Gymnastics to Open Friday
January 05, 2010 02:18 PM | General
January 5, 2010
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University gymnastics coach Linda Burdette-Good knows success. Having led the Mountaineer program the past 35 seasons and amassing more than 600 wins, Burdette-Good understands the keys to victory – stamina, determination and the will to improve.
The 36th Mountaineer squad Burdette-Good will introduce this Friday at Michigan State boasts 14 letter-winners – including three East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) champions and eight all-EAGL honorees – that went 15-8 last season, finished second at the league championship and fourth at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship. The coach is confident that the 2010 WVU gymnastics team has the necessary tools needed to regain the top spot among the league’s best and progress past the NCAA regional championship. All that is left to do is to take that next step.
“We have to believe in the next step,” Burdette-Good, whose record stands at 612-244-4, said. “We are ready to take it; we just have to believe.
“We have a group of girls on our hands that are peaking later in life, rather than earlier, and they are starting to build confidence in their gymnastics. We have girls that are getting better as they get older, and that is huge.”
The Mountaineers enter the 2010 season ranked No. 21 in the GymInfo Preseason Poll, four spots better than their 2009 season-ending ranking of No. 25. They are the only EAGL team to earn a preseason ranking.
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| Coach Linda Burdette-Good will depend on senior Kiersten Spoerke's experience this season.
WVU Staff photo |
Though WVU lost two 1,000-plus point earners in NCAA Championship participant Mehgan Morris and Erica Watson, several Mountaineers appear poised to replace their points.
“The team’s mentality is different this year, and I like that,” said Burdette-Good. “There isn’t a feeling of defeat, ever. They are all ready and willing to go.
“The coaching staff has seen a commitment early this year. We saw a large majority of the team in the gym during open practice try to get better. They were upgrading their routines before the season started, and that will help us achieve success.”
Among the upperclassmen that return are 11 juniors and seniors that were part of the 2008 EAGL champion team, the program’s sixth title.
Four seniors boast well-credentialed résumés heading into their final season at WVU, including two EAGL titles, seven all-EAGL honors and action in a combined 128 career meets.
“That’s our mantra – you want your seniors to be your best,” explained Burdette-Good. “You want them to keep getting better. That motivates the student-athletes and helps them want to be successful. It makes gymnastics more exciting.”
Tops in the class in career points are Shelly Purkat and Kiersten Spoerke with 691.225 and 567.55 points, respectively.
Spoerke looks to have saved her best season for last, as Burdette-Good believes the Suwanee, Ga., native’s success will have a parallel effect on the team’s success.
“Kiersten has stepped up as a leader in the gym this year,” she said. “She is on a mission to excel as a senior, but I have also seen her help others get through their routines. She has made a real effort to lead, and I think her experience is valuable.”
Spoerke had a breakout junior season, receiving first team all-EAGL beam and floor exercise honors en route to earning 233.35 points. The season-long anchor on beam, Spoerke provided a steadying influence on the Mountaineers’ lineup, scoring less than 9.75 points in only two of the team’s last nine meets, and looks to fulfill the same role this year. She is also making strides on vault and bars, with hopes of breaking into both lineups this season.
Purkat returns for her fourth season after a successful junior campaign in which she earned the EAGL beam title with a 9.875 score; the Edina, Minn., native became the first Mountaineer to win since 2004. A two event specialist, Purkat has earned second team all-EAGL honors on the beam and the floor exercise and looks to figure prominently in both lineups this season.
The stalwart anchor in the Mountaineers’ vault lineup, Chelsi Tabor, one of two WVU reigning EAGL champions in the discipline, boasts a career-high 9.925 score entering her final season. The Beckley, W.Va., native is a two-time first team all-EAGL vault honoree and expects to rank among the nation’s best vaulters this year, having finished the 2009 season ranked No. 29 with an RQS of 9.875.
Rounding out the senior class is two-time team captain Ashley Wilson. A St. Albans, W.Va., native, Wilson is a solid bars contributor. She earned 86.85 points in nine meets last season, including a career-high 9.75 points in the Mountaineers’ victory over Kentucky. Wilson is working on a new vault and hopes to find a spot in that lineup as well.
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| Junior Amy Bieski is expected to eclipse the career 1,000-point plateau this Friday at Michigan State.
WVU Staff photo |
Junior Amy Bieski leads six classmates back in their third season of action.
The Mountaineers’ top returning point earner, Bieski has racked up 969.55 points in two years as an all-arounder; she is poised to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau this Friday in WVU’s season opener at No. 24 Michigan State. The Nanticoke, Pa., native is solid on all four events, evident by her eighth-place finish (38.9 points) at the 2009 Southeast Regional Championship, and exceptional on the vault and floor. Bieski, a two-time first team all-EAGL performer in both disciplines, finished the year ranked 10th in the region on vault (9.845 RQS), 12th on floor (9.85 RQS) and 13th in the all-around (38.96 RQS). As the only returning Mountaineer all-arounder, and one of three team captains, Bieski will be counted on to provide leadership and discipline to the backend of the WVU lineups.
