Gymnastics Hits Season-High Score To Win UNC Quad Meet

Friday, February 28

Chapel Hill, N.C.

6:45 p.m. ET

North Carolina

196.675

194.975

Penn

Celebration
University of North Carolina Gymnastics Quad Meet
Carmichael Arena
Chapel Hill, NC
Friday, February 28, 2025

Photo by: Jerome M. Ibrahim

February 28, 2025 | Women's Gymnastics

Results Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2 Photo Gallery 3

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 23 North Carolina gymnastics won all but one event and set a season-high team score to win the UNC Quad Meet against Temple, Penn and Yale on Friday night in Carmichael Arena.

The Tar Heels won the meet with a score of 196.675 ahead of the Owls (195.375), Quakers (195.975) and Bulldogs (193.050). UNC's 196.675 is better than its 196.575 done earlier this month against Clemson at home. It also marks the highest team score done in the Danna Durante era.

Lali Dekanoidze won bars outright for the fourth straight meet with her score of 9.95 while Gwen Fink shared a piece of the beam title with a 9.9. Julia Knower and Jessica Naranjo both tallied 9.85s on floor to tie for first place, and Knower won the all-around crown with a mark of 39.325.

All-Around
Knower had a season-high 39.325 to win her 13th career all-around title. That came after marks of 9.75 on vault, 9.875 on bars, 9.85 on beam and 9.85 on floor. Her bars score (9.875) tied her season-high while her beam (9.85) was a new season's best.

Rotation One – Vault (48.95)
The Tar Heels started their vault rotation with three straight scores of 9.75 from Neve King, Knower and Paige Prejean in respective spots No. 1-3. Dekanoidze earned a 9.825 in the fourth slot followed by JoJo Valahovic's 9.8 from the fifth spot. Kaya Forbes anchored the rotation with a 9.825 to match Dekanoidze for the team-high.

1. Neve King – 9.75
2. Julia Knower – 9.75
3. Paige Prejean – 9.75
4. Lali Dekanoidze – 9.825
5. JoJo Valahovic – 9.8
6. Kaya Forbes – 9.825
Exh. Elly King – 9.7
Exh. Isabelle Schaefer – 9.625

Carolina totaled 48.95 on vault to begin the meet. Penn led with a meet-high 48.975 while Temple (48.85) and Yale (48.25) rounded out the field.

Rotation Two – Bars (49.4)
Knower started off UNC's second rotation with a strong 9.875 to match her season high for the second time this year. Claire Stippich added a 9.875 of her own from the third slot, erasing her previous career high of 9.85 from last week. Gwen Fink scored a 9.825 going third while Isabelle Schaefer, going fourth, tacked on another 9.875. Dekanoidze rounded out the rotation with a 9.95, her third straight meet of 9.9+ on her signature event. The senior won bars for the fourth consecutive meet and for the 22nd time in her career.

1. Julia Knower – 9.875
2. Neve King – 9.725
3. Claire Stippich – 9.875
4. Gwen Fink – 9.825
5. Isabelle Schaefer – 9.875
6. Lali Dekanoidze – 9.95

UNC totaled 49.4 for its highest bars score of the 2025 campaign. It was also the second-highest bars score recorded during the Durante era. The Tar Heels were the highest of the four competing teams: Penn had a 49.05, Temple had a 49.025 and Yale had a 48.075.

Rotation Three – Beam (49.25)
Leading off the third rotation, beam, was Naranjo with a solid 9.825. Valahovic, the four-time defending ACC Newcomer of the Week, went second and also received a 9.825. Knower set a season-high 9.85 in the fourth spot, eclipsing the 9.825 she had done three times before. Fink tied her career-high 9.9 for the third time in her career from spot No. 5 while Regan McBride anchored in a 9.85. Fink shared a piece of the win, marking the fourth beam title of the junior's career.

1. Jessica Naranjo – 9.825
2. JoJo Valahovic – 9.825
3. Neve King – 9.8
4. Julia Knower – 9.85
5. Gwen Fink – 9.9
6. Regan McBride – 9.85
Exh. Taylor Schulze – 9.825

The Tar Heels had a meet-best 49.25 on beam for their second highest team score of the season. The Owls followed with a 48.975. The Quakers saw a 48.7 while the Bulldogs finished with a 48.1.

Rotation Four – Floor (49.075)
Naranjo set the tone on floor from the leadoff spot, putting forth a 9.85 to tie her career high for the third time this season. Valahovic contributed a 9.75 in the third slot followed by a 9.825 from Forbes in the fourth slot. Knower produced a 9.85 in the fifth position to tie Naranjo for the team lead while Bella Miller anchored in 9.8. Naranjo and Knower shared the floor title.

1. Jessica Naranjo – 9.85
2. Claire Stippich – 9.625
3. JoJo Valahovic – 9.75
4. Kaya Forbes – 9.825
5. Julia Knower – 9.85
6. Bella Miller – 9.8
Exh. Elly King – 9.625

Carolina finished with a 49.075 on its final rotation, the only team above the 49.0 threshold. Yale had a 46.625 followed by Temple's 48.525 and Penn's 48.125.

Up Next
The 23rd-ranked Tar Heels travel to Huntsville, Ala., for Elevate the Stage on Sunday, March 9, at Propst Arena. UNC will compete in a quad meet with Alabama, Cal and Michigan State. Action begins at 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT) and will broadcast nationally on ACC Network. UNC's score against the Golden Bears will count towards Atlantic Coast Conference competition.

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