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Mountaineers Return to Coliseum for Pink Invite
February 25, 2017 01:06 PM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following three straight road meets, the West Virginia University gymnastics team returns to the WVU Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 26, and plays host to No. 24 Iowa State and Maryland in the annual Wendy M. Roach Invitational Pink Meet, at 1 p.m.
Tickets for Sunday’s meet are on sale now at WVUGAME.com. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youths and senior citizens and $2 for groups of 10 or more. Kids 13 years and younger will be admitted free with a completed Musket Coloring Sheet, which can be found HERE. WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness. The Mountaineers again will collect sundry items, such as socks, body lotion, nail polish and magazines, for donation to Morgantown’s Betty Puskar Breast Care Center. The first 500 fans will receive a free pink drawstring bag.
MEET NOTES | LIVE SCORES | VIDEO STREAM
After going 2-3 on the road, the Mountaineers (6-5, 1-1) return to the WVU Coliseum for their final Big 12 Conference regular-season meet of the year. WVU is 3-1 at home this season, 1-1 against conference foes and 1-1 against ranked opponents.
“We’re excited be back inside the comfortable confines of the WVU Coliseum and to compete in front of our home fans,” Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. “It’s our annual Wendy M. Roach Invitational, and all our fans need to wear pink to help raise awareness about breast cancer. This is an event we always look forward to.”
The Mountaineers are 4-5-1 all-time against the Cyclones (10-3, 0-1) and earned the upper hand in their last meeting, a 195.925-195.35 victory at the 2016 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship, on March 19, in Frisco, Texas. WVU finished third at the championship, and ISU placed fourth.
Sunday is the second meeting of the year between the Mountaineers and the Terrapins (11-9, 1-5 Big Ten). WVU opened the 2017 season with a 194.4-193.95 victory in College Park, Maryland, on Jan. 8.
WVU stands just outside the Road to Nationals Rankings’ Top 25 this week and checks in at No. 26 with a 195.225 regional qualifying score (RQS). The Mountaineers’ vault (No. 17, 49.02), floor (No. 18, 49.01) and uneven bars (No. 24, 48.625) lineups are all nationally ranked.
Three gymnasts own four national rankings, led by sophomore Kirah Koshinski, who is ranked No. 13 on vault (9.88) and No. 20 on floor exercise (9.875). The Berwick, Pennsylvania, native paces the team with eight event wins – four on vault and four on floor.
Junior Zaakira Muhammad continues to stay steady in the vault rankings and checks in at No. 21 this week with a 9.85 RQS. Sophomore Tiara Wright paces the bars lineup and ranks No. 45 nationally (9.835).
Despite falling in a narrow 196.075-195.8 defeat at No. 19 Ohio State on Feb. 18, the Mountaineers saw a lot of improvement in their last meet, including a perfect 24-for-24 showing and a season-best 48.825 score on balance beam. Koshinski tied for the vault win with a 9.9 mark, while freshman Chloe Cluchey returned to the floor lineup for the first time since Jan. 8 and earned the outright win with a career-high 9.925 score. Additionally, sophomore Carly Galpin tied for second place on balance beam with a 9.85 score, and Wright and senior Alexa Goldberg tied for third place on bars with 9.825s.
“We’ve been focusing on basics again this week, as well as consistency,” Butts added. “We want to build our confidence level.”
The Cyclones sit just ahead of the Mountaineers in the rankings with a 195.27 RQS. ISU also is nationally ranked on beam (No. 25, 48.745) and floor (No. 25, 48.93). Junior Haylee Young paces the team on three events and the all-around, where she ranks No. 12 nationally with a 39.33 RQS. Young also ranks No. 13 on floor (9.89) and No. 37 on beam (9.85).
Most recently, ISU closed its home season with a 195.625, first-place finish against Illinois State (192.7) and Gustavus Adolphus (186.275) on Feb. 17. Young finished first on vault (9.85), beam (9.9) and floor (9.875).
The Terrapins rank No. 29 nationally with a 194.895 RQS. The team sits within the top 25 on bars, where it ranks No. 21 (48.875). Senior Emily Brauckmuller ranks No. 39 on floor (9.85).
UMD travels to Morgantown after finishing first at the Pink Invitational in Philadelphia on Feb. 24 with a 195.225 score. Included in the showing was a season-best 49.45 score on floor, the third-highest event mark in program history.
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