Gymnastics: WVU Drops to No. 25
January 11, 2010 01:31 PM | General
January 11, 2010
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| Naja Johnson |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following a 1-2 season-opening showing at Michigan State, the West Virginia University gymnastics team is ranked No. 25 in the GymInfo Poll.
The Mountaineers fell four spots from their preseason rank of No. 21 after scoring 191.225 in East Lansing, Mich., on Jan. 8. The Spartans (193.925) and Penn State (193.9), respectively ranked No. 24 and No. 11 last week, defeated WVU, while the Mountaineers earned a win over Western Michigan (189.525).
WVU is ranked 12th nationally on floor and 24th on vault. Junior Naja Johnson is the lone Mountaineer to earn a national ranking. The Austell, Ga., native ranks ninth on bars after placing first on the apparatus at MSU with a career-high 9.85 score.
Regionally, the Mountaineers are ranked third overall. The team is ranked second on floor, third on vault and bars and fourth on beam.
Six Mountaineers are individually ranked in the region’s top 15. Johnson is tops in the southeast region with the No. 1 bars ranking, and is tied with classmate Amy Bieski with a No. 3 floor ranking.
Bieski holds the most regional rankings of any Mountaineer. The Nanticoke, Pa., native is also ranked No. 3 all-around, No. 9 on bars and No. 13 on vault.
Sophomore Nicole Roach and senior Kiersten Spoerke own two regional rankings each. Roach is ranked No. 14 on bars and beam, while Spoerke is No. 10 on floor and No. 13 on beam.
Sophomore Tina Maloney and junior Stephanie Keaton are regionally ranked No. 8 and No. 15, respectively, on floor.
The Mountaineers rank No. 1 overall in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL). The team is also No. 1 on bars and floor, No. 2 on vault and No. 4 on beam.
Johnson and Bieski own two No. 1 conference rankings. The duo is tied at the top on floor, while Johnson is No. 1 on bars and Bieski is No. 1 all-around. Bieski also ranks No. 3 on bars and No. 5 on vault.
Spoerke and Maloney round out the Mountaineers’ conference rankings and respectively check in at No. 4 on beam and No. 5 on floor.
The GymInfo Poll rankings are determined by high score for the first week of the season. For the first month of the season, average team scores determine the rankings, then regional qualifying scores (RQS) are used.
The Mountaineers continue their season-opening road trip at Pitt with Kent State on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House.
