DURHAM – A rollercoaster ride to the NCAA Regionals is set to drop off sophomore Robyn Kelley and three of her University of New Hampshire gymnastics teammates to compete at the University of West Virginia tonight.

Kelley and classmates Kylie Gorgenyi and Alyssa Worthington along with junior Hailey Lui will look to turn in their best performances of the season with an eye towards advancing to the NCAA Championships to be held in Fort Worth, Texas on April 16 and 17.

“I think every meet this year we’ve kind of progressed and gotten better and I know we felt like when we ended up, we could go a little step higher,” Kelley said. “I feel pretty confident. This is something new and I like that even better.”

Kelley, Gorgenyi and Worthington are all new to collegiate postseason competition.

Last year, the Wildcats were a couple of weeks away from having the opportunity to defend their win in the 2019 EAGL Championships when the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly ended all collegiate competition for the year.

Last month, they were preparing again to defend that EAGL title when COVID issues hit the team and UNH was not able to attend the competition.

Missing this year’s EAGL Championships was a double hit. Not only were the Wildcats denied a chance to defend their crown, they were unable to improve their shot at making the NCAAs as a team. They were ranked 35th as league tournaments began and 36 teams qualify for the Regionals. A couple of teams upped their point totals at league events and passed them, leaving the Wildcats on the outside looking in by the thinnest of margins.

“I had a great feeling about the EAGLs going in, we were matched up well with the rest of the conference and had an opportunity to do great things there,” said coach Lindsey Bruck Ayotte. “We were so close. I felt we would have easily solidified our spot. But you never know what will happen.”

The Wildcats as a team were done for the season.

The good news came on the NCAA selection show a couple of days later.

Ayotte thought two UNH gymnasts might be selected to compete in the NCAAs as individuals.

Instead, the number was doubled.

Kelley and Gorgenyi each qualified in two events. Gorgenyi will compete in vault and uneven bars and Kelley on balance beam and floor exercise.

Lui, who helped UNH to the EAGL title in 2019 and competed at the NCAAs as a freshman that year, and Worthington both were selected for balance beam.

“It’s great to have the four going as individuals,” Ayotte said. “Going as an individual is hard when you don’t have your team with you. We have our own little mini-team and it’s nice we’re all going to be together and get to cheer for each other. We’ll be on the floor at the same time and that will help the energy and it will feel a little more normal.”

Having three sophomores and a junior gaining valuable experience at the NCAAs speaks well to the future, too.

“To be able to go with four individuals and with two of them in two events shows a lot about this team and the quality of the gymnastics they can do,” Ayotte said. “To not go as a team is heartbreaking, but to be able to go as individuals helps a lot and I think gives them great motivation for next year to continue to improve and show what the team is capable of. The ceiling is very high for this team. For now, we’ll go with four and look to make some memories and do the best we can.”

To advance to the NCAA finals, individual gymnasts need to finish in the top two among athletes who are not on the top two teams that qualify for the championships.

“It’s hard to advance, but the athletes we’re bringing have great routines and the potential to score very well,” Ayotte said.

Kelley and her teammates are ready to go.

“The four of us are really confident we can put up a lot of our best routines,” Kelley said. “We’re excited. We wish our team could be with us, but we’re prepared and hoping to go show off UNH, even though not everyone could be there.”