Gymnastics: WVU Welcomes Ohio State for Pink Meet
February 11, 2010 04:42 PM | General
February 11, 2010
Meet Notes
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| Amy Bieski |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team continues its home stand and welcomes Ohio State on Friday, Feb. 12, at 8 p.m. at the WVU Coliseum. The contest is a designated Pink Meet, and fans are encouraged to wear pink to promote breast cancer awareness.
The meeting is the 25th all-time between the Mountaineers (10-3, 6-0 EAGL) and the Buckeyes (1-4, 0-2 Big Ten), with OSU owning a 14-10 series advantage, including a 194.775-194.025 victory in 2008, the last meeting between the two squads.
Friday’s meet will be the sixth of the season for both teams; WVU enters the contest with a slight advantage, averaging 193.345 points per meet, while OSU averages 192.47. Additionally, the contest marks the Mountaineers’ first dual-meet of 2010. WVU went 5-2 in dual meets last season.
“The team is prepared for this meet,” says 36-year coach Linda Burdette-Good. “We put a lot of work into our landings this week in practice and I am anticipating improvement tomorrow.
“Any time we compete at the Coliseum, the team really feeds off of the crowd. I’m hoping we have a strong showing from our fans tomorrow night, especially for our Pink Meet.”
The Mountaineers’ floor lineup continues to earn national recognition and is ranked No. 17 this week with a 48.755 average.
Junior Amy Bieski paces the floor lineup with a 9.805 average and is ranked 45th in the nation. The Nanticoke, Pa., native also owns three regional rankings, including a No. 7 rank on floor and a No. 9 (38.655) all-around rank. She is also tied for 16th on vault (9.765).
Senior Chelsi Tabor and junior Alysha Pretzello are also regionally ranked in the top 10 on vault (No. 10, 9.8) and bars (No. 10, 9.725), respectively.
The Mountaineers enter Friday’s meet after scoring 194.475 in a home tri-meet on Feb. 5. WVU lost to then-No. 15 Michigan (196.4) and defeated William & Mary (187.725). The loss to the Wolverines was WVU’s first since opening the season 1-2 on Jan. 8 at Michigan State. Additionally, the defeat snapped a two-meet win-streak over ranked opponents.
WVU finished second to UM on each event, scoring 48.725 on vault, 48.55 on bars, 48.475 on beam and 48.725 on floor.
Bieski was the lone Mountaineer to reach the podium last week, as she finished second overall with 39.025 points and tied for second on floor with a season-best 9.825. She now owns nine career 39.0-plus scores and ranks 10th all-time in program history.
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| Shelly Purkat |
Tabor and classmate Shelly Purkat nabbed season-bests on beam and tied for fifth place with 9.8 scores; the mark was also a career-best for Tabor. The duo’s on-spot performances helped lead the Mountaineers’ to their season-best beam score.
Pretzello tied for sixth place on bars with classmate Faye Meaden, as each tallied a career-best 9.75. Meaden also scored 9.675 on floor. For her efforts, the Fairfax, Va., native was named East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) co-Rookie of the Week.
Fans can follow the Mountaineers Friday by watching a live stream at www.MSNsportsNET.com or by clicking HERE for live stats.
