The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1177236
NOVEMBER 2019 ■ 109 Working on the skill levels of juniors and seniors can sometimes be more about fine- tuning different aspects. "It depends on the situation and how they prepared themselves over the sum- mer for preseason," Landrus said. "If you prepare yourself and come into the next academic year with all your skills, we can work on the refinement phase of training." Landrus also has a plan if a gymnast still needs to "catch up" on certain skills too. "We might have to do some skill acquisi- tion," Landrus said. "Our four seniors are, for the most part, in the refinement stage. "We do have an event or two where they are in skill acquisition, but they have po- sitioned themselves well for a successful year." ■ Junior Lauren Kent led the Wolfpack on bars in seven meets and earned first-team All-EAGL honors in that event last year. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS Newcomer To Watch Emily Shepard, who is from Olathe, Kan., is one of three freshmen on the roster, joining Chloe Ne- grete of Frisco, Texas, and Alexis Ortega of Tampa, Fla. The 5-2 Shepard finished fifth on the beam at Level 10 Nationals and placed in the top 10 in five categories at Level 10 Regionals — vault (fifth), all- around (sixth), floor (seventh), beam (eighth) and bars (ninth). Landrus thinks Shepard could help immediately in bars and floor routine. Three Gymnasts To Watch Senior Drew Grantham The decorated Grantham was named first- team All-EAGL in the vault, floor and all-around last year, plus was a second-team performer on bars and beam. She reached at least 39.0 in seven different meets, and won 16 events titles. The 5-1 native of Durham, N.C., had the ninth- best all-time mark in program history when she reached 39.475 in the all-around March 9 in a quadrangular meet. Junior Lauren Kent The Willow Springs, N.C., native was named first-team All-EAGL in the bars, and was also named to the EAGL All-Tournament first team in that event. She had three 9.900 bars perfor - mances last year, and led the team on bars in seven meets. Kent also led the team in beam in two meets. Junior Kasey Nelson The 5-5 Nelson competed on beam in 12 meets, posting the team's high score three times in that event. She set a career-high 9.850 to win the beam vs. Pitt on Feb. 9. The Marietta, Ga., native paced the Wolfpack with a 9.825 on the beam at the NCAA Athens Regional. ■ Key Meets • At Ohio State, Jan. 11 — The Buckeyes topped NC State 196.025-194.550 in Raleigh last year. Ohio State finished seventh in the Big Ten Championships and were ranked No. 22 by the College Gymnastics Association. • At Kentucky, Jan. 17 — The Wildcats tied for ninth nationally, posted wins over top-25 programs Iowa State and Missouri in the postseason, plus LSU, Alabama and Arkansas in the regular season. • Vs. Minnesota in Raleigh, TBA — Minnesota also tied for ninth nationally with Kentucky. The Gophers lost to Utah in the NCAA Regional Final, after they finished fourth at the Big Ten Championships. Min - nesota head coach Jenny Hansen previously was Kim Landrus' assistant coach at Illinois. ■ By The Numbers 3 EAGL Gymnast of the Week honors for senior Drew Grantham last year. 9 NC State gymnasts who were named Scholas- tic All-Americans by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association — Melissa Brooker, Drew Grantham, Lauren Kent, Hailey Mesmer, Victoria Prati, Meredith Robinson, Alexis Sheppard, Maggie Tamburro and Haley Zarett. 196.400 Highest team score last year for NC State, which was against Pittsburgh, and one of the top 20 marks in program history. Noting The Pack • Junior Nicole Webb of Morrisville, N.C., earned second-team All-EAGL honors on the beam and floor routine last year, and has become a consistent per- former for the Wolfpack. She competed in every meet on the beam and in 11 for the floor routine. "She is definitely fun to watch on the floor routine," head coach Kim Landrus said. "She also has clean lines and is able to perform. We are a performance-based sport, and she can show it off." There is a certain amount of a thrill involved when performing in front of fans at Reynolds Coliseum. "She can really bring the crowd in," Landrus said. "People just wanted to watch her, for her beauty and her artistic gymnastics." • With so many juniors and seniors on the roster, recruiting their future replacements has been crucial, and Landrus knows what traits she wants in future NC State gymnasts. "We look for the athletes that can perform in the all-around and who can stand out in each event," Landrus said. "Every recruiting class we want some - one who can vault and can do beam, and it can be the same person." The coach knows she has a lot to sell at NC State. "I just think it is a great combination of athletics and academic experience," she said. "The student-athlete experience is one that I really think when they gradu - ate, they'd want to do it all over again. "The Wolfpack family is truly family."