Varsity Sports Report - Jan. 3 - West Virginia University Athletics

Varsity Sports Report - Jan. 3

January 03, 2018 03:35 PM | General, Men's Swimming & Diving, Rifle, Women's Basketball, Gymnastics, Women's Swimming & Diving, Track & Field, Wrestling

Varsity Sports Report

By: WVU Athletic Communications

This Week in Women's Basketball: West Virginia returns home for a pair of Big 12 contests … the Mountaineers welcome K-State to the Coliseum on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip … the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive free mini replica Big 12 banners … the game will be televised locally on Nexstar … WVU will host Iowa State on Sunday in a 2 p.m. tip on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh … it's Wellness Day and Family Day … a free pre-game yoga class will be conducted on the court … fans who bring a yoga mat will receive free admission … as part of Family Day, fans can purchase four tickets and a $15 concession voucher for $25.

Last Week in Women's Basketball: WVU opened Big 12 play in Texas … the Mountaineers picked up an 87-82 win over TCU in Fort Worth on Thursday … junior guard Naomi Davenport had a career-high 32 points in the win … senior forward Teana Muldrow had 20 points and 17 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season … junior guard Katrina Pardee finished with 17 points … WVU suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of No. 8 Texas, 79-58, in Austin on Sunday … Davenport again led the team with 20 points … Muldrow had a career-best six blocks.

Notes: Senior forward Teana Muldrow registered her seventh double-double of the season with 20 points and a career-high 17 rebounds against TCU… she moves into a tie for 10th place all-time after picking up her 17th career double-double … it was her ninth 20-point performance of the season … Muldrow is the first player to score 20 or more points and 17 or more rebounds in a Big 12 game since Oklahoma State's Brittany Martin scored 24 points and grabbed 17 rebounds against Kansas on Jan. 24, 2016 … it marks the 29th time it has happened in Big 12 play … junior guard Naomi Davenport set a new career high with 32 points, besting her previous career high of 22 set against Sacramento State on Nov. 14 … her 32 points are the most by a Mountaineer this season … she moves into a tie for 10th place on WVU's junior games leaders list … she is the first Big 12 player to score 30 or more points in their first career league game since Baylor's Sheila Lambert scored 32 against Oklahoma in 2001 … junior guard Katrina Pardee scored 15 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter against the Frogs, setting program records for points, 3-pointers made and 3-pointers attempted in a quarter … with the win at TCU, WVU moves to 3-3 in Big 12 openers since joining the league in 2012 … Muldrow registered a career-high six blocks against the Longhorns … Pardee was held scoreless for the first time in 21 games.

This Week in Gymnastics: The Mountaineers open the 2018 season against No. 2-ranked Florida on Friday, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m., inside the WVU Coliseum … it's a Dollar Night, and all tickets and select concessions will be available for $1 each … "Stick-It" loyalty cards will be available for pickup prior to the meet, and fans will receive their first sticker Friday night … the first 150 youths will receive a free leotard t-shirt, and the first 1,500 fans will receive light-up sticks.

Last Season in Gymnastics: WVU went 13-10 in 2017 and finished the year ranked No. 20 nationally, its highest position in the final rankings since 2007 … the Mountaineers finished third at the 2017 NCAA Morgantown Regional Championships with a season-best 196.325 mark, the team's best regional score and just 0.3 points short of qualifying for the National Championships … Zaakira Muhammad qualified for the NCAA National Championships in the all-around and finished eighth on floor in the second semifinal session … Muhammad and Kirah Koshinski earned All-America honors, marking only the second time in program history two gymnasts received accolades in the same season.

Notes: The Mountaineers will be led by seniors Muhammad, Robyn Bernard and Jordan Gillette … three freshmen join the team this season: McKenna Linnen, Sydney Marler and Michelle Waldron … the Gators finished third at the 2017 NCAA National Championships … in their last meeting, UF defeated WVU, 197.6-196.1, on March 10, 2017, in Gainesville, Florida.

This Week in Track and Field: WVU is off this week … the team next completes on Jan. 13 when the Mountaineers host the WVU Open at the WVU Shell Building.

Last Week in Track and Field: The Mountaineers were off last week.

