Gymnastics: WVU Sets Season High on Bars
March 09, 2007 10:07 PM | General
March 9, 2007
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| Jaime Gold |
FAYETTEVILE, Ark. – The No. 23 WVU gymnastics team set new road season highs on the vault and bars as it placed second with 194.300 points in a quad meet at No. 11 Arkansas on Friday night at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
“We had a lot of good things happen tonight and had some individual performances that were very impressive,” head coach Linda Burdette said. “But what we have to work on is when we have a mistake that we don’t put extra pressure on ourselves. We are very talented and have a lot of depth on this team; we just have hit our routines to compete with the best in the country.”
Arkansas took home the team title with 196.250 points. EAGL rivals Pitt (193.350) and New Hampshire (192.650) finished third and fourth, respectively.
West Virginia (18-8, 10-1 EAGL) opened the meet on the uneven bars. For the second week in a row, WVU set a new season high in the event by compiling 49.075 points to gain a narrow lead over the Razorbacks 49.075-48.975 through the first rotation.
All six WVU bar competitors hit their respective routines. Senior Janáe Cox led the quickstart Mountaineers with a season high 9.9 to tie for the individual title. Cox was joined by three other Mountaineers who either set season or career highs: Jaime Gold (9.775), Katie McGregor (9.725) and Kara Weaver (9.775). Mehgan Morris scored 9.875 on bars to round out the event.
On the second apparatus, WVU had top individual performances on beam from freshman Shelly Purkat (9.825) and senior Amie Bouchier (9.8). Senior Tynisha Dennis also tallied her highest beam score of the year at 9.775 as WVU scored 47.375 points.
The Mountaineers rebounded on floor to put up 48.750 points. Cox, Dennis and Morris all scored 9.8s and above to highlight West Virginia’s effort.
WVU finished up strong on vault as usual, earning a season high road score of 49.100. Dennis led off with a 9.85 before Chelsi Tabor, who has been out of the lineup since the first competition due to injury, followed with a career high 9.775. Erica Watson added a 9.775 before Cox and Gold finished the competition with a 9.825 and 9.875, respectively. Gold’s score claimed the individual title.
West Virginia returns home on Saturday, March 17, at 1 p.m., to host Rutgers, Temple and Yale on senior day at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown.