“Amy is a tremendous asset to this team,” said Burdette-Good. “She continues to develop her skill set and I think we are going to see her accomplish even more in the future.”
Following a sophomore season in which she became a solid contributor on the Mountaineers’ floor lineup, Naja Johnson returns to the gym even more powerful than she left.
“Naja really stepped up her effort in the gym over the offseason,” said Burdette-Good. “I would say she is becoming a leader in her gymnastics.”
The Austell, Ga., native upped her productivity last year, earning a permanent spot in the bars and floor lineups when 100 percent healthy. Sporting a 9.8 bars RQS and 9.85 floor RQS, she respectively ranked 18th and 24th in the region. Additionally, she earned her first career all-EAGL honors and was named to the bars first team and floor second team. A powerful gymnast, she is expected to push for a lineup spot on the beam and will continue to develop her vault.
Emily Kerwin, Stephanie Keaton and Jessica Young all look to expand their contributions this season.
Kerwin, a Central, S.C., native, has found a permanent home on the Mountaineers’ vault lineup, having competed on the event in all 26 career meets. A 2009 second team all-EAGL vault honoree, Kerwin looks to improve upon her career-high 9.875 mark achieved last season. Additionally, her offseason work on the bars should add insurance to an already strong WVU lineup.
A Medina, Ohio, native, Keaton is one of the Mountaineers’ most-trusted balance beam returnees. Through 17 career meets, she has earned 170.8 points and has proven clutch in dramatic situations, as was the case when she matched a career-high 9.725 score as a last-second replacement at George Washington last season. Keaton also saw time on the floor last year and has been working on a vault routine for this season.
Young, a bars and floor specialist, returns after seeing action on both apparatuses in nine meets as a sophomore. The Monroe, N.C., native pushed for a spot on the floor lineup throughout the year after making her career debut against Pitt and scoring 9.725. She was solid as a last-second replacement at the NCAA Southeast Regional and scored 9.7 in the leadoff position. With a career-high 9.8 floor score, Young figures to remain in the mix this season.
Alysha Pretzello and Faye Meaden round out the Mountaineer junior class. Pretzello, a Diamondhead, Miss., native, tallied her first career points at George Washington last season as a last-second replacement in the bars lineup. She will serve as one of the team’s three captains this year. Meaden, a Fairfax, Va., native, enters her third season healthy and will be strong on bars and floor.
Tina Maloney highlights a sophomore class, including Nicole Roach and Jenn Sharon, that returns for its second season after gaining valuable experience last year.
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| Sophomore Tina Maloney is one of the Mountaineers' three returning EAGL champions.
WVU Staff photo |
Maloney, a Hanover, Ind., native, found a permanent spot on the Mountaineers’ vault lineup last year and capped off her rookie campaign tying Tabor for the EAGL title with a career-high 9.9 score; she was the first WVU freshman to earn a league title since 2004. Through 12 meets, Maloney, a second team all-EAGL vault honoree, earned 155.65 points. She also saw considerable time on the floor lineup, tallying a season-high 9.7 score in the win over Kentucky, and should figure into the lineup this season as well.
A skillful bars specialist, Roach returns for her second season after competing in all but the Mountaineers’ 2009 opener. The South Lyon, Mich., native scored 106.75 points in 11 meets on her way to earning first team all-EAGL bars honors. Roach also has been working on a beam routine and has the potential to make an impact all the way around the gym.
“Nicole is really improving this year on more than one event,” said Burdette-Good.
Sharon, a native of Virginia Beach, Va., returns after seeing action on the beam in five meets and earning 46.775 points. A naturally graceful gymnast, the experience she gained last season should help her push for a permanent lineup spot this year. Sharon is also working toward time on the bars and floor.
Four freshmen – Hailey Fairchild, Chelsea Goldschrafe, Arlene Hathaway and Alaska Richardson – join the Mountaineer squad this season and possess equal amounts of skill and determination to make an impact this season.
“Every girl in this class should compete in a minimum of at least one event this season,” Burdette-Good said. “This class has been to the national championship and competed at level 10 – that experience will help them contribute immediately as long as they stay healthy.”
The Mountaineers’ 2010 slate includes 11 regular season meets, five at the WVU Coliseum, and features 19 different opponents, including seven that are ranked in the GymInfo preseason poll.
“I’m very excited to start the season, mostly because the team has had a wonderful offseason and a great preseason,” Burdette-Good said. “This team is training hard and is very focused and motivated for the upcoming year.
“We will face some higher-level teams this season, and I think that will help us as the year progresses. This schedule will help the team handle the pressure and the competition that comes with the season-ending championships. I like meeting as many ranked teams as we can.”
WVU will play host to the 2010 NCAA Southeast Regional Championship on April 10. The meet marks the seventh time the Mountaineers have hosted an NCAA regional since 1983. WVU last welcomed a regional to the Coliseum in 2007, when it finished third to UCLA and LSU. The Mountaineers have qualified for 26 NCAA regionals, including 20-straight from 1983-2002.
With 14 returning letterwinners, and an experienced freshman class, the Mountaineers are prepped and ready to take Burdette-Good’s keys to success – stamina, determination and the will to improve – and drive toward a season full of achievement.
