Gymnastics: No. 23 WVU Travels to New Hampshire
February 24, 2012 09:00 AM | General
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Hoping to keep its perfect East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) record intact, the No. 23-ranked West Virginia University gymnastics team competes at New Hampshire on Feb. 25, at 7 p.m., inside Lundholm Gymnasium.
The Mountaineers (10-3, 5-0 EAGL) enter the meet on a winning streak, having picked up three victories at Maryland, on Feb. 18. WVU scored 194.8, a season-best road mark, and trumped the Terrapins (194.55) and Rutgers (191.7), both EAGL opponents, and William & Mary (191.175).
WVU and No. 19 NC State are the only two EAGL schools with perfect records; UNH suffered its first loss with a 195.7-193.9 defeat against the Wolfpack, in Raleigh, N.C., on Feb. 17.
“Although the team is very aware that it owns a perfect league record, everyone is still looking to improve this weekend and get some great road scores,” says first-year coach Jason Butts. “The team is putting pressure on itself, and I have felt it in the gym this week. I think it’s good – this is the first time I have felt that pressure prior to a road meet. I think they’re going to be aggressive.
“I think that this team has realized that it’s a 196.0 team. They are determined to overcome any obstacle that is thrown their way and prove themselves. I hope that attitude and swagger is evident tomorrow night.”
Tomorrow’s meet, the Mountaineers’ final against a league foe, marks the first time WVU has competed inside the Wildcats’ (8-2, 2-1 EAGL) home arena since finishing third at the 2010 EAGL Championship with a 195.075 score; UNH placed fourth with 194.7 points.
WVU went 1-1 against UNH last year, defeating the Wildcats, 195.225-194.4, in a quad-meet with Florida (196.875) and George Washington (193.05), in Morgantown, and losing, 195.175-193.725, at the league championship, in Washington, D.C.; UNH finished second, while WVU placed fourth.
The Mountaineers lead the all-time series, 25-8.
WVU enters the meet nationally ranked on vault (No. 23), beam (No. 22) and floor (No. 23); the squad has not ranked below No. 25 in those three events this season.
A pair of Mountaineers are nationally ranked in the all-around. Sophomore Hope Sloanhoffer, the EAGL co-Gymnast of the Week, checks in at No. 31, and junior Kaylyn Millick owns the No. 49 spot. Sloanhoffer, a native of Cornwall, N.Y., has held the league’s top all-around ranking each week this season.
Despite its exclusion from the national rankings, the Mountaineers’ bars lineup continues to improve, as the squad is coming off back-to-back, season-best performances, including a 49.175 score at UMD; WVU is the only EAGL team to tally 49.0-plus on bars this season. The Mountaineers have now scored 49.0-plus on each event at least once this year.
All six competing Mountaineers scored 9.75 or better on bars last week, with Millick winning the event with personal-best score of 9.9. Sloanhoffer and sophomore Erica Smith tied for second place with 9.85s, career highs for both gymnasts, while senior Nicole Roach tallied 9.8 and freshman Dayah Haley notched a career-best 9.775. Though her score was dropped, senior Tina Maloney hit for a career-best 9.75.
“I want to see this team attack bars again this week,” explains Butts. “We start on bars tomorrow night, and I’m looking for that lineup to set the tone for the whole meet. I know we’re still not where we need to be, and we need to come out of the gates ready to fight.”
The Wildcats, ranked third in the EAGL, produced several highlights in their loss at NCSU, including sophomore Jillian Hudson’s career-best 9.85 vault mark, good enough for second place. Junior Austyn Fobes sets the benchmark for UNH on bars, beam and floor and scored a season-high 9.85 on bars last week. The Wildcats’ loss stopped their seven-meet win streak.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Hoping to keep its perfect East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) record intact, the No. 23-ranked West Virginia University gymnastics team competes at New Hampshire on Feb. 25, at 7 p.m., inside Lundholm Gymnasium.
The Mountaineers (10-3, 5-0 EAGL) enter the meet on a winning streak, having picked up three victories at Maryland, on Feb. 18. WVU scored 194.8, a season-best road mark, and trumped the Terrapins (194.55) and Rutgers (191.7), both EAGL opponents, and William & Mary (191.175).
WVU and No. 19 NC State are the only two EAGL schools with perfect records; UNH suffered its first loss with a 195.7-193.9 defeat against the Wolfpack, in Raleigh, N.C., on Feb. 17.
“Although the team is very aware that it owns a perfect league record, everyone is still looking to improve this weekend and get some great road scores,” says first-year coach Jason Butts. “The team is putting pressure on itself, and I have felt it in the gym this week. I think it’s good – this is the first time I have felt that pressure prior to a road meet. I think they’re going to be aggressive.
“I think that this team has realized that it’s a 196.0 team. They are determined to overcome any obstacle that is thrown their way and prove themselves. I hope that attitude and swagger is evident tomorrow night.”
Tomorrow’s meet, the Mountaineers’ final against a league foe, marks the first time WVU has competed inside the Wildcats’ (8-2, 2-1 EAGL) home arena since finishing third at the 2010 EAGL Championship with a 195.075 score; UNH placed fourth with 194.7 points.
WVU went 1-1 against UNH last year, defeating the Wildcats, 195.225-194.4, in a quad-meet with Florida (196.875) and George Washington (193.05), in Morgantown, and losing, 195.175-193.725, at the league championship, in Washington, D.C.; UNH finished second, while WVU placed fourth.
The Mountaineers lead the all-time series, 25-8.
WVU enters the meet nationally ranked on vault (No. 23), beam (No. 22) and floor (No. 23); the squad has not ranked below No. 25 in those three events this season.
A pair of Mountaineers are nationally ranked in the all-around. Sophomore Hope Sloanhoffer, the EAGL co-Gymnast of the Week, checks in at No. 31, and junior Kaylyn Millick owns the No. 49 spot. Sloanhoffer, a native of Cornwall, N.Y., has held the league’s top all-around ranking each week this season.
Despite its exclusion from the national rankings, the Mountaineers’ bars lineup continues to improve, as the squad is coming off back-to-back, season-best performances, including a 49.175 score at UMD; WVU is the only EAGL team to tally 49.0-plus on bars this season. The Mountaineers have now scored 49.0-plus on each event at least once this year.
All six competing Mountaineers scored 9.75 or better on bars last week, with Millick winning the event with personal-best score of 9.9. Sloanhoffer and sophomore Erica Smith tied for second place with 9.85s, career highs for both gymnasts, while senior Nicole Roach tallied 9.8 and freshman Dayah Haley notched a career-best 9.775. Though her score was dropped, senior Tina Maloney hit for a career-best 9.75.
“I want to see this team attack bars again this week,” explains Butts. “We start on bars tomorrow night, and I’m looking for that lineup to set the tone for the whole meet. I know we’re still not where we need to be, and we need to come out of the gates ready to fight.”
The Wildcats, ranked third in the EAGL, produced several highlights in their loss at NCSU, including sophomore Jillian Hudson’s career-best 9.85 vault mark, good enough for second place. Junior Austyn Fobes sets the benchmark for UNH on bars, beam and floor and scored a season-high 9.85 on bars last week. The Wildcats’ loss stopped their seven-meet win streak.
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