Freshmen Shine As Gymnastics Breaks 196.0 Again In Win At Pitt

Friday, February 14

Pittsburgh, Pa.

7 p.m. ET

North Carolina

196.150

195.050

Pitt

Photo by: Pitt Athletics

Freshmen Shine As Gymnastics Breaks 196.0 Again In Win At Pitt

February 14, 2025 | Women's Gymnastics

Results

PITTSBURGH – North Carolina gymnastics won every event and had three routines of 9.9+ in its Atlantic Coast Conference win over Pitt on Friday night at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh. It marks UNC's second straight conference victory.

The Tar Heels had a decisive 196.150-195.050 win over the Panthers for their second consecutive meet above the 196.0 threshold. It is UNC's highest road score of the season.

All three 9.9+ routines came from freshmen. JoJo Valahovic, the two-time reigning ACC Newcomer of the Week, had a 9.9 on vault and a 9.95 on beam. Regan McBride scored a 9.9 on beam as all three routines were new career highs.

Also winning individual titles were Julia Knower in the all-around (39.2) and floor (9.875) as well as Lali Dekanoidze on bars (9.875).

All-Around
Knower was the all-around champion with a mark of 39.2, her second best of the season. That came after scores of 9.8 on vault, 9.75 on bars, 9.775 on beam and 9.875 on floor. She also won an individual title on floor.

UNC had two athletes compete in every event for the first time this year as Gwen Fink made her debut in the all-around. She totaled 38.975 after scores of 9.825 on vault, 9.725 on bars, 9.85 on beam and 9.575 on floor.

Rotation One – Bars (48.8)
The first routine of the evening went to Knower on bars who scored a 9.75. Bella Miller went third and tallied a 9.675 while Fink followed and earned a 9.775. Also scoring for the Tar Heels was Isabelle Schaefer (9.775) and Dekanoidze (9.875). Dekanoidze's 9.875 was enough to secure the outright win and Schaefer tied for second.

1. Julia Knower – 9.75
2. Neve King – 9.6
3. Bella Miller – 9.675
4. Gwen Fink – 9.725
5. Isabelle Schaefer – 9.775
6. Lali Dekanoidze – 9.875
Exh. Claire Stippich – 9.7

North Carolina totaled 48.8 on bars to begin the meet, which was higher than the 48.425 done by Pitt.

Rotation Two – Vault (49.2)
Neve King started off rotation two with a bang, earning a career-high 9.875 which blew past her previous best of 9.775 from Jan. 17. Fink, who made her first vault appearance of the year, matched her personal record of 9.825 for the third time in her career. Knower went third and earned a 9.8 to set a new season's best. Valahovic's career-high 9.9 came from the fifth slot as she eclipsed her previous best of 9.875 from Jan. 24. Dekanoidze capped things off with a 9.8. Valahovic was the outright winner and N. King took second.

1. Neve King – 9.875
2. Gwen Fink – 9.825
3. Julia Knower – 9.8
4. Isabelle Schaefer – 9.725
5. JoJo Valahovic – 9.9
6. Lali Dekanoidze – 9.8
Elly King – 9.725

The Tar Heels saw their best vault score of the season with a 49.2 while cracking the 49.0-barrier for the first time this year. The Panthers totaled 48.975 on this rotation.

Rotation Three – Floor (48.8)
UNC continued to build throughout its third event, floor. Naranjo kicked things off with a 9.7 followed by Fink's 9.575. Claire Stippich performed the first floor routine of her collegiate career and impressed with a 9.8. Knower went fifth and scored a 9.875 while Miller concluded with a strong 9.85 to match her season high for the third time and in back-to-back meets. Knower was part of a three-way tie for first place.

1. Jessica Naranjo – 9.7
2. Gwen Fink – 9.575
3. Claire Stippich – 9.8
4. JoJo Valahovic – 9.4
5. Julia Knower – 9.875
6. Bella Miller – 9.85
Exh. Elly King – 9.55

The two conference foes went head-to-head on floor: Pitt came out on top with 48.9, slightly above Carolina's 48.8.

Rotation Four – Beam (49.35)
Carrying its momentum all the way through the meet, UNC saved its best performance for last on beam. Naranjo was the leadoff who kickstarted the rotation with a solid 9.8. Valahovic followed that with a career-high 9.95, crushing her previous best of 9.85 done three times prior. The freshman is now tied for third all-time in school history. N. King was in the third slot and set a personal best of her own with a 9.85 to erase her 9.725 from last weekend. Fink went fourth and also received a 9.85. McBride punctuated a great rotation with a career-high 9.9 – the first of her career – to crack her prior best mark of 9.85 from the season opener. Valahovic and McBride, both freshman, finished first and second, respectively, while N. King and Fink tied for third.

1. Jessica Naranjo – 9.8
2. JoJo Valahovic – 9.95
3. Neve King – 9.85
4. Gwen Fink – 9.85
5. Julia Knower – 9.775
6. Regan McBride – 9.9
Exh. Claire Stippich – 9.7

The Tar Heels totaled 49.35 on beam, their highest of the year on this apparatus. Their cumulative score was well above the Panthers' 48.75.

Up Next
The 22nd-ranked Tar Heels return to the mats for a two-meet road stand next weekend. They will first face NC State on Friday, Feb. 21, at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. The team then travels to Fort Worth, Texas, for the Metroplex Challenge against Oklahoma on Sunday, Feb. 23.

Carolina returns to Carmichael Arena for its penultimate home meet on Friday, Feb. 28, for the UNC Quad Meet with Penn, Temple and Yale. The meet begins at 6:45 p.m. ET and tickets are available for purchase here.

Stay up to date with Carolina Gymnastics by following the Tar Heels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.