Tar Heels Host Mental Health Awareness Day Against Towson

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The University of North Carolina Gymnastics team (5-3, 2-1 EAGL) hosts its first annual Mental Health Awareness Meet on Saturday in Carmichael Arena. The Tar Heels will take on East Atlantic Gymnastics League opponent Towson (3-4, 0-1 EAGL) at 3:45 p.m. Fans are encouraged to dress as super heroes and princesses.

"We are always excited to compete in Carmichael," said Carolina head coach Derek Galvin. "Being in the Chapel Hill area with weather like this lifts everyone's spirits. Practice went very well this week. The team has the right mental focus. I fully expect everyone to be excited about competing and I think they will put the whole meet together."

The Mental Health Awareness Meet is a new one for Carolina Gymnastics and they are excited for the theme to become an annual event. Carolina will host on campus organizations that offer mental health resources in the concourse of Carmichael during the meet. One of the organizations in attendance will be CAPS (counseling and psychological services) through Campus Health.

"College students in general deal with very demanding lifestyles," Galvin discussed. "For some that can be stress-inducing and anxiety-inducing. There are resources that can help students balance those out and we want to highlight those resources, not only for student athletes but for all in the community."

"We want to recognize the joy of being a child," Galvin said. "Growing up super heroes are a big thing. If you talk to any group of girls between the ages of four and ten, they are all about princesses and super heroes. It's just fun. It's something to give the children who come to the meets the ability to be a part of the whole festive atmosphere. In stead of being a spectator they get to participate."

Carolina comes into the meet being the EAGL leader on vault (average of 48.738) and floor (average of 49.044). The Tar Heels hold four of the top-5 spots in the EAGL on floor as Khazia Hislop (9.894), Lily Dean (9.831), Madison Hargrave (9.819) and Mikayla Robinson (9.813) go 1,2,4 and 5. Khazia Hislop also holds the top spot in the EAGL on vault with an average of Carolina has the most gymnasts in the the EAGL top-five of each event with nine.

Last January, the Tar Heels topped the Tigers in a quad-meet in Towson, Maryland by a score of 194.600-194.275. Carolina scored 48.900 on vault and floor to give Carolina its second win of the 2018 campaign.

LAST TIME OUT

The University of North Carolina women's gymnastics team finished in second place in Pittsburgh on Friday night with a score of 194.050. The Tar Heels (5-3) topped East Atlantic Gymnastics League foe Pittsburgh (193.550) but fell to Temple (194.200). Carolina junior Khazia Hislop had a career day, scoring above a 9.900 in all three events for the third time in her career. She also placed first in all three events she competed in, vault, beam and floor.

"We had a very rough start with bars," Carolina Head Coach Derek Galvin said. "After that we told the team that we had the opportunity to dig in and have three good events. We had another strong performance on vault. On floor, we were solid. We were pleased with the way we refocused on the last three events. We came back in the last three events."

Carolina started the day on uneven bars. A team score of 47.350 set Carolina back from the start. Two Tar Heel gymnasts placed in the top-10 on bars as Rylie Dewhurst placed second with a score of 9.750 and Mekyllah Williams placed sixth with a 9.700.

During the second rotation, Carolina moved over to beam. Hislop stepped onto the top-spot of the podium with a career-high matching score of 9.925. Alexis Allen and Jamie DeCicco also placed in the top-10 with scores of 9.800. Carolina ended the rotation with a score of 48.800.

The Tar Heels won floor with a score of 48.925. Carolina placed three on the podium. Lily Dean and Mikayla Robinson tied for third with scores of 9.825, tying a season-high for Robinson. Hislop placed first on floor with a 9.900. Madison Hargrave rounded out the top-10 Tar Heels with a 9.750.

On vault, Carolina had their second highest score of the season. The Tar Heel's score of 48.975 topped the rest of the competition by over 0.250. Hislop and Robinson placed first and second with scores of 9.900 and 9.850, respectively. Two more Tar Heels also placed in the top-five as Hargrave and Drew Aldridge tied for fifth with 9.775, topping Aldridge's previous career high.

"Khazia [Hislop] had a great meet," Galvin said. "It was one of the nicest beam routines I have seen her do. She is such a gifted artistic athlete. Everything she does, there is a grace and a beauty in it and at the same time she has a tremendous power. She is a delightful competitor."

THE OPPONENT

Towson comes into the meet ranked sixth in the EAGL with an average meet score of 192.425. The Tigers started the season slow but have picked up steam the last two meets. Two weeks ago, Towson scored its highest meet of the year, a 194.075, at William & Mary. Towson's Emerson Hurst is second in the EAGL on beam with an average score of 9.844.

"Towson has a good team and good individuals," said Galvin. "Like us, they have not put together a meet fully, they are in the same situation we are in."

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Drew Aldridge

Alexis Allen

Lily Dean

Jamie DeCicco

Rylie Dewhurst

Madison Hargrave

Khazia Hislop

Mikayla Robinson

Mekyllah Williams