MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team will open its home season nationally ranked on two events, as the Mountaineers’ vault lineup ranks No. 19 and the balance beam lineup ranks No. 24 in today’s Road to Nationals Rankings.
WVU earned its event rankings based on season averages of 48.888 and 48.55, respectively.
Ranked No. 19 in last week’s rankings, the Mountaineers fell to No. 28 (194.138) today following a 194.025-193.875 loss at Pitt on Jan. 13.
Reigning National Champion Oklahoma, the Mountaineers’ next opponent, ranks No. 1 this week with a 197.888 season average. LSU (197.7) is No. 2, and Florida (197.35) follows at No. 3. Alabama (196.9) and Utah (196.763) rank No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
UCLA (196.263) sits at No. 6, Denver (196.113) follows at No. 7 and Missouri (196.1) ranks No. 8. Kentucky (196.013) and Nebraska (195.7) round out the top 10.
Individually, sophomore Kirah Koshinski ranks No. 16 on vault (9.888) and No. 26 on floor exercise (9.863). Junior Zaakira Muhammad follows in the vault rankings at No. 32 (9.85). Additionally, junior Jordan Gillette ranks No. 7 on balance beam (9.9).
Regionally, the Mountaineers rank No. 5 in the Southeast Region. The team sits as high as No. 3 on beam and also ranks No. 4 on vault, No. 6 on floor (48.575) and No. 7 on uneven bars (48.125).
Koshinski ranks No. 3 on floor and No. 4 on vault. Muhammad follows her in both lists and ranks No. 10 on vault and No. 13 on floor (9.8). Freshman Julia Merwin checks in at No. 22 on vault (9.762), and junior Robyn Bernard and freshman Kassidy Cumber are tied at No. 23 on floor (9.75).
Gillette paces the Mountaineers’ beam lineup and is ranked No. 2 regionally. Sophomore Carly Galpin follows at No. 12 (9.825), and classmate Tiara Wright ranks No. 24 (9.725). Wright also ranks No. 13 on bars (9.775).
The Mountaineers again rank No. 3 in the Big 12 Conference. The team sits at No. 3 on each event but bars, where WVU ranks No. 4.
Koshinski ranks No. 4 on vault and No. 9 on floor. Muhammad follows on the vault chart at No. 7. Gillette ranks No. 3 on beam, and Wright ranks No. 10 on bars.
WVU (1-1) opens its 2017 home season at the WVU Coliseum against the Sooners (2-0) on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. Promotions for the meet and the entire 2017 season will be announced later this week.
