MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team continues its season-opening road trip at No. 15 Ohio State, with No. 5 Michigan, on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 4 p.m., at St. John Arena, in Columbus, Ohio.
Saturday is the Mountaineers’ first meet of 2015 against ranked opponents. The squad went 1-7 against ranked teams in 2014, with WVU’s lone win a 196.175-194.95 upset victory over No. 22 OSU on March 2.
“I think we match up pretty well with OSU,” said fourth-year coach Jason Butts. “Obviously, they’re going to have the advantage of competing in front of a home crowd that’s experienced a lot of excitement this week, but I think we have the routines to match that team. We have a lot of confidence coming off our season opener – we know we can hit on the road. We want to build on that performance and continue to move forward.
“This is a new arena for this team, but I think everyone is excited. I don’t think anyone is nervous. I think we’ll be fine.”
For the second straight week, the Mountaineers will open the meet on balance beam. The team will then rotate to floor before finishing the meet on vault and uneven bars.
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Senior Beth Deal finished fourth on beam at Maryland with a 9.775 score.
Ken Inness Photo
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“We already have the experience of opening a meet on beam, and I was happy with the effort last week,” explained Butts. “We had a lot of half-tenth deductions that we’ve been working on in practice. It’s all in the details, and that’s been our focus.”
WVU’s victory against OSU (1-0) last season narrowed the Buckeyes’ series advantage to 16-12. The win snapped a two-meet losing streak. Prior to the victory, WVU had dropped four of the last five meetings, though three of the defeats were by one point or less. WVU last defeated OSU in Columbus in 1991, a 183.85-183.5 decision.
The Mountaineers and the Wolverines (1-0) have met five times in the last three seasons, including two showdowns at NCAA Regionals. UM won each of the teams’ regular-season meetings and shows an 18-4 series advantage. The squads met at The Perfect 10 Challenge in 2014, with UM finishing third of four teams and defeating WVU, 196.2-193.525.
UM enters the meet with a statistical edge, as the Wolverines rank in the top five nationally on vault (No. 4, 49.325 avg.), balance beam (No. 4, 49.1 avg.) and floor exercise (49.15 avg.). UM also ranks No. 7 (49.025 avg.) on bars. OSU’s top ranking is on vault, as the Buckeyes are No. 9 (49.025 avg.). WVU ranks No. 20 (48.825 avg.) on vault.
The Mountaineers opened 2015 with a second place, 193.5 showing at Maryland on January 9. WVU defeated the host Terrapins (193.025), and lost to George Washington (194.325). Sophomore Alexa Goldberg, ranked No. 23 nationally on bars, tallied WVU’s lone event win, as the Ivyland, Pennsylvania, native scored 9.85. A trio of Mountaineers – senior Dayah Haley, junior Jaida Lawrence and freshman Zaakira Muhammad – scored 9.8 on vault and finished third, while senior Beth Deal placed fourth on balance beam with a 9.775. Haley paced the team on floor with a 9.725 showing.
Saturday is the Big Ten Conference opener for the Buckeyes and the Wolverines, the defending conference champions and a 2014 NCAA National Championships qualifier. Both squads opened 2015 with wins, as OSU scored a 194.675-190.825 victory at Pitt on January 9, and UM knocked off No. 7 Georgia, 196.6-195.6, in Athens, Georgia, on January 10, marking the highest first-meet mark in Wolverine history.
OSU freshman Alexis Mattern won floor and vault with respective 9.875 and 9.85 scores. UM was paced by sophomore Nicole Artz, the Big Ten co-Gymnast of the Week, as she won or tied for first on three events, claiming the all-around (39.45) and floor (9.9) titles, and tying for first on beam (9.9).
