MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University sophomore gymnast Zaakira Muhammad was honored with the Linda Burdette-Good Award as the team’s Most Valuable Gymnast at the program’s season-ending banquet on April 19, at the Holiday Inn Morgantown.

 

A native of Pennsauken, New Jersey, Muhammad is the first sophomore to earn the team’s top honor since Hope Sloanhoffer earned her second of three career honors in 2012.

 

Muhammad nearly doubled her career point total in 2016, competing in all 13 meets, four as an all-arounder, and earning 421.35 points. She set career highs on vault (9.9), balance beam (9.85), floor (9.95) and in the all-around (39.325) and paced the team with 25 podium finishes, including six victories.

 

“Zaakira put up huge scores this season and had a very consistent year,” Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. “We saw her confidence soar to new levels, and she absolutely deserved this honor. It’s exciting to see her win the MVP award as a sophomore because I think it speaks to where she can go from here.”

 

Muhammad’s breakout meet came on Jan. 24, as she finished first in her career all-around debut with a score of 39.325 in the Mountaineers’ 195.8-190.075 victory over William & Mary at the WVU Coliseum. Included in her performance was a win on floor with a career-high score of 9.95, as well as second-place finishes on vault (9.85) and bars (9.8).

 

Combined, Muhammad tallied scores of 9.8 or better on vault and floor in all but three routines this season. Ranked No. 31 nationally on vault with a 9.875 regional qualifying score (RQS), all but four of her scores on any event counted toward the team’s point totals. At the conclusion of two seasons, Muhammad’s career point total stands at 664.525, the second-best returning total for the 2017 season.

 

Senior Audrey Tolbert won the Sally Medrick Award as the team’s most improved gymnast. A two-year member of the team, the Frederick, Maryland, native saved her best season for last, as competed in all 13 meets, three as a two-event specialist on bars and beam, and tallied 155.25 points. She was particularly strong on beam, as she paced the team with a 9.756 season average.

 

“I think Audrey’s teammates really developed confidence in her this season, especially on beam,” Butts said. “She exemplified the fighting spirit this year and had a desire to prove that she belonged in our lineups.”

 

Tolbert earned three podium finishes this season, the first of her career, and placed as high as second with a career-best 9.875 score at the Unite for Her Pink Invitational on Feb. 26. She concluded the season scoring 9.8 or better on beam in seven of the last nine meets.

 

Senior Melissa Idell earned the John Quackenbush Award for Mountaineer Spirit for an unprecedented third straight season. Presented annually to the gymnast who displays the most perseverance and enthusiasm for the sport of gymnastics, the award is named in honor of the late John Quackenbush, the father of WVU All-American Kristin Quackenbush and a friend of the Mountaineer gymnastics program.

 

“Melissa undoubtedly epitomized Mountaineer Spirit throughout her career,” Butts said. “Gymnastics is a tough sport, and she took a lot of pride in getting this team pumped up and ready to compete. She also had a great competition season, too.”

 

A native of Newark, Delaware, Idell capped-off her four-year career setting career highs on beam (9.9) and floor (9.95). She finished fifth on the team with five podium finishes, including three victories, and did not drop a floor score all season. Idell graduates with 678.65 career points.

 

Junior Alexa Goldberg earned the Joseph Medrick Award as the team’s top all-around gymnast. The award honors the all-around gymnast with the highest RQS of the season.

 

“Alexa had an incredible year,” Butts added. “It’s tough to compete in the all-around throughout most of the season, and she proved that she was up to the challenge. She is constantly pushing her teammates, and I’m very proud of her.”

 

A native of Ivyland, Pennsylvania, Goldberg competed in all 13 meets this season, nine as an all-around competitor, and earned a team-best 447.9 points. She set career highs on vault (9.75), floor (9.95) and the all-around (39.325) and paced the team on bars with a 9.806 season average. She ended the season ranked No. 44 nationally on bars with a 9.87 RQS and No. 6 in the Big 12 Conference with an all-around RQS of 39.105.  

 

Goldberg earned a team-best nine event victories this season, including five wins on bars, and placed third on the team with 20 podium finishes. She now shows a team-best 22 career event wins, with 17 on bars, and ranks third in program history with eight career bars scores of 9.9 or better.

 

All but the Joseph Medrick Award were voted on by the Mountaineer gymnasts.

 

Two gymnasts also were recognized last night for career point milestones, as Idell (678.65) and Muhammad (664.525) each passed the 500-point threshold this year.

 

The Mountaineers finished the season with an 11-8 record and a 1-5 showing in Big 12 Conference competition. WVU earned its 37th regional championships bid and finished fifth at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Championships with a 194.25 score. The squad also placed third at the Big 12 Gymnastics Championship with a 195.925 mark, its best mark at a Big 12 Championship held outside of Morgantown.