Mountaineers Finish Sixth at Regionals

Saturday, April 7

University Park, Pa.

4:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

NCAA Regional Championships

Photo by: Ken Inness/WVU

April 07, 2018 07:48 PM | Gymnastics

Results Photos

By: Shannon McNamara

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team closed its 2018 season with a sixth place, 194.4 showing at the 2018 NCAA University Park Regional Championships this afternoon inside Penn State's Rec Hall.

No. 5-ranked Florida finished first with a 197.725 score, and No. 8 Washington placed second with a 196.275 mark. The two teams earned the region's bid to the 2018 NCAA National Championships.

No. 17 Arizona State finished in third place with a 195.75 mark, while New Hampshire placed fourth (194.95) and Penn State finished fifth (194.9).

The Mountaineers' (13-13, 0-6) best showing of the afternoon came in the fifth rotation on floor exercise, as the team scored 49.0, the third-best showing of the meet. WVU also tallied marks of 48.75 on vault, 48.45 on uneven bars and 48.2 on balance beam.

"This was not the way we wanted to end the season. We counted a fall for the first time. I'm disappointed in the performance and that we didn't advance through to the National Championships," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "Having said that, there were strong performances out there today. The team didn't check out. We had an exciting floor performance after our beam showing and kept up the energy for the rest of the meet.

"I never said it would be easy to climb a mountain. It's easy to see what we need to fix, but I'm happy with what we accomplished this year. That's where our focus needs to be right now. We set records this season. We'll get ready for next year soon, but right now I want to focus on the positive and the way this team handled adversity over and over again. The road to the 2019 season starts today, and this group is excited and ready."

After sitting the first rotation on a bye, the Mountaineers opened the meet with a 48.45 showing on uneven bars. Junior Jaquie Tun paced WVU and finished 21st overall with a 9.75. Muhmmad finished second on the team, 26th overall, with a 9.725, and sophomore Chloe Cluchey finished in 27th place with a 9.7. Senior Robyn Bernard opened the rotation with a 9.65, and classmate Jordan Gillette chipped in a 9.625.

The Mountaineers had a tough go at balance beam in the third rotation and were forced to count a fall for the first time this season. Junior Carly Galpin paced the team and finished 13th overall with a 9.8. Sophomore Abby Kaufman finished 17th with a 9.775. Junior Kirah Koshinski followed in the lineup with a 9.75, good enough for 22nd place. Freshman McKenna Linnen opened the rotation with a 9.65.

Following a bye, WVU bounced back in the fifth rotation with a 49.0 on floor exercise. Four Mountaineers scored 9.8 or better, including a team-best 9.85 from Kaufman, good enough for seventh overall. The mark, the third-best score awarded today, matched her career high, last earned on March 18. Muhammad and sophomore Erica Fontaine tied for ninth place with 9.825s. Gillette finished in 17th place with a 9.8, and Koshinski added a 9.7.

WVU concluded the meet with a 48.75 showing on vault. Muhammad earned the team's best individual finish of the day, matching her career high of 9.9 and tying for third place. Koshinski scored 9.825 and finished in eighth place. Sophomore Julia Merwin scored 9.7 and finished in 24th place. Tun scored 9.675, and Kaufman and Bernard added marks of 9.65.

A pair of Mountaineers competed in the all-around today. Muhammad finished 11th with a 38.65, while Kaufman placed 13th with a 38.55.

Of note, following the meet, WVU Associate Athletic Director/Facilities & Operations and team administrator April Messerly was named the NCAA Southeast Region co-Administrator of the Year.

Today was the final collegiate competition for a trio of Mountaineers: Bernard, Gillette and Muhammad.

"These seniors were our rock this year," Butts added. "They kept the team together and made sure we moved in the right direction. They had a struggle here and there today, but they kept this team's chins high. I feel like our seniors made sure we ended the meet strong, and the team fell in line behind them."