Mountaineers Drop 2018 Opener

Friday, January 5

Morgantown, W.Va.

7:00 PM

West Virginia University

194.425

195.9

Florida

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

January 05, 2018 10:29 PM | Gymnastics

WVU-UF Scores

By: Shannon McNamara

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In front of the sixth-largest crowd in program history, the West Virginia University gymnastics team opened its 2018 season tonight with a 195.9-194.425 loss to No. 2-ranked Florida inside the WVU Coliseum.

The Mountaineers (0-1) hit 24-for-24 routines and earned a 48.575-48.45 edge over the Gators (1-0) on floor. UF earned the vault (48.95-48.425), uneven bars (49.225-48.75) and balance beam (49.275-48.675) victories.

"I liked our fight. The challenge was to come out and hit 24-for-24 routines, and they did that tonight," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "Did everything go the way we wanted? Not exactly. We had to make a last-minute substitution, but the team really stepped up. We talked about depth all throughout the fall, and the backup routines hit. Now, we will have a long week of practice and fix the mistakes.

"This team thrives off the support, and we had an amazing crowd. Florida was a great team to compete against, and I hope the crowd liked the entertainment tonight."

Competing in front of 2,613 fans, the program's largest home crowd since 2011, the Mountaineers excelled on floor in the fourth rotation. Senior Jordan Gillette was the standout in the No. 2 lineup position, as she tallied 9.85 and finished second overall. The mark bested the Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, native's 2017 season high of 9.825 and was just short of her career high of 9.875. Junior Kirah Koshinski anchored WVU's lineup and finished fifth overall with a 9.8 score. In her collegiate debut, sophomore Erica Fontaine opened the rotation with a 9.7, good enough for seventh place. Sophomore Abby Kaufman and freshman McKenna Linnen added marks of 9.675 and 9.55.

Florida's Alicia Boren earned the floor win with a 9.925 score.

Koshinski paced the Mountaineers to start the meet, scoring 9.85 on vault and tying Boren for second place overall. Senior Zaakira Muhammad preceded Koshinski in the lineup and finished fifth overall with a 9.775 mark. Senior Robyn Bernard and sophomore Julia Merwin tied for seventh place with 9.675s, and in her lineup return, junior Jaquie Tun tallied 9.45.

The Gators' Alex McMurtry finished first on vault with a 9.9.

The Mountaineers' tallied their highest team total of the night in the second rotation on bars, as five marks of 9.7 or better put the squad's score at 48.75. Muhammad paced WVU and finished fourth overall with a 9.8. Tun finished tied for fifth with a 9.775, while Bernard placed ninth with a 9.725. Gillette and junior Carly Galpin added scores of 9.7 and 9.525, respectively. Tonight marked Galpin's career debut on bars.

McMurtry scored 9.925 and finished first overall.

WVU also was consistent on beam tonight, as all six competing gymnasts scored 9.7 or better. Gillette and Muhammed tied for fifth place overall with 9.75 marks, the third-best score awarded. A trio of Mountaineers tied for seventh place, as Kaufman, Linnen and Galpin all scored 9.725. Koshinski opened the rotation with a 9.7 mark.

Boren tied teammates Rachel Gowey and Alyssa Baumann for first place with a 9.9.

In the all-around, Boren finished first overall with a 39.575 mark. Teammate Jazmyn Foberg placed second with a 39.125 score, and Muhammad finished third with a 38.85 total.

Tonight's result drops the Mountaineers' all-time record against the Gators to 2-14.

The Mountaineers stay in Morgantown and return to the WVU Coliseum next Sunday, Jan. 14, for a 1 p.m. meet against Arizona State. It's Princess and Superhero Day, and free admission will be awarded to all fans in costume. It's also Mountaineer Kids Club Day, and the first 250 youths in attendance will receive a free WVU cape.