Gymnastics: WVU Opens '08 Season in Cancun
January 03, 2008 01:42 PM | General
January 3, 2008
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| Mehgan Morris |
CANCUN, Mexico – The No. 22 West Virginia University gymnastics team will open the 2008 season Friday, Jan. 4, at the fifth annual Cancun Classic at the Hilton Hotel in Cancun, Mexico.
The meet will feature eight teams, four of which are ranked in the GymInfo preseason coaches’ poll. Teams competing include: No. 15 Denver, No. 10 LSU, Iowa, Minnesota, No. 8 Oklahoma, Texas Woman’s University, Wisconsin-Whitewater and the 22-ranked Mountaineers.
The eight teams will be split into two sessions. WVU will compete in session IV in rotation with Iowa, Oklahoma and Wisconsin-Whitewater at 7:45 p.m.
West Virginia coach Linda Burdette returns 12 lettermen and enters her 34th season at the helm of the gymnastics program. The team is coming off a 28-9 season a year ago, which tied for the most wins in school history. The Mountaineers will be looking to replace the loss of key gymnasts Janáe Cox and Tynisha Dennis to graduation.
Senior Jaime Gold, a two-time first team all-EAGL vaulter, will again be the anchor of the vault lineup in 2008. Gold competed on vault, bars and floor in all 13 meets last year and posted 9.8s or better on vault in 12 of those competitions.
First team all-EAGL bars selection Mehgan Morris enters her junior year as the top EAGL gymnast on the uneven bars. Morris, a former EAGL Rookie of the Year, ranked sixth in the Southeast Region in the event and posted four 9.9s through her sophomore season. The Belle, W.Va., native also competed in all 13 meets on floor, ranking 15th in the region.
Veterans Katie McGregor and Kara Weaver will also be featured in event lineups. McGregor was strong on bars and floor in 2007 while Weaver will also likely be on the uneven bars as well as the balance beam. Sophomores Shelly Purkat and Kiersten Spoerke should be in the mix as well.
Amy Bieski leads a group of seven freshmen vying for lineup positions. Bieski, a freshman from Nanticoke, Pa., may be versatile enough to perform as an all-arounder in her rookie season.
