Gym Blog: Harris Hits Under Pressure
February 06, 2015 01:59 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Few things are as nerve wracking in collegiate gymnastics than following a fall.
A team sport that relies on excellent individual performances, a fall or missed routine, especially early in a lineup, increases the pressure on the following gymnasts exponentially, for a team is only given one gimme – six gymnasts compete, and five scores count.
The West Virginia University gymnastics team faced this exact situation at NC State on January 31. Though the Mountaineers (4-4-1, 0-0-1) hit six-for-six on both bars and beam in the first two rotations, the squad sat in third place with a 97.25 mark with two events remaining.
Sophomore Nicolette Swoboda opened the team’s third rotation on floor with a season-high 9.775 score. Classmate Alexa Goldberg, competing in the all-around for the first time in her career, followed and put together a fantastic routine through the first two tumbling passes. Unfortunately, an uncharacteristic tumble on her last pass forced her to put her hand on the ground and resulted in a 9.15 score.
The Mountaineers’ backs were against a wall. The next four gymnasts had to hit to avoid counting Goldberg’s score.
Redshirt-senior Brittney Harris was pacing in one corner of the floor. A fifth-year transfer from Pitt, she was set to compete in the No. 3 spot, and in only her fourth meet with the Mountaineers, the responsibility of saving the team’s performance fell squarely on her shoulders. As Harris settled into her opening pose, Mountaineer coach Jason Butts breathed a sigh of relief.
“I was so thankful Brit was the next gymnast up,” he said one week removed. “Following an unexpected fall, you have to rely on your returners that know how to compete. I felt great because I knew that Brittney has seen almost everything in her four years of collegiate competition. I was never more thankful to have a fifth-year senior on the squad than I was at that moment. We’re all lucky to count on her experience.”
Harris’ experience shone, as she competed her best routine of the short season and matched Swoboda’s score of 9.775, a season high for the Easton, Pennsylvania, native. Three Mountaineers followed Harris with hit routines, including winning, career-best scores of 9.875 for senior Dayah Haley and junior Melissa Idell, and WVU finished with a meet- and season-best mark of 49.025. The squad capped off the meet with a 49.075 showing on vault and finished first overall with a season-high 195.35 mark, the Mountaineers’ first 195.0+ road score since 2013.
“That floor rotation felt great, especially because I had to go after a fall, and that can make you so much more nervous,” Harris recalled. “I had to keep my attitude positive and know that I could hit my routine and do it the best I could. I really wanted us to get that 195.0 score.”
Following a successful career at Pitt, Harris, a 2014 NCAA Regional Championships all-around qualifier, transferred to WVU to pursue a master’s degree in athletic coaching education. She enjoys helping the younger Mountaineers gain confidence in competition and knows that the leadership experience she is gaining now will help her in her future.
“Being in college gymnastics for so long, I have an idea of what’s going on,” she explained. “I like helping the freshmen out and telling them what to expect. The season flies by so fast – you blink, and it’s over. You really have to take advantage of (the opportunity) you have.”
Harris and the Mountaineers look to again improve on their team score, as they travel to New Hampshire for a quad-meet with Brown and Towson on Sunday, Feb. 8, at 1 p.m., at Lundholm Gym, in Durham, New Hampshire.
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While the Mountaineers’ floor rotation gave the team the boost it needed at NCSU last weekend, the squad’s bars lineup set the tone for WVU’s night, as the team opened on the event and hit six-for-six.
The Mountaineers have struggled a bit on bars throughout the first month of 2015. Following three falls at Ohio State on January 17, the team rebounded nicely at the WVU Coliseum on January 25, hitting five-for-six, but the outing still did not meet the squad’s expectations.
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| Freshman Zaakira Muhammad owns a career high of 9.8 on bars. | |
| Photo by Ken Inness |
The team knew it needed a strong showing at NCSU to give itself a chance at a first-place finish. Not only did the Mountaineers hit all six routines, they also took two podium finishes and tallied two season-high marks, finishing with a meet- and season-best 48.65 score.
“The pressure was definitely on this team to hit in the first rotation last weekend – they all knew that lineup would set the tone for the rest of the night,” said Butts. “We worked really hard in training on how to open a meet on bars, and I think that paid off for us. I feel like that lineup is finally hitting its stride. In fact, we may even look at shuffling that lineup because we have a few backup routines that are beginning to come together nicely. It was huge for this team to put together such a strong start on bars.”
Two standout routines highlighted the Mountaineers’ success. The first came from freshman Zaakira Muhammad, as she tallied 9.775 in the lineup’s No. 3 position and tied for third place. The mark was the second best of the season for the Pennsauken, New Jersey, native. More importantly, it came one week after a disastrous fall on her dismount at the WVU Coliseum.
“That routine was huge for Zaakira,” said Butts. “She had a really scary fall the week before, so it was big that she was able to not only come back the very next meet, but also reach the podium, too.”
Like clockwork, sophomore Alexa Goldberg anchored the lineup with a winning 9.85 score. The Ivyland, Pennsylvania, native, ranked No. 21 nationally with a 9.856 season average, owns three event wins in 2015 and has not scored below 9.85.
“I think what’s really helped Alexa this year is that we changed her routine construction and made it a bullet-proof routine,” said Butts. “She knows she can hit that routine every day in the gym, and that’s helped her nerves. She’s one of those gymnasts that we assume will score 9.85 or better every week. I would love to see her score a 10.0; I know she can do it. She’s still a bit conservative, but I know it’s going to happen.”
The Mountaineers will need another solid showing from this lineup at New Hampshire, as the squad closes the meet on bars, the same rotation it had at OSU.
“The margin of error on bars is so small,” explained Butts. “On beam, you can be off a bit, but you can still stay on the event. On bars, if you’re a half inch off on a release, there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s such an exact event. If you aren’t using your cues 150 percent and competing like you practice, you will fall. There’s not a split second on bars for you to mentally relax.”
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The Mountaineers return to the WVU Coliseum on Friday, Feb. 13, for a 7 p.m. meet against No. 20 Denver. It’s a “Dollar Night,” and all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca-Colas will be available for $1 each.
Let’s Go Mountaineers!
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