Gymnastics: WVU Places Second
March 06, 2005 05:05 PM | General
By Justin Zackal for MSNsportsNET.com
March 6, 2005
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A season-high team score on the floor exercise in the final rotation propelled the West Virginia University gymnastics team from last place to a second-place finish in its quadrangular home meet Sunday at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers compiled a 194.6 team score and finished 0.3 behind Auburn as the 20th-ranked Tigers won the meet with a sum of 194.9.
West Virginia (8-5), in last place through three rotations but trailing the leader Auburn by 0.975, surged ahead and registered wins over Kent State (193.725) and No. 23 Michigan State (193.675) despite coming up short and losing to Auburn.
“I’m very surprised,” said WVU head coach Linda Burdette once all the scores were revealed. “I thought we were in last place. We were just phenomenal again on the floor exercise. This is a good team we just got to put four good events together.”
The Mountaineers posted a season best on floor for a second straight meet with their 49.35, just eight days after a 48.95 score on floor was catalyst in a first-place finish at Rutgers. WVU won floor as Auburn graded the next closest score of 49.125.
West Virginia won two other team events tying Michigan State for the top team score on balance beam with 48.65 and amassing a meet-best 48.775. The Mountaineers’ 47.825 on the uneven bars proved costly, an event captured by the Tigers with a 48.675.
The show-stopping floor routines performed by WVU produced three season highs including two career highs for Mountaineer gymnasts. Sophomore Tynisha Dennis hit a career-high 9.925 to win the event, while senior Jessica Bartgis scored a season-best 9.9 for second and sophomore Janáe Cox garnered a third-place tying score of 9.875. Sophomore Cheryl Goldenfield nailed a career high with her 9.8.
Dennis notched her second career high of the day when she and Cox tied for fourth on the beam with 9.825s. Cox won the vault by landing a 9.85 just ahead of senior teammate Kari Williams’ second-place tying mark of 9.8.
Bartgis won her seventh meet on the uneven bars this season with a season-high 9.875 and Cox tied a 2005 best with a 9.775. Cox and Bartgis, the two WVU all-arounders, placed first and second at the meet with 39.325 and 39.175. Bartgis tied with Auburn’s Julie Dwyer, the 16th-ranked all-arounder in the country coming into the meet.
Cox and Bartgis are now in a three-way tie in WVU history with TeShawne Jackson with 15 career all-around scores of 39.0 or higher.
WVU returns to action Tuesday at 7 p.m. for its final home meet of the season against Pitt.
