Goldberg, Idell Earn Big 12 Weekly Honors
March 17, 2015 05:04 PM | General
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University gymnasts Alexa Goldberg and Melissa Idell were named the Big 12 Conference Gymnast and Event Specialist of the Week, respectively, today.
The honors are the second career weekly awards for both gymnasts. Goldberg, a sophomore from Ivyland, Pennsylvania, was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on January 21, 2014. Idell, a junior and native of Newark, Delaware, also was named the Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week on February 24.
Goldberg was phenomenal in WVU’s 2015 regular-season finale, scoring two career highs and earning two event wins in the Mountaineers’ first place, season-best 196.075 showing against Penn (193.175) and Cornell (191.3) at the WVU Coliseum on March 14. She earned her seventh bars win of the season with a 9.9 score, her second straight 9.9+ mark on the event. She continued her winning ways on beam, scoring a career-high 9.825 and tying for the event win, her first career beam victory. Goldberg ended the day with a career-best 9.875 showing on floor, good enough for third place.
Goldberg currently ranks No. 42 nationally, No. 6 in the Big 12 Conference, on bars with a 9.87 regional qualifying score (RQS). She has scored below 9.85 on the event just once this season.
“I’m so honored to earn this award,” said Goldberg. “All the hard work I’ve put in at Cary Gym this season has been for this team, and I think we’re hitting pretty well right now.”
Idell also had a direct hand in the Mountaineers’ stellar showing Saturday, tying Goldberg for the beam win with a career-best 9.825 score and finishing first on floor with a 9.925 mark, matching her career high, previously hit on February 22 at the WVU Coliseum. Idell’s floor win was her fourth of the season and third of the month, while her beam victory was the first of her career.
Idell ranks No. 34 nationally, No. 6 in the Big 12, on floor with a 9.885 RQS. She has not scored below 9.8 on floor since WVU’s season opener on January 9, and she has scored 9.9 or better three of the last four weeks.
“I feel really blessed to be a part of a team that supports each other so much. It’s an honor to represent something bigger than I am,” said Idell. “I’m so grateful to represent Mountaineer gymnastics on and off the floor.”
In addition to their season-best overall score, the Mountaineers (13-8-1, 0-0-1) also hit season highs of 49.275 and 49.0 on floor and beam, respectively. The team tallied 48.9 on vault and bars.
Oklahoma’s Natalie Brown was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.
The Mountaineers travel to Norman, Oklahoma, this week for the 2015 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship, hosted by the No. 1-ranked Sooners at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday, March 21, at 6 p.m. EDT.
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