Gym Blog: Doggette Ready to Go Home
January 15, 2015 03:57 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Safe to say, 2014 was a long season for West Virginia University sophomore gymnast Brooklyn Doggette.
Plagued by lingering injuries that she suffered throughout her time at Buckeye Gymnastics Club, the Pickerington, Ohio, native did not see competitive action as a freshman. Instead, she rehabbed her injuries and made do as an alternate on balance beam.
Those struggles are now a thing of the past, as the Mountaineer legacy – the daughter of Cecil, a former WVU football defensive back (1990-91), and Becky, a Mountaineer gymnast (1993-94) – made her career debut at Maryland on January 9 and competed on beam and uneven bars. Now, in just her second week of competition, Doggette gets to show off her talent in front of a supportive home crowd, as the Mountaineers travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a tri-meet with the No. 15 Buckeyes and No. 5 Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 4 p.m., at St. John Arena.
“I’m so ready – it’s going to be great contributing for the Mountaineers in my hometown,” she said. “My club gym is going to be there. I know a lot of them are Buckeye fans, but it’s going to be great to see them cheer for my teammates and me, too.”
Given her lineage, Doggette did not frequent many OSU gymnastics meets as a youth. Fourth-year Mountaineer coach Jason Butts recalls one of Doggette’s few trips into Buckeye territory.
“One of my most distinct memories of Brooklyn was seeing her in the stands in her WVU sweatshirt the last time we competed in Columbus in 2011,” said Butts. “Saturday will be a full-circle experience for her. The last time WVU was there, she was cheering us on, and this time, she gets to contribute toward the team’s score in front of her family and friends.
“I think it’s always neat to see a gymnast compete in front of a hometown crowd – they always seem to turn it up a notch and put on a good show. I think Brooklyn will handle the pressure well.”
Doggette’s excitement for her return to Columbus pales in comparison to her eagerness for her first meet in front of a Mountaineer crowd in Morgantown.
“It’s going to be the most incredible feeling in the world,” Doggette said of her WVU Coliseum debut, set for the team’s 2015 home opener on January 25. “I’ve dreamt about the day since I was (a young child). It’s going to be amazing hearing all the Mountaineer fans cheer me on.”
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Seven Mountaineers debuted 10 routines in the team’s season opener at Maryland last Friday, including five routines from freshmen Robyn Bernard, Amanda Bowman and Zaakira Muhammad.
Butts was excited about what he saw from his freshmen, especially Bernard, who opened the team’s beam and bars lineups. In fact, since the squad started the meet on beam, Bernard, a native of Silver Spring, Maryland, was the first Mountaineer to earn an official score this season.
“I thought the freshmen did a great job last week,” Butts said. “Robyn voiced to us that she gets more nervous waiting around to compete late in a lineup. We’re always looking for the calm gymnast that can step-up and lead us off, so this is a good fit. She impressed us throughout preseason, and we never doubted her ability to open the 2015 season for us on beam at Maryland. I really think her performance last week speaks volumes to the type of competitor she’s going to be throughout her four-year career.”
Bernard scored 9.5 on beam and 9.625 on bars.
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A quick scheduling note - the Big 12 Gymnastics Championship, hosted by Oklahoma on Saturday, March 21, in Norman, is being pushed back to a 6 p.m. ET start.
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The promotional slate for the Mountaineers’ 2015 home season was released earlier this week. Catch up on the promos HERE.
SWIM: What it Means to Represent West Virginia
Wednesday, April 29
SWIM: What it Means to Become a Mountaineer
Wednesday, April 29
Gold-Blue Spring Festival Fan Recap
Sunday, April 19
John Neider | April 18
Saturday, April 18
