowling Green (190.950), William and Mary (188.875)

Top Tribe Individuals:
Vault: Jen Stack (9.675)
Bars: Stevie Waldman (9.775)
Beam: Stevie Waldman (9.675)
Floor: Tricia Long (9.750)
All-Around: Long/Waldman (38.450)