Gymnastics: WVU Finishes Third at Oklahoma
February 20, 2009 10:40 PM | General
February 20, 2009
MEET RESULTS
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| Mehgan Morris |
NORMAN, Okla. – The No. 18 West Virginia University gymnastics team continued its streak of 195.000-plus scores, totaling 195.250 points for a third-place finish this evening at Oklahoma’s quad meet.
The No. 11 Sooners finished first overall with 196.375 points, while No. 13 Missouri took second place with 196.225 points. Brown finished fourth with 185.950 points.
The point total matches the 45th-best score in program history. The Mountaineers (7-6 overall, 4-1 EAGL) finished third (49.025 points) on vault, second (48.825) on bars, third (48.625) on beam and third (48.775) on floor.
Needing only 28.175 points to break into WVU’s career point list, senior Mehgan Morris achieved the mark, earning 39.175 points this evening for a third place all-around finish. The score is the second consecutive 39.000-plus point total for Morris. Through 46 career meets, the Belle, W.Va., native owns 1,388.350 points for 18th place.
The Mountaineers opened on the beam, and for the third-straight week, did not count a fall, combining for 48.625 points. The score matches the team’s second best point total of the season, first achieved last Sunday against Temple. WVU sat in third place after the opening rotation, as the Sooners totaled 49.250 points on vault, and the Tigers nabbed 49.000 points on bars. The Bears opened in fourth place with 46.400 on the floor.
Junior Shelly Purkat paced the team on the beam with 9.800 points for a sixth-place finish. Classmate Kiersten Spoerke finished behind Purkat with 9.750 points, while Morris totaled 9.725 points.
WVU maintained pace with OU and Mizzou through two rotations, scoring 48.775 on the floor for a 97.400 running score. The Sooners remained first, nabbing 48.750 points on the bars for 98.000 total points, while the Tigers took 48.950 on beam for 97.850 points. Brown remained in fourth place, earning 47.650 points on vault for a 94.050 running score.
Morris continued to set the standard for the Mountaineers on the floor, totaling 9.800 points for the top team and eighth-best score. Spoerke and sophomore Naja Johnson finished behind Morris, each earning 9.775 points.
The teams remained in the same positions through three rotations – OU in first with 147.075 points, Mizzou second place with 147.000 points, WVU in third place with 146.425 points and Brown fourth with 139.325 points.
WVU totaled 49.025 points on the vault in the third rotation. The point total, the third best of the season, was comprised of four 9.800-plus scores and one career-best mark. The Sooners earned 49.075 points on the beam in the third, while the Tigers finished with 49.050 points on the floor. The Bears completed their third rotation with 45.275 points on the bars.
Junior Chelsi Tabor remained unflappable on the vault, totaling a team best 9.850 points. Tabor’s score tied for fourth on the event. Bieski finished second on the team with 9.825 points, while Morris and sophomore Emily Kerwin vaulted to 9.800s. The point total is a career-high for Morris, her second straight career-high mark, as she earned 9.775 points in the win over Temple.
The Mountaineers finished the evening strong, earning 48.825 points on the bars, the team’s second-best score of the season. OU finished the night with a 49.300 on the floor, while Mizzou finished with 49.225 points on the vault. Brown completed competition with 46.625 points on the beam.
Morris finished second overall on the bars, matching a season-high score of 9.850 points. Johnson finished second with 9.800 points, matching a week old season-best score, while Bieski took third with 9.775 points.
The Mountaineers return home to the WVU Coliseum next Sunday, March 1, to host Kentucky at 2 p.m.
