Gymnastics: WVU Takes Third in Season Opener
January 08, 2010 09:24 PM | General
January 8, 2010
MEET RESULTS
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| Naja Johnson |
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The No. 21 West Virginia University gymnastics team tallied 191.225 points and finished third in its season-opening meet at Michigan State this evening at Jenison Field House.
The No. 24 Spartans finished first with 193.925 points, while No. 11 Penn State finished second with 193.9 points. Western Michigan finished fourth with a score of 189.525.
WVU (1-2) finished third on vault (48.325), third on bars (47.725), fourth on beam (46.3) and second on floor (48.875).
“I am not happy with tonight’s overall result,” 36-year coach Linda Burdette-Good said. “I think the team has the talent to do well, but needs to perform better in the future.”
Junior Amy Bieski tallied 38.275 points and finished fifth overall. The Nanticoke, Pa., native eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau this evening, and her career total now stands at 1,007.825.
Bieski’s classmate, Naja Johnson, was the lone Mountaineer to place in the top three this evening, finishing first on bars with 9.85 points.
“I’m very happy with Naja’s performance tonight,” Burdette-Good said. “She competed well under pressure, and I’m excited for her this season.”
The Mountaineers opened the meet strong on floor, scoring 48.875 points and finishing the first rotation on top of the leader board. The Spartans sat next to WVU with a 48.875 showing on vault. The Nittany Lions earned 48.55 points on bars, while the Broncos sat in fourth place with 47.1 points.
Johnson and Bieski were the steadying force behind the Mountaineers’ floor lineup, as each scored 9.825 and finished fourth overall. Sophomore Tina Maloney followed with a career-high score of 9.775, while senior Kiersten Spoerke scored 9.75 points.
WVU maintained its lead through two rotations, scoring 48.325 on vault and pushing its team total to 97.2. The Spartans tallied 47.95 on bars and sat in second with 96.825 points. The Nittany Lions remained in third place with 96.5 points after scoring 47.95 on beam, and the Broncos scored 48.125 on floor to bring their team total to 95.375.
Bieski paced WVU for the second-straight rotation and earned 9.75 points on vault, good enough for seventh place. Senior anchor Chelsi Tabor scored 9.7, and Maloney and freshman Alaska Richardson finished third for the team with matching 9.675 scores.
A 48.5 floor score pushed Penn State’s team total to 145.0 and put the Nittany Lions in first place through three rotations. The Mountaineers slipped to second with 144.925 points following a 47.725 showing on bars. MSU scored 48.05 on beam and sat in third place with 144.875 points, while the Broncos totaled 47.1 on vault for a team total of 142.475.
Johnson, in her new role as the lineup anchor, had a career day on the bars, with the Austell, Ga., native’s winning score of 9.85 matching a high she set as a sophomore. Bieski finished seventh overall with 9.675 points, and sophomore Nicole Roach followed with a 9.6.
The Spartans, with their home crowd behind them in the final rotation, scored 49.05 on floor and solidified their win. The Nittany Lions tallied 48.9 on vault, while the Mountaineers earned 46.3 on beam and the Broncos received 47.05 points on bars.
Spoerke pulled through for the Mountaineers on beam, anchoring the lineup and finishing sixth overall with a solid 9.6 score. Roach tallied 9.525 points in her first career action on the apparatus.
The Mountaineers remain on the road next week and open their East Atlantic Gymnastics League schedule at Pitt with Kent State on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House.
