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Strong Floor Showing Propels Mountaineers to Win
January 24, 2016 05:54 PM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A season-best 49.3 showing on floor in the fourth rotation helped push the West Virginia University gymnastics team to a dominating 195.8-190.075 win over William & Mary this afternoon inside the WVU Coliseum.
The Mountaineers (2-2, 0-1) earned five counting scores of 9.8 or better on floor, including a winning, career-best 9.95 showing from sophomore Zaakira Muhammad. Muhammad is the second gymnast in as many weeks to earn a career-high 9.95 on floor, the 17th-best total in program history. The team’s floor total is its best showing since earning 49.325 against No. 3 Michigan, New Hampshire and Towson on Feb. 24, 2013, at the Coliseum.
RESULTS | PHOTOS
WVU’s team total matches its season-best score, first achieved in a win over No. 18-ranked New Hampshire on Jan. 17. Dating back to the 2015 season, the Mountaineers have now scored 195.0 or better in six straight home meets.
“The team had to really focus today, but I was happy with the effort each of the gymnasts gave. It was really important for us to hit 24-for-24 today,” Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. “The scores are the fun part, but the ability to hit is the focus, and you could tell today that the team has been working hard in Cary Gym. This is where we need to be as we get ready for several road meets in February. If we can compete like this on the road, we will set ourselves up for some incredible road scores, and those will help us down the line.”
In addition to their season-best floor showing, the Mountaineers also scored a season-high 48.825 on balance beam. WVU took all four event wins, also tallying 48.875 on uneven bars and 48.8 on vault. Additionally, Mountaineer gymnasts swept the podium spots in all but the all-around.
Muhammad sparkled in her career all-around debut, tallying two career highs, matching one season-best mark and finishing first overall with a 39.325 total.
“Zaakira’s performance was huge today. It’s so nice to see her confidence grow each week,” Butts said. “I’ve been telling her for almost two years that she can compete like she did today, so to actually witness this type of performance from her was incredible. She’s going in the right direction.”
Junior Alexa Goldberg finished just behind Muhammad in the all-around, scoring 39.125 and finishing second overall. The mark is the second straight 39.0+ score for the Ivyland, Pennsylvania, native.
The Tribe’s Brittany Stover finished in third place with a 38.325 score.
WVU jumped out to a commanding lead in the first rotation, scoring 48.8 on vault. The back end of the team’s lineup continues to set the standard and swept the podium positions for the second straight week. Freshman Kirah Koshinski earned her third consecutive vault win with a 9.9 mark, matching her career-best total first achieved last week. Muhammad equaled her season high and finished second with a 9.85, while senior Jaida Lawrence scored 9.8 and placed third.
WVU pushed its running tally to 97.675 in the second rotation with a 48.875 score on bars. Goldberg earned her second straight victory with a 9.875 mark, pushing her team-best career wins total to 17. Muhammad finished second with a 9.8, and freshman Tiara Wright placed third with a 9.775 score. Wright’s classmate, Jaquie Tun, matched her season-best score of 9.75 and finished in fourth place. Additionally, sophomore Robyn Bernard and senior Audrey Tolbert tallied season-best marks of 9.675 and tied for sixth place.
The Mountaineers’ season-best showing of 48.825 on beam in the third rotation was punctuated by freshman Carly Galpin’s thrilling routine, as the Brownsville, Maryland, native anchored the lineup with a career-best 9.875, the team’s top individual beam score of the season. Goldberg opened the lineup with a season-high 9.775 and finished in second place, while Koshinski tallied 9.75 and placed third. Muhammad appeared in the lineup for the first time this season, and the second time in her career, and tallied a career-best 9.725, good enough for fourth place. Freshman Sarah Moore scored a season-high 9.7 and finished fifth, while Tolbert tallied a 9.675 and tied for sixth place.
Muhammad’s winning 9.95 floor score featured sticks on both her passes today. The winning total bested her previous career-high score of 9.675. Koshinski scored a season-best 9.875 and finished in second place, while Goldberg placed third with a 9.85 mark. Senior Melissa Idell opened the rotation with a 9.825 score, good enough for fourth place, while sophomore Jordan Gillette scored 9.8 and tied for fifth place.
With the win, WVU improves to 17-0 all-time against the Tribe. (0-3, 0-1 ECAC).
The teams competed in an almost-empty arena this afternoon, as the weather conditions in the Morgantown area forced WVU to close the meet to the public.
“I think we had to fight through a lot today,” added Butts. “I told the team they had to fire themselves up, as this is the exact environment we will encounter on the road next month. I thought they handled it really well.”
Of note, Western Michigan was scheduled to also compete at the Coliseum today, but the Broncos encountered travel issues due to the winter weather conditions.
The Mountaineers break from competition for a week before a two-meet Big 12 Conference road trip. WVU opens the road swing at Iowa State on Friday, Feb. 5, with a 7:30 p.m. ET start time. The squad will then travel to No. 2-ranked Oklahoma for a 2:45 p.m. ET meet on Sunday, Feb. 7.
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