MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University gymnasts Kirah Koshinski and Zaakira Muhammad combine for three national rankings in this week’s Road to Nationals Rankings.

 

Koshinski, a sophomore and native of Berwick, Pennsylvania, ranks No. 17 on vault with a 9.88 regional qualifying score (RQS). She also boasts a 9.885 RQS on floor and ranks No. 24.

 

Muhammad, a junior and native of Pennsauken, New Jersey, ranks No. 25 on vault with a 9.855 RQS.

 

As a team, the Mountaineers (8-5, 2-1) continue to sit just outside the top 25 and again rank No. 26 with a boosted RQS of 195.565. The squad is nationally ranked No. 19 (49.02) on vault and No. 22 (49.065) on floor.

 

This week’s rankings are the second of the season based on RQS. Qualification for NCAA regional competition is based on a team and individual’s six best regular-season scores, of which three must be earned away from a team’s home venue. To obtain an RQS, the high score is eliminated and the remaining five scores are averaged. Teams and individual gymnasts who have not yet competed in enough meets/routines to compute an RQS are not ranked this week. The top-36 ranked schools as of March 20 will qualify for the 2017 NCAA Regional Championships.  

 

Oklahoma continues to rank No. 1 nationally with a 197.99 RQS. LSU follows at No. 2 (197.695), while Florida ranks No. 3 (197.495), UCLA sits at No. 4 (197.305) and Utah checks in at No. 5 (197.18).

 

Alabama ranks No. 6 (197.085) and is followed by Denver and Georgia at No. 7 (196.875) and No. 8 (196.82), respectively. Oregon State (196.635) and Boise State (196.605) round out the top 10.

 

Regionally, the Mountaineers continue to sit at No. 4 in the Southeast. WVU also ranks No. 4 on vault, floor and uneven bars (48.905) and No. 5 on balance beam (48.705).

 

Koshinski is one of four Mountaineers ranked on vault and checks in at No. 5. Muhammad follows at No. 7, while junior Robyn Bernard ranks No. 18 (9.79) and freshman Julia Merwin sits at No. 25 (9.76).

 

Koshinski also ranks No. 3 on floor and No. 22 (9.77) on balance beam. Muhammad follows in the floor rankings and sits at No. 14 (9.825).

 

Senior Alexa Goldberg and sophomore Tiara Wright are tied at No. 7 (9.84) in the uneven bars rankings. Muhammad follows the duo at No. 24 (9.78).

 

After a one-week absence, the Mountaineers again rank No. 3 in the Big 12 Conference. The squad also ranks No. 3 on vault and floor, and No. 4 on bars and beam.

 

Koshinski and Muhammad rank No. 5 and No. 8, respectively, on vault. Koshinski also ranks No. 8 on floor, while Goldberg and Wright are tied at No. 9 on bars.

 

The Mountaineers embark on a home-and-home road trip with Pitt this weekend. WVU travels to Pittsburgh on Friday, March 3, for a quad meet against the Panthers, Michigan State and Towson at 6:30 p.m., at Fitzgerald Field House. The team then returns to Morgantown for its regular-season home finale on Sunday, March 5, against Pitt, No. 16 George Washington and No. 24 Eastern Michigan at 2 p.m., inside the WVU Coliseum. Sunday is a Dollar Day, and all tickets are available for $1 each.