Gymnastics: Morris, Four Others Earn EAGL Awards
March 24, 2006 06:13 PM | General
March 24, 2006
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PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Five West Virginia University gymnasts were honored during Friday night’s East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) awards dinner held at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Piscataway, N.J.
The awards dinner precedes the EAGL Championships which will be held at the Louis Brown Athletic Center on the campus of Rutgers University on Saturday, March 25, at 6 p.m.
Freshman Mehgan Morris became the school’s second gymnast in 11 years of affiliation with the league to be named EAGL Rookie of the Year. Morris joins junior teammate Janáe Cox, honored in 2004, as the only two Mountaineers to earn the rookie award.
Morris, an unprecedented five-time recipient of the league’s rookie of the week award, is the EAGL’s top-ranked gymnast on the uneven bars with a 9.87 regional qualifying score (RQS), which also ranks 20th nationally. Morris’ freshman campaign includes six wins on bars and four scores of at least 9.9, including a career-high 9.925 in her last meet on March 18 at the WVU Coliseum.
The Belle, W.Va., native was also named first-team all-EAGL on the uneven bars and second team all-EAGL on the floor exercise. Morris is tied for fifth in the league on the floor with a 9.855 regional qualifying score.
Cox took home first-team all-EAGL honors on all four events and the all-around. She joined EAGL Gymnast of the Year Courtney Bumpers from North Carolina as the only two gymnasts to accomplish this feat this year. Cox is ranked second in the league in the all-around with a 39.135 regional qualifying score behind Bumpers and is also second on bars (9.85 RQS), fourth on beam (9.756 RQS) and fifth on floor (9.855).
This marks Cox’s second first-team nod on vault and bars and her third on beam, floor, and in the all-around.
Three other WVU gymnasts were recognized on all-EAGL teams. Sophomore Jaime Gold was named first-team all-EAGL on the vault for the first time in her career after receiving a second-team selection last year. Gold leads the team with a 9.82 RQS on the vault and has won four meets on vault this year, including a career high of 9.875 set twice.
Junior Cheryl Goldenfield earned two second-team laurels on balance beam and the floor exercise. Goldenfield, a first-team pick on beam last year, ranks second on the team with a beam RQS of 9.725 and fourth on floor with a 9.705.
Freshman Erica Watson collected second-team honors on vault and uneven bars. Watson is third on the team with a 9.77 vault RQS and third on bars with a 9.78. Watson has won the last three meets of the season on vault including a career-high 9.85.
West Virginia, ranked No. 22 in the NCAA, is the top-ranked team in the EAGL and seeks its sixth league championship on Saturday and its first since 2004.
