Gymnastics Ends Regular Season With Sixth-Best Score In School History

Friday, March 14

Chapel Hill, N.C.

6:45 p.m. ET

North Carolina

196.750

195.275

Western Michigan

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

Gymnastics Ends Regular Season With Sixth-Best Score In School History

March 14, 2025 | Women's Gymnastics

Results

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 24 North Carolina gymnastics had its best performance of the year in its regular season finale on Friday night against Western Michigan inside Carmichael Arena. UNC earned 49.0 or higher on every event for the first time this season.

The Tar Heels won the meet with a final mark of 196.75, their best of the season and sixth highest score in program history. It was also the best team score in the Danna Durante era. The Broncos finished with a 195.275.

Carolina won or earned a share of the title on every apparatus: Kaya Forbes on vault (9.9) and floor (9.9), Lali Dekanoidze on bars (9.925), Jessica Naranjo on beam (9.925), JoJo Valahovic on floor (9.9) and Julia Knower in the all-around (39.125).

Following the meet, UNC honored its graduating class in Dekanoidze, Knower, Bella Miller, Isabelle Schaefer and Taylor Schulze as part of Senior Night presented by Carolina Alumni.

All-Around
Competing in the all-around for the 49th time in her career – and final time in Carmichael Arena – Knower earned the crown for the 14th time with a score of 39.125. The senior earned that mark after scores of 9.675 on vault, 9.825 on bars, 9.8 on beam and 9.825 on floor.

Rotation One – Vault (49.15)
Neve King kicked off UNC's vault rotation with a 9.775 in the leadoff spot. Her twin sister, Elly King, went second and earned a career-high 9.8 to erase her previous best of 9.75 done three times prior. Dekanoidze went fourth in the lineup and scored a 9.8 which was followed by JoJo Valahovic's 9.85 in the fifth slot. Forbes anchored with a 9.9, matching her career best for the third time during the junior's tenure. She shared the vault title for the fourth event win of her career.

1. Neve King – 9.775
2. Elly King – 9.8
3. Julia Knower – 9.675
4. Lali Dekanoidze – 9.8
5. JoJo Valahovic – 9.85
6. Kaya Forbes – 9.9
Exh. Paige Prejean – 9.775
Exh. Isabelle Schaefer – 9.725

Carolina ended its opening rotation with a 49.15, its highest vault score at home this season. That score edged out Western Michigan's 49.075.

Rotation Two – Bars
Knower led off the second rotation with a solid 9.825 to set up a strong bar rotation for the Tar Heels. N. King went second and recorded a 9.8 while Claire Stippich contributed a 9.85 from the third position. A pair of seniors went fifth and sixth to cap off their Carmichael Arena careers: Schaefer earned a 9.875 while Dekanoidze, the anchor, received a 9.925. The home team swept the podium: Dekanoidze in first, Schaefer in second and Stippich in third. It was Dekanoidze's 23rd career bars title.

1. Julia Knower – 9.825
2. Neve King – 9.8
3. Claire Stippich – 9.85
4. Gwen Fink – 9.775
5. Isabelle Schaefer – 9.875
6. Lali Dekanoidze – 9.925
Exh. Bella Miller – 9.75

The Tar Heels totaled 49.275 at the end of this rotation, marking their fifth straight bars team score of 49.0 or higher. Their score was well above the Broncos' 48.875.

Rotation Three – Beam (49.0)
Naranjo started off the beam rotation with a bang, as the junior tied her career-high 9.925 for the second time this season. A trio of 9.8s came from Valahovic, N. King and Knower in the respective second, third and fourth spots. Fink's 9.725 in the fifth slot also counted for the Tar Heels. Naranjo won the beam title for the first time in her career. Valahovic and Knower tied for third place.

1. Jessica Naranjo – 9.925
2. JoJo Valahovic – 9.8
3. Neve King – 9.8
4. Julia Knower – 9.8
5. Gwen Fink – 9.725
6. Regan McBride – 9.6
Exh. Taylor Schulze – 9.75

UNC ended its beam rotation with a 49.0, which was again better than WMU's 48.6. The Tar Heels have had six beam rotations earn a 49.0 or better this season.

Rotation Four – Floor (49.325)
Carolina saved its best rotation for last on floor. Stippich went second in the lineup and earned a career-high 9.875 to crush her prior best mark of 9.8. Back-to-back 9.9s came from Valahovic and Forbes in spots three and four, respectively. Valahovic's 9.9 tied her career high for the second time. Knower and anchor Bella Miller, both competing in their final routine at home, recorded 9.825s. UNC again swept the top three spots as Forbes and Valahovic tied for first while Stippiched placed third.

1. Jessica Naranjo – 9.8
2. Claire Stippich – 9.875
3. JoJo Valahovic – 9.9
4. Kaya Forbes – 9.9
5. Julia Knower – 9.825
6. Bella Miller – 9.825
Exh. Elly King – 9.775

The Tar Heels' collective floor score of 49.325 was their second highest of the 2025 campaign. The Broncos received a cumulative score of 48.725.

Up Next
The 24th-ranked Tar Heels now turn their attention to postseason competition. The 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships will be held on Saturday, March 22, and will air on ACC Network. First vault will either be at 2 p.m. ET or 7 p.m., depending on seeding.

The meet will take place in First Horizon Coliseum, formerly known as Greensboro Coliseum. Tickets can be purchased here.

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