Notes: WVU won eight events during the season-opening Marty Pushkin Classic on Dec. 2, including three by unattached runners … redshirt junior Madelin Gardner broke the indoor school record in the women's pole vault, recording a mark of 4.15 meters … the previous record was held by Erin Nett (4.07m) since 2002 … two Mountaineers won individual events in their collegiate debuts, including freshman Michaela Ashford, who won the women's long jump with a 4.84-meter mark, and freshman McKenna Smith, who earned a victory in the women's 500 meters in a time of 1:20.20 … redshirt senior Meghan Jean-Baptiste competed in four events on the day, winning the women's 60-meter hurdles (8.80), placing second in the women's 60-meter dash (7.70) and taking 11th in the women's shot put … Jean-Baptiste, along with Ashford, Smith and senior Shamoya McNeil won the women's 4x400 relay in 4:13.90 … WVU hosted 11 teams at the season-opening meet, which was one of two home meets for the Mountaineers this season.

This Week in Wrestling: West Virginia will take on back-to-back Big 12 foes in Oklahoma and North Dakota State on Jan. 4 and Jan. 7, respectively ... the Sooners currently rank No. 18 nationally, while North Dakota State enters the ranking at No. 25 this week … Family Day is scheduled for the 7 p.m. Oklahoma match on Thursday, Jan. 4 ... families can purchase four tickets and a $15 concession voucher for $25 … the Mountaineers last Dollar Day of the season will follow three days later, as the team takes on North Dakota State in a 7 p.m. match on Sunday, Jan. 7 … Sunday's match also is known as Back-to-School night, and there will be a $50 giveaway to the WVU Book Exchange … additionally, high school teams can receive free admission to any home match … a registration form can be found at WVUsports.com/promotions.

Last Week in Wrestling: The Mountaineers did not compete last week … in its last week of competition, West Virginia (1-3, 0-1 Big 12) dropped a 30-6 contest to No. 10 Virginia Tech at the Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia, on Dec. 22 ... redshirt junior Zeke Moisey and redshirt freshman Kyler Rea each collected victories in their respective bouts of 125 pounds and 149 pounds respectively … of note, six grapplers competed at the 55th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, over the holiday break on Dec. 29-30 … Moisey collected a 4-2 record at the two-day event to place fourth in his respective pool, while redshirt senior Jacob A. Smith earned an eighth-place finish at 197 pounds.

Notes: Smith is ranked nationally in the top 10 by a trio of media outlets at 197 pounds ... the Charleston, West Virginia, native is ranked No. 5 by Intermat and FloWrestling and appears at No. 10 according to The Open Mat ... Moisey, a native of Northampton, Pennsylvania, remains at No. 19 in Intermat's latest top-20 poll at 125 pounds and checks in at No. 20 via FloWrestling ... redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt holds a team-best 13-6 overall mark at 133 pounds … redshirt sophomore Zachary Moore has a team-best 3-1 dual-match record at 157 pounds … Moisey and Moore pace the Mountaineers with nine match points on the year … Schmitt leads the team in major decisions with five, while Moisey sports a team-best 11 takedowns in 2017 thus far.

This Week in Rifle: The No. 1-ranked Mountaineers do not compete this week.

Last Week in Rifle: The Mountaineers did not compete last week.

Notes: WVU returns to competition against Akron on Sunday, Jan. 14, at 8 a.m., inside the WVU Rifle Range.

This Week in Swimming & Diving: WVU is set to host rival Pitt on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 10 a.m. ET, at the WVU Natatorium.

Last Week in Swimming & Diving: The Mountaineers did not compete last week.

Notes: Saturday's meet will be the first for WVU since Nov. 17-19 … the Mountaineer men fell to Pitt, 214-86, last season, while the women fell to the Panthers, 205.5-94.5 … the WVU men last defeated Pitt in 2016 … the last victory over the Panthers for the Mountaineer women came in 2012 … the two programs have met annually since 1994-95, with the women's team competing against Pitt every year since the 1987-88 campaign … the Mountaineer swimmers last competed at the Ohio State Invitational, where the men's team earned an eighth-place team finish, while the women took 11th … WVU combined for 11 top-10 finishes at the three-day meet … WVU divers competed at Rutgers University's Frank Elm Invitational on the same weekend … senior Michael Proietto earned a win on the platform to go along with a second-place finish on 3-meter and fourth on 1-meter … during the break in competition, WVU traveled to Key Largo, Florida, for its annual training trip on Dec. 14-22 … divers trained in Coral Springs, Florida, from Dec. 14-22 as well.