University of the New Hampshire (UNH) gymnastics was on pace to compete in the NCAA Regional Championship which takes place on April 1-3 hosted by West Virginia.
The Wildcats were ranked as the 35th team in the nation after the Towson Tri-Meet. Before last week’s EAGL Championship at the University of Pittsburgh, however, UNH had to withdraw from the event because of Coronavirus (COVID-19) related protocols. Without competing in the EAGL Championship UNH gymnastics was not able to secure a spot as one of the top 36 teams in the nation. They came just 0.05 points away from competing as a team in the NCAA Regional Championship.
However, four UNH athletes were still selected to compete at the regional championships. The athletes who will be competing are sophomores Kylie Gorgenyi, Robyn Kelley and Alyssa Worthington, and junior Hailey Lui.
Gorgenyi was named All-EAGL First-Team on the vault and bars. Before last week’s EAGL Championship Gorgenyi was tied for fifth in the EAGL on the vault with a score of 9.850. She is also tied for fifth in the EAGL on the bars with a score of 9.863.
Kelley was named EAGL Specialist of the Year while also earning All-EAGL First-Team on the vault, balance beam and floor exercise. Before last week’s EAGL Championship Kelley tied for third in the EAGL on beam with a score of 9.894 and was ranked second on floor with an almost perfect score of 9.900. Kelley has some momentum coming into the regional championships as she has averaged 9.980 on the floor during her last four meets, and not to mention she is coming off her personal best score of 9.925 on the floor during UNH the last meet.
For the second year in a row Lui was named to the All-EAGL First-Team on the beam and on the floor. Lui is tied for third with her teammate Kelley in the EAGL on the beam with a score of 9.894 and tied for fourth in the EAGL on the floor with a score of 9.900. Lui also has some momentum and going into next weekend as she has tallied a personal best score of 9.900 on the floor during her past two meets.
Worthington only competed in one event during the season which was on the beam. While only competing in one event she was able to focus and thrive on the beam. She was also named to the All-EAGL First-Team with a score of 9.969. On Feb. 21 UNH faced Long Island in a dual meet where Worthington scored a personal best of 9.900 on the beam. She has averaged a score of 9.860 in her past four meets and looks to carry over that success into the regional championships.
The top two competitors from the NCAA Regional Championship will automatically receive a spot in the NCAA Championship event during April 16-17 in Fort Worth, Texas at Dickies Arena.
Photo courtesy of China Wong.
