Gymnastics: WVU Takes Second at EAGLs
March 21, 2009 07:25 PM | General
March 21, 2009
| NC State 195.700 West Virginia 195.500 North Carolina 194.825 Pitt 194.675 New Hampshire 194.650 Maryland 194.525 George Washington 193.050 Rutgers 189.125 EAGL Championships reynolds coliseum raleigh, n.c. |
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Meet Results |
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| Stat Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Vault | 49.075 | 49.275 | 49.050 | 49.000 | ||||||||||||||
| Bars | 49.175 | 48.725 | 48.900 | 48.875 | ||||||||||||||
| Beam | 48.550 | 48.775 | 48.950 | 48.500 | ||||||||||||||
| Floor | 48.900 | 48.725 | 47.925 | 48.300 | ||||||||||||||
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| Vault | 48.700 | 48.925 | 48.400 | 48.250 | ||||||||||||||
| Bars | 48.925 | 48.000 | 48.400 | 45.375 | ||||||||||||||
| Beam | 48.475 | 48.975 | 47.775 | 47.450 | ||||||||||||||
| Floor | 48.550 | 48.625 | 48.475 | 48.050 | ||||||||||||||
| Top WVU Gymnasts | ||||||||||||||||||
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RALEIGH, N.C. – The No. 20 West Virginia University gymnastics team matched a program best six individual wins and finished second overall with 195.500 points at the 2009 East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Championship this evening at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C.
Host NC State finished first with 195.700 points, while North Carolina took third with 194.825 points.
The Mountaineers (15-8 overall, 10-2 EAGL), the 2008 league champions, secured a first-place finish on each event tonight for six total wins. Only the 1998 WVU squad earned as many wins, with no other team taking for than three titles at any of the previous championships.
Mehgan Morris, the 2009 EAGL Outstanding Senior of the Year, led the way with three wins, finishing first overall with 39.300 points. The Belle, W.Va., native is the first Mountaineer to win the league’s all-around crown since Janáe Cox did so in 2005. Additionally, Morris is only the second Mountaineer to earn three conference titles at one championship, as Umme Salim also won three events in 1998.
Morris successfully defended both her bars and floor titles, as she earned 9.85 points on each event. Morris stood alone at the top on the floor, and tied with NC State’s Lauren Deuser and Brittany Vontz, and Pitt’s Alix Croop, on the bars.
Junior Shelly Purkat tied with Maryland’s Abbey Adams and New Hampshire’s Chelsea Steinberg for first on the balance beam with 9.875 points. The win is the first league title for the Edina, Minn., native, and the program’s first since Cox finished first in 2005.
Junior Chelsi Tabor and freshman Tina Maloney tied for first overall on the vault with matching 9.90s. The duo is the second WVU pair to tie for the EAGL vault title, as Jessica Bartgis and Cox did so in 2004. Those wins were the last for WVU until tonight.
WVU entered the final rotation in third place (146.225 points) behind UNC (146.900 points) and NC State (146.525 points), but with a season-best 49.275 vault showing, the Mountaineers were able to surpass the Tar Heels for the second-place finish.
Maloney and Tabor respectively opened and closed the Mountaineers’ vault rotation with their winning 9.90 vaults. Sophomore Amy Bieski finished tied for third overall with 9.875 points. WVU’s three additional vaulters – Morris, senior Erica Watson and sophomore Emily Kerwin – each scored 9.80s.
The Mountaineers sat in second place through their first rotation, scoring 48.725 points on bars.
Dependable all year, Morris paced the team with her winning score. Watson preceded Morris and nabbed 9.75 points, while junior Ashley Wilson totaled 9.725 points, her second-best score of the season. Sophomore Naja Johnson and freshman Nicole Roach each scored 9.70.
WVU maintained pace with the Tar Heels and the Wolfpack through two rotations, earning its second best beam score of the season and totaling 48.775 points.
Purkat and senior Heather Izer fueled the Mountaineers’ beam rotation, each earning season- and career-high scores. Izer was perfect in the leadoff position, nabbing 9.80 points. Purkat followed and totaled 9.875 points. Morris matched Izer's score, her second 9.80 of the season.
Following a 48.725 showing on the floor, the Mountaineers fell to third place through three rotations.
Morris looked strong in her second event as the WVU anchor, scoring 9.85 points. Bieski finished second on the team with 9.775 points, while junior Kiersten Spoerke earned a 9.725 and Watson totaled 9.70 points.
Pitt finished fourth with 194.675 points. New Hampshire was fifth (194.650), while Maryland followed in sixth (194.525), George Washington was seventh (193.050) and Rutgers finished in eighth (189.125).
West Virginia must now await its NCAA Regional seeding and site location to be announced next week. The Mountaineers have qualified for regional competition in 30 of the last 31 years.
