Women's Tennis Splits Weekend Matches

Staff Report

NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- The No. 28 North Carolina women's tennis team fell to 11th-ranked Notre Dame on Sunday at the Eck Tennis Pavilion 6-1.

The Tar Heels (4-1) won the doubles point by taking two of three matches from the Fighting Irish, but were swept in singles play.

The doubles teams of Elina Bairos and Marlene Mejia and Erin Niebling and Courtney Zalinski both won their matches 8-6.

UNC was playing without Julie Rotondi, who is sidelined with an ankle injury that she sustained against Kentucky.

The Tar Heels were playing their second match of the weekend Sunday. The team defeated 16th-ranked Northwestern 4-3 Saturday.

UNC opened the match strong, taking the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and 3. In singles, the Tar Heels won three of the six matches, including three-set wins by Kate Pinchbeck and Lee Bairos.

UNC Fares Well at Pepsi Invitational

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Several Tar Heels had solid performances during the weekend, as the North Carolina track and field team traveled to the Pepsi Invitational at Virginia Tech.

Saturday, Sal Gigante won the weight throw with a toss of 63-3 1/2 inches, eclipsing his previous personal best of

61-11 3/4 set in 1998. Gigante's throw is a NCAA provisional qualifying mark and ranks second in UNC's record books.

Ola Sesay remains undefeated in the long jump this season, winning with a leap of 20-9 3/4. Joy Ganes won the high jump for the second consecutive week with a jump of 5-10.

Other standout performances included Stefani Dixon's fifth-place finish in the pole vault, setting a new personal best and Tar Heel record with a mark of 11-9 3/4.

Edi Ntuen was the top collegiate finisher in the 400 meters, placing third with a run of 55.23. Crystal Cox placed fourth in the 200 meters crossing the line in 24.56, the fastest time by a Tar Heel this season.

Friday, Shanon Burns jumped a season high 40-5 1/2 in the triple jump placing fifth overall.

UNC returns to Blacksburg, Va. on Friday for the ACC Championships.

Gymnasts Place Fourth in Raleigh

RALEIGH -- The North Carolina gymnastics team finished fourth at the Hearts Invitational on Friday with a score of 193.025.

No. 20 Iowa finished first with a score of 196.125. No. 23 Kent State was second (195.550), and host No. 28

N.C. State (195.150) came in third.

Tar Heel Brooke Wilson finished second on floor exercise with a 9.900, eighth in vault (9.700) and uneven bars (9.825). Her all-around score of 39.225 was good enough for third place.

UNC heads back to Raleigh Saturday to compete against N.C. State, Air Force and Radford at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum.