gym-main-1917.jpg
Mountaineers Rank No. 19
January 09, 2017 04:36 PM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team debuts at No. 19 in the first Road to Nationals rankings of the 2017 season.
Today’s ranking, based on the team’s 194.4 score earned at Maryland on Jan. 8, is the squad’s highest position since earning the No. 16 ranking in the Feb. 25, 2013, GymInfo Poll. WVU was nationally ranked for six weeks in 2016 and hit as high as No. 22 on Jan. 25.
LSU is the top-ranked team, having scored 197.825 in its season opener on Jan. 6. Oklahoma (197.75) ranks No. 2 and is followed by Florida (197.1) at No. 3. Alabama (196.7) and Utah (196.625) rank No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. Missouri (196.225) opens the bottom-half of the top 10 and is followed by: Denver (195.875), UCLA (195.7), Oregon State (195.575) and George Washington (195.55).
The Mountaineers (1-0) also rank No. 10 nationally on vault (48.975), No. 22 on balance beam (48.675) and No. 25 on uneven bars (48.45).
Individually, sophomore Kirah Koshinski ranks No. 4 nationally on vault. The Berwick, Pennsylvania, native tallied a winning 9.925 mark in WVU’s victory at UMD; the score, a career high, was the second best earned over the season-opening weekend. She ranks No. 2 in the Southeast Region and in the Big 12 Conference. Koshinski also ranks No. 22 nationally on floor exercise (9.85) and sits at No. 3 in the region and No. 7 in the conference on the event. Additionally, she is regionally ranked No. 13 on balance beam (9.8), good enough for the No. 8 Big 12 ranking.
Juniors Jordan Gillette and Zaakira Muhammad also are nationally ranked this week. Gillette checks in at No. 5 on balance beam, and Muhammad ranks No. 21 on vault. Gillette won beam at Maryland with a career-best 9.9 mark, the third-best score awarded nationally this week. She sits at No. 2 in the Southeast Region and ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference. Muhammad finished behind Koshinski on vault with a 9.85 mark. She also ranks No. 7 in the Big 12 Conference.
This week’s rankings are based on team and individual scores earned in the first week of competition.
Regionally, the Mountaineers rank No. 4 in the Southeast. WVU ranks No. 2 on vault, No. 5 on balance beam and No. 6 on bars and floor (48.3). The team ranks No. 3 overall in the Big 12 Conference and on each event but bars, where WVU sits at No. 4 this week.
Three Mountaineers rank behind Koshinski and Muhammad in the regional vault rankings. Freshman Julia Merwin sits at No. 18 (9.75), and classmate Chloe Cluchey, as well as junior Robyn Bernard, rank No. 23 (9.725).
Cluchey is the top-ranked Mountaineer on uneven bars and checks in at No. 9 (9.775) in the regional rankings. Sophomore Tiara Wright follows at No. 14 (9.75), while Bernard ranks No. 19 (9.725) and freshman Kassidy Cumber ranks No. 23 (9.7).
On beam, senior Brooklyn Doggette ranks No. 21 regionally, as she tallied 9.775 at Maryland. Cumber follows at No. 23 (9.75).
In total, four Mountaineers are regionally ranked on floor exercise. Muhammad follows Koshinski at No. 16 (9.775), while Merwin sits at No. 20 (9.75) and senior Alexa Goldberg ranks No. 24 (9.725).
WVU opened the 2017 season with a 194.4-193.95 win yesterday. The squad returns to competition Friday night at Pitt, with action inside Fitzgerald Field House set to begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday’s meet will be streamed by the ACC Network and can be viewed on WatchESPN or the WatchESPN app.
GYM: Florida Quad Recap
Tuesday, January 13
Assistant Coach Kaylyn Millick | Intro
Tuesday, September 09
Assistant Coach Jessica Yamzon | Intro
Tuesday, September 09
Associate Head Coach Travis Doak | Intro
Tuesday, September 09
