Gymnastics: WVU Opens at Georgia
January 08, 2009 10:45 AM | General
January 8, 2009
WVU at Georgia Game Notes
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| Mehgan Morris |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 23 West Virginia University gymnastics team opens its 2009 season at No. 1 Georgia on Friday, Jan. 9, at 7:30 p.m., at Stegeman Coliseum.
This is the sixth meeting between the Mountaineers and the Bulldogs, with UGA owning a 5-0 series advantage.
Entering her 35th season at the helm of the Mountaineers, Coach Linda Burdette returns 14 letterwinners from a 2008 squad that went 23-8 overall, won the program’s sixth EAGL Championship, the first since 2004, and finished fourth at the NCAA Southeast Regional, the team’s 25th appearance at the NCAA regional level.
Senior Mehgan Morris, a two-time EAGL champion, returns as the Mountaineers’ top all-arounder. The Belle, W.Va., native is coming off a fantastic season in which she won both the balance beam and floor exercise league titles. Morris competed in 14 meets last season, 12 as an all-arounder, and earned 515.575 points, the 10th best season point total in program history.
Sophomore Amy Bieski returns after a fantastic freshman season in which she earned First Team All-EAGL honors for all-around and floor exercise, and second team recognition for vault and uneven bars. Bieski, a five-time EAGL Rookie of the Week honoree, totaled 513.4 points, the program’s 11th-best mark, in 14 meets last season, 11 of which she participated as an all-arounder.
Senior Erica Watson joins Morris as a steadying influence on the WVU lineup. The Levittown, Pa., native, finished the 2008 season strong, competing in eight meets as an all-arounder and earning First Team All-EAGL on the uneven bars.
Juniors Shelly Purkat and Kiersten Spoerke, both exceptionally strong on the balance beam and floor, will be featured in those lineups, while classmate Chelsi Tabor, arguably the EAGL’s best vaulter, will anchor the event.
Sophomores Naja Johnson, Stephanie Keaton and Jessica Young should see time in the lineups this season, and freshmen Tina Maloney, Nicole Roach and Jenn Sharon are expected to contribute immediately.
Georgia is coming off its fourth-straight NCAA Championship. The Bulldogs have won nine overall national titles.
