FRISCO, Texas – As the oldest of four children, Kirah Koshinski is used to leading by example.
The West Virginia University freshman gymnast left three younger siblings at home in Berwick, Pennsylvania, when she moved to Morgantown last August: sisters Amber (15) and Brooklynn (21 months), and brother Erik (7).
“A big part of being the oldest in my family is serving as a role model for my siblings, and I think I do that well,” Koshinski explained. “I’ve always kind of took on the ‘mom role’ with my younger siblings, helping out where I can.”
While it was tough leaving her family seven months ago, Koshinski believes the life she left behind has helped her flourish as a Mountaineer rookie.
“I think being the oldest in my family and participating in gymnastics have made me a very disciplined person – a better person,” she said.
Koshinski’s discipline has thrusted her into the spotlight this year. The three-event specialist wasted little time staking her claim as the WVU gymnast to watch in 2016, pacing the Mountaineers on vault (9.875), floor (9.825) and beam (9.8) at No. 16 Denver in the season-opening meet on Jan. 9, and winning vault outright. Koshinski’s foot has yet to leave the gas pedal, as she has scored 9.85 or better on vault in all but one of the 11 meets this year, rolling toward a 9.89 regional qualifying score (RQS), the third-best mark in the Big 12 Conference, and a team-high 9.873 season average. She also paces the team with a 9.848 floor season average, scoring 9.825 or better in all but two meets.
Numbers alone do not tell the full story of Koshinski’s stellar rookie season. A pint-size gymnast – Koshinski proudly stands at 5-foot tall – she has tallied nine event wins this year, with six victories on vault and three on floor. In the last four meets alone, she has set, and matched once, a career-high 9.925 on vault and 9.95 on floor, as well as tallied five victories on both events.
Koshinski set WVU records this year, too, winning five Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors, including three straight to open the season in January to become the first Mountaineer gymnast to earn three consecutive awards. Koshinski’s five career Big 12 recognitions are a program record – and she still has three seasons remaining. She capped off the fantastic regular-season run with an All-Big 12 Team honor for vault, becoming only the second WVU gymnast to snag an All-Big 12 award and the first since Jaida Lawrence was honored for vault as a freshman in 2013.
And yet, with at least two meets remaining this season, Koshinski frowns when thinking of the expectations she brought with her to WVU.
“My goal was to come in my freshman year and compete in the all-around in at least one meet, but I couldn’t get my bars routine down because of my wrist,” she stated. “I could push through everything but that event. It’s the only goal I couldn’t accomplish this year. I’m thankful, though, that I can say that I didn’t not try – I just physically couldn’t compete bars. Other than that, I’m so happy with the way my freshman season turned out.”
Koshinski continues her strong freshman campaign this afternoon, as she and her Mountaineer teammates compete at the 2016 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship at 5 p.m. EST, at the Dr. Pepper Arena, in Frisco, Texas. A self-motivated, unsatisfied student-athlete, Koshinski believes she has more to prove today against three of the nation’s top teams, including No. 1-ranked Oklahoma and No. 10 Denver.
“I know I can keep improving,” she explained. “I know I can score big, but I would like to see my scores at a consistent, higher level. I know if I’m more consistent, it will help my team continue to improve, too.”
While Koshinski has grown accustomed to leading by example, both at home and with the Mountaineers, she is still getting used to representing a team at a conference and national level. Now, with a legitimate chance to not only win a conference title today, but also one of the Big 12’s major postseason awards, the rookie has allowed herself a moment to reflect on her new role with the Mountaineers.
“This year has been an adjustment,” she admits. “It’s weird for me to represent such a great program. I didn’t fully understand what everything meant at the beginning of the season; everything just rolled into the next. Then, I started to get recognized and I received a letter from the president (WVU President E. Gordon Gee) – that’s when I realized I was representing not only my team but also the University. I’m honored. I want to show people that WVU gymnastics – and all the students at WVU – are working hard, and we are just as good as everyone else. There is such potential at WVU. Especially my team – we really are succeeding this year. Yes, we can do better, but we’ve improved so much, and I’m only a part of the reason. My teammates have really stepped up this year, too.”
Watch Koshinski and the Mountaineers compete for their first Big 12 Conference crown live this evening, as FOX Sports Networks will broadcast the meet. Locally, fans in the Morgantown region can watch the championship on ROOT SPORTS Pittsburgh. All other clearances can be found
HERE.
