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Mountaineers Place Third at Big 12 Championship
March 19, 2016 09:21 PM | Gymnastics
FRISCO, Texas – The West Virginia University gymnastics team put on a stellar showing at the 2016 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship today, scoring 195.925 and finishing in third place inside the Dr. Pepper Arena.
No. 1-ranked Oklahoma won its fifth straight title with a 198.05 score. No. 10 Denver tallied 196.725 and placed second, and Iowa State finished fourth with a 195.35 point total.
Today’s score is the Mountaineers’ (11-8, 1-5) second-best mark ever at the conference championship and best mark earned outside of Morgantown. It also is the team’s second-highest road score of the year and matches the team’s third-best score earned this season.
“The best team came out on top today, but I’m thrilled with the score we earned,” fifth-year coach Jason Butts said. “I think everything fell in line today in regards to the teams’ standings in the Big 12, and that was good to see.”
Additionally, freshman Kirah Koshinski was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year immediately following today’s competition. A five-time weekly honoree this season, she is the first Mountaineer gymnast to earn a postseason conference honor since the team joined the league in 2013.
“It was absolutely amazing to see Kirah earn the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honor tonight,” Butts added. “She has competed so well all year long and practiced very consistently. She really bought into our training philosophy right off the bat, and that is showing in her success level this year.”
The Mountaineers finished third today on bars (49.075) and beam (48.95), and placed fourth on floor (49.1) and vault (48.8).
“I thought we really came out and opened the meet with a bang on floor,” Butts explained. “I loved our performances, and I thought we got a good score for competing first on the event. We were a bit shaky on vault, but we bounced back with a great showing on bars. We capped off the meet nailing our beam routines. Overall, I thought it was a good day for the Mountaineers.”
Ranked 14th nationally, the Mountaineers made the most of their opportunities on floor in the first rotation, scoring 49.1 and jumping out to a tie for second with DU through one event. The mark was the team’s seventh straight 49.0+ mark of the season.
Koshinski paced the team on floor with a 9.85, good enough for seventh place. Two Mountaineers – sophomore Zaakira Muhammad and senior Melissa Idell – scored 9.825 and placed 13th. Three Mountaineers also hit for 9.8 – junior Alexa Goldberg, sophomore Jordan Gillette and freshman Tiara Wright. Today marked the third straight meet Wright hit for a career-high 9.8.
WVU moved to vault in the second rotation and tallied a 48.8 mark, pushing its running total to 97.9 and dropping the squad to third place.
Koshinski highlighted the rotation with a huge vault, scoring 9.9 and tying for third place with the day’s second-best score. By virtue of her finish, she was named to the All-Big 12 Championship Team. Today’s score was Koshinski’s third mark of 9.9 or better in five meets. Muhammad finished second on the team, fifth overall, with a 9.85 mark. Senior Jaida Lawrence tallied 9.75, good enough for 15th place, and sophomore Robyn Bernard and Goldberg added scores of 9.675 and 9.625, respectively.
The Mountaineers put together a massive showing on bars in the third rotation, scoring 49.075 and pushing their three-event total to 146.975. The team’s bars mark was its second-best score of the season and its top road mark of the year.
For the seventh straight meet, Wright tallied 9.8 or better, pacing the Mountaineers with a 9.875, good enough for 10th place. The score, the fifth-highest bars total of the day, was her second-best mark earned this season. Goldberg scored 9.85 and finished 11th overall, while Muhammad tallied 9.825 and finished in 12th place. Additionally, freshman Jaquie Tun earned a 9.8 mark, and Bernard opened the rotation with a 9.725.
WVU closed the meet with a solid six-for-six showing on balance beam, giving the team a 48.95 total, its third-highest score this season.
Senior Audrey Tolbert finished tied for eighth place with a 9.825 score, her fifth straight mark of 9.8 or better. A pair of Mountaineers tied for 11th place, as Idell and Wright each scored 9.8. Freshman Carly Galpin tied for 13th place with a 9.775 mark. Koshinski and Goldberg each finished with scores of 9.75.
Of note, Goldberg finished fifth overall with a 39.025 score, her sixth score of 39.0 or better this season. OU’s Chayse Capps finished first overall with a 39.6 mark.
“Alexa hit four-for-four in the all-around today, and I was really happy to see that,” Butts concluded. “Zaakira also had a good day, too. I was especially happy to see our three seniors pace the team with their leadership and performances.”
The Mountaineers have mathematically qualified for the 2016 NCAA Regional Championships. The squad will learn its regional fate on Monday, March 21, when the NCAA announces the regional pairings and seeds at 4 p.m. with a streamed selection show at NCAA.com.
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