WVU Sweeps All Events in Win
March 10, 2006 10:19 PM | General
March 10, 2006
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| Richter |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The 23rd-ranked West Virginia University gymnastics team won its fourth home meet of the season with a team score of 194.45 by defeating California (191.0) and Pittsburgh (188.7) Friday night at the WVU Coliseum.
The Mountaineers (15-6) picked up two wins with the performance, finished with the meet’s highest team scores on all four events, and had a gymnast win all four individual events and the all-around.
“This could’ve been a close meet,” said WVU coach Linda Burdette. “With this being the third meet of the week we did really well. We pulled together even when we had some lower scores. I’m proud of the girls. They were pretty consistent.”
Only one WVU gymnast was able to set a season high, but the Mountaineers were able to compile their fourth-highest team score in 10 meets this season.
Junior Janáe Cox won her fifth all-around competition of the season (fourth at home) with a score of 39.05.
Event winners included Cox capturing the floor exercise with a 9.875 and the vault with a 9.75. Cox shared the top honors on vault with freshman teammate Erica Watson and Pitt’s April Pearson.
Senior Gretchen Richter won her second balance beam title of the season with a 9.8, while freshman Meghan Morris won her fifth meet on the uneven bars with a 9.85.
West Virginia began the meet with a first-rotation score of 48.55 on the vault. In addition to Cox’s and Watson’s first-place 9.75, junior Tynisha Dennis tied a season high of 9.7 for fifth place and became the only WVU gymnast to reach a season high on Friday.
The Mountaineers swung a 48.675 on the uneven bars. Watson tied for third on the event with a 9.8 in addition to Morris’s first-place 9.85.
In the third rotation, WVU scored a 48.324 on the balance beam, as junior Amie Bouchier (9.725) and Cox (9.7) placed second and third behind Richter’s meet-high 9.8. Bouchier’s sum was tied for her second-highest of the season.
West Virginia closed the meet with a 48.9 on floor, its second-highest of the season behind a 49.2 set Feb. 5 at home. Morris and Watson placed second and third, respectively, with scores of 9.85 and 9.775 behind Cox’s 9.875.
The Mountaineers return to action for their final home meet of the season when they host Rutgers and Temple on Saturday, March 18, at the WVU Coliseum beginning at 1 p.m.
