Head coach Brice Biggin said a strong, sharp and prepared team will travel to Raleigh, N.C. this weekend to compete for a 2012 NCAA Gymnastics regional title.

“We’re coming in as a five seed, but if we go out and compete a good meet, we can surprise people,” Biggin said.

The Raleigh regional is the one the Flashes were hoping for. They traveled to North Carolina State to face the Wolfpack in February and have competed against the second-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes this past regular season as well.

Biggin said this gives the team all the advantage they could ask for heading into the meet.

“We’ve seen things like the lighting, the equipment and the set-up at N.C. State before,” Biggin said. “That’s about as much of an advantage as we could get.”

Biggin said it has been announced the team will start the competition on beam. Usually a dreaded event for the Flashes, they are seeing it as a blessing.

“No matter what happens, it’s done and over with after the first rotation,” Biggin said. “We’re hoping to set the bar and make it hard for other teams to match.”

The Flashes have had a week off since the Mid-American Conference Championships, and Biggin said he has used that time to keep the team relaxed.

“That’s what it’s really about this time of year,” Biggin said. “We’re trying to back off and not push them so hard so they’re healthy and rested for the weekend. Hopefully we used the time to our advantage and trained the right way.”

The regional competition is slated to begin at 4 p.m. Saturday at Reynolds Coliseum at N.C. State.

Contact Erica Mucci at [email protected].