.jpg&height=300&type=webp)
gym-main-21117(1).jpg
No. 24 WVU Back on Road for Quad Meet
February 11, 2017 10:10 AM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 24-ranked West Virginia University gymnastics team continues its stint away from the WVU Coliseum with a quad meet at Towson with Temple and North Carolina on Sunday, Feb. 12, with action inside the SECU Arena set to begin at 2 p.m.
The Mountaineers will open the meet on balance beam, the first time this year the team has started on the apparatus. WVU will then rotate to floor exercise before closing the competition on vault and uneven bars.
“I love the chaos of quad meets, but we need to make sure we stay focused,” Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. “I’ve said for years that we are all about the ‘West Virginia Show’ when we’re on the road. We need to stay focused on what we can control. We had two falls last weekend, and we cannot have that this weekend because falls create adversity. I want to start this meet off right and ensure that we are moving in the right direction from the get-go. I want to see this team come out of the locker room with confidence so we can get our job done.”
Sunday marks the second time in two weeks the Mountaineers (5-2, 1-1) will face the Tigers (4-6, 0-3 EAGL) and the Owls (4-6, 0-3 ECAC). In the first meeting, WVU tallied a season-best 196.3 in wins over the squads on Jan. 29 at the WVU Coliseum. All-time, the Mountaineers are 21-10 against Towson and 44-1 against Temple.
WVU and UNC (5-3, 3-1 EAGL) meet for the first time since 2015, when the Mountaineers swept the Tar Heels in a pair of contests, including a 195.35-194.5 victory at NC State on Jan. 31. WVU is 29-15 all-time against its former East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) foe.
Of note, the Tar Heels were a late addition to the meet, as they had a home meet against Towson previously scheduled for February 3 cancelled.
The Mountaineers look to capitalize on the road success they found last weekend in a 195.95-194.875 victory at Kent State on Feb. 4. The team total, which included a season-high 48.75 on balance beam, was the squad’s top road mark of the season.
“I want to build on that score – I want to go higher,” Butts added. “We need to increase our ranking. We need to maximize our opportunities on the road so we can guarantee our position in the top 25. We do that by hitting 24-for-24 routines Sunday. That’s our focus.”
Sophomore Kirah Koshinski, the reigning Big 12 Conference Gymnast of the Week, paces the Mountaineers on floor (9.895 avg.) and vault (9.885 avg.) and respectively ranks No. 13 and No. 14 nationally. The Berwick, Pennsylvania, native owns a combined six scores of 9.9 or better on the two events this season and has not scored lower than 9.875 on floor since Jan. 13. She paces the team with 11 podium finishes this season, including seven event wins, and needs 8.55 points this weekend to reach the 500 career point-plateau.
Following her return to the bars lineup on Jan. 21, senior Alexa Goldberg has surged into the national rankings and sits at No. 38 (9.842 avg.). The Ivyland, Pennsylvania, native scored the event win at Kent State with a season-best matching 9.875, as well as the all-around victory, which she earned with a season-high 39.15 mark.
Sophomore Carly Galpin paces the beam lineup with a 9.808 average.
Towson most recently placed third in a quad meet at George Washington on Feb. 5 with a season-best 194.95. Junior Tyra McKellar, the reigning EAGL Gymnast of the Week, won the all-around with a season-high 39.25. She also tied for second on floor (9.875) and third on bars (9.825).
The Owls scored a program-record 193.95 to finish first at home at the Ken Anderson Memorial Invitational on Feb. 4. Freshman Daisy Todd earned the all-around win with a career-best 38.9 and was named the ECAC Gymnast of the Week.
UNC opened the weekend with a win at NC State Friday night, scoring 195.675 and defeating the Wolfpack (195.025), Pitt (194.075) and William & Mary (193.025). The Tar Heels’ season-best score was their highest team total since the 2013 season. Junior Morgan Lane won the all-around with a season-best 39.325 and also earned the beam victory with a career-best matching score of 9.95.
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
