Gymnastics: No. 20 WVU Defeats No. 21 Iowa State
March 13, 2009 10:47 PM | General
March 13, 2009
Complete Meet Results
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| Mehgan Morris |
AMES, IOWA – The No. 20 West Virginia University gymnastics team earned a narrow 194.925-194.900 victory over No. 21 Iowa State in its regular season finale this evening at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
The victory is the first for the Mountaineers (9-7 overall, 4-1 EAGL) over the Cyclones (1-10 overall, 0-4 Big 12); the series is now tied at 1-1.
Senior Mehgan Morris finished first overall for the third-consecutive week. The Belle, W.Va., native earned 39.175 points, 0.25 points ahead of second-place finisher, ISU’s Jasmine Thompson.
WVU and ISU each earned two victories, as the Mountaineers won the vault (48.975-48.450) and the beam (48.250-47.900), and the Cyclones took the bars (49.325-48.925) and the floor (49.225-48.775).
The Mountaineers raced out to the early lead, scoring 48.925 on the bars to the Cyclones’ 48.450 on the vault.
Morris scored her second consecutive 9.90-plus score and tied ISU’s Ceilia Maccani for first place with 9.90 points. Senior Erica Watson finished second on the team and matched a season-high with 9.825 points, while freshman Nicole Roach totaled the squad’s third-best score with 9.775 points.
WVU maintained its lead through two rotations, though ISU gained ground, 97.900-97.775. The Cyclones ended the rotation with 49.325 points on the bars, while WVU earned 48.975 on the vault.
The Mountaineers finished with the top three scores on the vault, as junior Chelsi Tabor and sophomore Amy Bieski tied for first with 9.825s. The win is Tabor’s sixth this season. Freshman Tina Maloney finished third with 9.800 points, and Morris tied for fourth with 9.775 points.
WVU regained its commanding lead in the third rotation, scoring 48.775 points on the floor and pushing ahead, 146.675-145.675. The Cyclones concluded the rotation with 47.900 points on the beam.
Morris anchored the Mountaineers’ lineup and finished first on the team, tied for second overall, with 9.850 points. Junior Shelly Purkat and sophomore Naja Johnson preceded Morris’ routine with matching 9.800s, while Purkat’s classmate, Kiersten Spoerke, finished third on the team with a 9.750 score.
Though the Cyclones outscored the Mountaineers in the fourth rotation, 49.225 on floor to 48.250 on beam, WVU scored just enough to hold on for the win.
Spoerke was clutch in the Mountaineers’ final performance of the evening, earning 9.750 points and finishing tied with ISU’s Ashley Kent for first place on the beam. Purkat finished second on the team, tied for fourth overall, with 9.675 points. Bieski and Morris earned a pair of 9.650s and finished tied for sixth overall.
The Mountaineers now embark on defending their sixth EAGL title, as they travel to the 2009 EAGL Championships this week in Raleigh, N.C. The meet, hosted by NC State on Saturday, March 21, begins at 3 p.m.
