MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University Director of Athletics Shane Lyons announced today the 2018 gymnastics schedule.
 
Front-loaded with home meets at the WVU Coliseum, the Mountaineers will face 13 different opponents, including all three Big 12 Conference foes, as well as three teams who qualified for the 2017 NCAA National Championships.
 
"I think the strength of this schedule will be a big challenge for us, but it's one I welcome," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "This schedule will help us prepare for the postseason, as we are going to compete against some of the top teams in the country. I'm excited to see some great gymnastics at home at the WVU Coliseum and on the road. We have an amazing, talented team, and I think they're ready to go this year."
 
The Mountaineers open the season on Friday, Jan. 5, against Florida, at 7 p.m., at the WVU Coliseum. The Gators finished third at the 2017 NCAA Super Six.
 
The 2018 season opener is the first of three straight home meets for the Mountaineers, as WVU also will play host to Arizona State on Sunday, Jan. 14, at 1 p.m., and Towson and George Washington on Sunday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m.
 
"We can sharpen our gymnastics at home in January," Butts explained. "We're bringing some talented squads into the WVU Coliseum, and I think our fans will really enjoy this home schedule."
 
WVU's first road trip of the season takes the Mountaineers to California, as the squad will face UC Davis and the University of Illinois at Chicago in Davis, California, on Friday, Jan. 26, at 10 p.m. EST.
 
WVU opens its Big 12 Conference season at Iowa State on Friday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. EST. The teams also will compete against Northern Illinois.
 
The Mountaineers wrap-up their three-week road trip at Denver on Saturday, Feb. 10. The tri-meet with George Washington is set for 8 p.m. EST. The 2017 Big 12 Conference runners-up, the Pioneers qualified for the National Championships last season and finished in fifth place in the first semifinal session.
 
WVU concludes its home season early with a tri-meet against Maryland and Pitt on Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m.
 
The Mountaineers will compete away from Morgantown for the remainder of the 2018 season, beginning with a dual-meet at two-time reigning NCAA National Champion Oklahoma on Friday, Feb. 23, at 7:45 p.m. EST.
 
Three straight local road trips precede the 2018 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship: March 4 at Pitt with Penn State, March 11 at George Washington with Pitt and March 18 at Towson.
 
"It's a brutal travel schedule this year, but every team across the nation is forced to travel," Butts added. "I think we will have some great opportunities for road scores this season. The team is aware of the tough road ahead of us, but they're looking forward to competing in front of different crowds and showing off WVU gymnastics."
 
The conference championship returns to campus venues in 2018, with this year's meet set for Saturday, March 24, at Iowa State in Ames, Iowa.
 
The NCAA Regional Championships will be held on Saturday, April 7, at the following sites: Utah, Alabama, NC State, Ohio State, Penn State and Minnesota.
 
The 2018 NCAA National Championships returns to Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, April 19-22.
 
The Mountaineers finished the 2017 season with a 13-10 record, including a 3-3 showing in Big 12 Conference action. Seeded fifth, the team finished in third place at the 2017 NCAA Morgantown Regional Championships with a program regional-record score of 196.325.
 
WVU was ranked No. 20 in the final 2017 Road to Nationals Rankings, the team's highest position in the final rankings since 2007 and the program's first postseason ranking since 2012.