Gymnastics Opens 2015 at Maryland
January 08, 2015 12:41 PM | General
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| Junior Jaida Lawrence is WVU's top returning vaulter, as she ranked No. 2 on the team in 2014 with a 9.814 season average. |
| Cordell Hoffer Photo |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team opens its 2015 season with a tri-meet at Maryland, with George Washington, on Friday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m., at the XFINITY Center, in College Park, Maryland.
The meet also will serve as the season opener for the Mountaineers’ opponents, former foes in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL). Additionally, it is a “Beauty & the Beast” meet, and the UMD wrestling team will compete against Harvard simultaneously.
“This team is definitely ready to open the season,” said fourth-year coach Jason Butts. “I think we have more depth at this point in the year than we have had in the past, and I think we are putting up stronger routines. We’re definitely ready to hit the road.”
WVU will open the meet on balance beam. The team will then rotate to floor before finishing the meet on vault and uneven bars.
“We’ve really changed a lot on how we train beam,” Butts said. “All three coaches are working on beam this year. The team’s mindset is different this year. I think it will be exciting to go into the meet and show off all this hard work.”
The Mountaineers are 3-3 in season openers under Butts. WVU went 1-2 in its 2014 season opener, scoring 193.7 at No. 21 Kentucky and losing to the Wildcats (195.0) and No. 15 Penn State (193.975), and defeating Ball State (190.875). The Mountaineers have opened their season on the road six of the last seven years.
Fourth-year seniors Beth Deal, Dayah Haley and Lia Salzano return to lead the Mountaineers this season following a 6-11 2014 campaign that saw the team finish third at the Big 12 Gymnastics Championship with a season-best 196.375 score. Seven newcomers join the 11 returners, including transfers Brittney Harris, a redshirt-senior from Pitt, and Audrey Tolbert, a junior from Ohio State.
Sophomore Nicolette Swoboda, a Westbury, New York, native, is the team’s top returning point earner, as she tallied 464.3 points in 12 meets as an all-arounder. Haley, a native of Pasadena, Maryland, owns a team-best 780.8 career points.
WVU owns a 36-17-1 all-time record against UMD. The squads met twice in College Park in 2014, with the Mountaineers falling 193.675-193.5 on Jan. 17, and 195.525-194.975 on March 16. WVU’s March score was its season-best road mark. The Mountaineers last defeated the Terrapins in 2013, a 196.05-194.8 decision at the WVU Coliseum.
“We’re used to the XFINITY Center – we’ve competed there numerous times,” Butts explained. “I’m excited because we can go in there with a comfort zone. The team will know what type of crowd to expect.”
The Mountaineers have a steady track record against the Colonials and boast a 46-1 edge in the all-time series. WVU has scored nine wins against GW since 2010, including a 195.5-191.825 victory in Morgantown last year.
UMD embarks on its inaugural season in the Big Ten Conference Friday night. Picked to finish seventh in the conference, the Terrapins are led by sixth-year coach Brett Nelligan and have qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships in each of the last six seasons, the longest post-season streak in program history. UMD is coming off an 11-7 showing last season and boasts All-American seniors Katy Dodds and Stephanie Giameo, a member of the 2015 Big Ten Gymnastics Watch List.
Ten letterwinners return for GW, including 2014 EAGL Rookie of the Year Chelsea Raineri. Led by 30-year coach Margie Foster-Cunningham, the Colonials placed fifth at last year’s EAGL Championship.
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