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Mountaineers Enter Postseason at No. 26
March 21, 2016 02:22 PM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Hours before the unveiling of the 2016 NCAA Regional Championships field, the West Virginia University gymnastics team sits at No. 26 in the Road to Nationals Rankings.
The Mountaineers (11-8, 1-5) rank just outside the top 25 with a final regional qualifying score (RQS) of 195.905. The team is nationally ranked No. 17 on floor (49.235 RQS) and No. 19 on vault (49.05).
Three gymnasts continue to own national rankings. Freshman Kirah Koshinski, the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, ranks No.12 on vault with a 9.9 RQS. Sophomore Zaakira Muhammad follows at No. 31 (9.875 RQS). Additionally, junior Alexa Goldberg sits at No. 44 on the uneven bars chart with a 9.87 RQS.
Today’s rankings are the fifth of the season based on RQS and the final individual rankings of the year. Final team rankings will be released in April.
For the first time this year, the Mountaineers rank No. 3 in the Southeast Region; the squad was ranked No. 4 every week since Jan. 18. The team also ranks No. 3 on vault and floor, No. 4 on beam (48.905 RQS) and No. 5 on bars (48.96 RQS).
Goldberg and Muhammad each show three regional rankings. Goldberg ranks No. 6 on bars, No. 12 on floor (9.865 RQS) and No. 11 in the all-around (39.105 RQS). Muhammad sits at No. 12 on vault, No. 14 on floor (9.86 RQS) and No. 20 on bars (9.815 RQS).
Koshinski ranks a team-best No. 6 on vault and No. 11 (9.875 RQS) on floor. Senior Jaida Lawrence also is ranked on vault and sits at No. 18 (9.82 RQS).
Senior Audrey Tolbert paces the team on beam and ranks No. 17 (9.82 RQS). Classmate Melissa Idell follows at No. 22 (9.81 RQS). Idell also ranks No. 15 on floor (9.855 RQS), while freshman Tiara Wright ranks No. 13 on bars (9.855 RQS).
Following their third-place finish at the Big 12 Gymnastics Championship on March 19, the Mountaineers continue to rank No. 3 overall in the conference and on each event.
Koshinski ranks No. 2 in the conference on vault. An All-Big 12 Team honoree for the event, she tied for third place at the championship with a 9.9 score, the second-best mark awarded. Muhammad ranks No. 6 on vault, and Goldberg ranks No. 6 in the all-around and No. 9 on floor.
The Mountaineers have mathematically qualified for the 2016 NCAA Regional Championships, the team’s 37th regional qualification. The squad will learn its regional fate later today, 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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