Gymnastics: Penn State Wins 'High-Pressure Meet'
February 13, 2005 05:12 PM | General
By Justin Zackal for MSNsportsNET.com
February 13, 2005
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team placed second in its three-team meet Sunday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers compiled a 195.425 team score losing to No. 16 Penn State(196.650) and defeating Ball State (190.975).
Despite splitting the meet, the Mountaineers improve their season average to 193.37 after scoring just 0.450 below its season high of 195.875 set last week.
West Virginia (3-3), with its 17th-ranked vault team, came out smoking in the first rotation with a season-high 49.35 on vault. However, in the final rotation Penn State (9-5) sealed its win with an even more phenomenal performance of 49.475.
“It was a good, high-pressure meet,” said West Virginia head coach Linda Burdette. “We had to hit on every event because we knew they were hitting, as well.”
The Mountaineer vaulters were hitting with all six competitors setting or tying season highs anchored by senior Kari Williams establishing a new career high with a 9.975. The win for Williams marks her fourth straight this season on the vault. Her vault score is one of 19 in school history 9.975 or higher and she is now tied for third with 15 career 9.9+ scores on vault and eighth in all events.
Senior Jessica Bartgis was West Virginia’s other event winner as she, too, captured her fourth straight win. Bartgis won the even bars with a 9.825. The Mountaineers performed clean sets on the bars with other notables including sophomore Janáe Cox tying a season high with 9.775 good for third place and senior Carri Nagle with a sixth-place 9.725.
Sophomore Cheryl Goldenfield rated third on the balance beam with her team-high score of 9.8 followed by Nagle tying a season best with 9.775, a score Bartgis equaled on the event.
Cox paced West Virginia on the floor with a second-place and season-high score of 9.9, her highest score in any event this year. Penn State carded solid routines on the floor exercise as six of the seven top scores on the event were by Nittany Lions led by winner Lindsay Borkan’s 9.925.
Penn State’s Meredith Hoover, winner on the beam with a 9.85, captured the all-around with a 39.375, followed by Borkan’s 39.3. Cox and Bartgis amassing 39.225 and 39.125, respectively, now have 13 and 14 career all-around scores of at least 39.0 ranking fifth and fourth in WVU history.
Ball State (2-12), led by Jessica Surridge’s all-around of 38.525, had just two gymnast placing higher than 10th in an event.
West Virginia will start a three-meet road swing beginning with two meets next weekend including at Michigan on Friday, Feb. 18, and at Cornell on Sunday, Feb. 20.
