Gymnastics: WVU Travels to UNC
March 12, 2010 01:16 PM | General
March 12, 2010
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| Amy Bieski |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team closes out its regular-season road schedule at North Carolina on Saturday, March 13, at 1 p.m., at Carmichael Auditorium in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Tomorrow’s meeting between the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) foes is the first since the Mountaineers (12-7, 6-0 EAGL) defeated the Tar Heels (8-5, 1-2 EAGL), 194.225-194.125, at the 2009 NCAA Southeast Regional. WVU also defeated UNC, 195.5-194.825, at last season’s EAGL Championship.
WVU and UNC have met 37 times since 1979, and the Mountaineers own a 24-13 series advantage.
“UNC fields a good team every year and is always in the hunt for the league championship,” says 36-year coach Linda Burdette-Good. “They have a nice, new facility and great equipment to compete on. I’m looking forward to this trip.
“We’ve worked hard this week and have had three great days of training. We’ve gotten over the hump of craziness and the team is fully focused on consistency.”
The Mountaineers enter tomorrow’s meet with a regional qualifying score (RQS) advantage on each apparatus. Additionally, WVU is ranked second in the EAGL with a 194.34 RQS, while UNC is fifth with a 193.315 RQS.
In January, WVU went 6-0 against five EAGL opponents in a span of three weeks. The Mountaineers last compiled a perfect record against league opponents in 2008, when they finished the season with a 16-0 record and their sixth EAGL crown. WVU owns a 233-58-3 (.798) all-time record against current league members.
Junior Amy Bieski paces the Mountaineers with a 38.915 RQS, the second-best EAGL mark. UNC senior Christine Nguyen, the two-time reigning EAGL Gymnast of the Year, trails Bieski with a 38.855 all-around RQS.
Bieski’s all-around RQS is the 43rd-best nation mark and is the Mountaineers’ lone individual national ranking.
With five 39.0-plus scores this season, and 12 career marks, Bieski, a Nanticoke, Pa., native, is now tied for seventh place with Dinorh Boyd (2000-03) for the most career 39.0-plus scores. Additionally, Bieski’s career-point total stands at 1,318.725, and she needs 58.525 points to break onto the WVU all-time career points list and tie Susie Pierce (1,377.25 points) for 19th place.
Senior Chelsi Tabor, fresh off a career-best 9.95 vault on March 6, brings a league-best 9.83 vault RQS to tomorrow’s meet. The Beckley, W.Va., native is also having a breakout season on beam and owns a 9.715 RQS, the ninth-best EAGL mark.
Also performing strong as of late is sophomore Tina Maloney. The Hanover, Ind., native has been particularly key in the Mountaineers’ floor lineup, nationally-ranked No. 25 (48.81), and ranks seventh in the EAGL with a 9.795 RQS.
The Mountaineers snapped a 0-4 losing skid with a commanding 194.725-191.55 victory over Bowling Green on March 6. WVU swept the Falcons on each apparatus and scored season-highs on vault (49.125) and beam (48.8).
Following Saturday’s meet, WVU will return home and close out its regular season against Bridgeport on Friday, March 19, at 7 p.m., at the WVU Coliseum.
Fans can follow the Mountaineers tomorrow by clicking HERE for live stats.
