Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
2019 Season Preview
December 30, 2018 11:31 AM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – At long last, it's Meet Week!
After months spent in Cary Gym working on new skills and perfecting refreshed routines, the West Virginia University gymnastics team is ready to make its 2019 debut.
Led by eight-year coach Jason Butts, the Mountaineers open their season in sunny Cancun, Mexico, on Jan. 4 at the Cancun Classic. WVU will face preseason No. 9 Michigan, the reigning Big Ten Conference champion, Iowa State and Rutgers at 7 p.m.
Mountaineers Hit Road in 2019
WVU will log travel miles in 2019, as the Mountaineers' schedule features eight road competitions, including three consecutive meets away from Morgantown at the onset of the year.
The Mountaineers' schedule also features five home meets at the WVU Coliseum, three in the month of February. WVU will compete against nine teams who ended the 2018 season ranked in the top 25 of the Road to Nationals Rankings, including national runner-up and reigning Big 12 Conference champion Oklahoma.
First up for the Mountaineers is the Cancun Classic on Jan. 4 in Cancun, Mexico, where WVU will compete against Michigan, ranked No. 9 in the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association Preseason Poll, as well as Iowa State and Rutgers.
Following trips to Pitt on Jan. 12 and Air Force on Jan. 19, the Mountaineers will open their 2019 home season at the WVU Coliseum on Jan. 27 against Kent State and George Washington.
The Mountaineers open February in Morgantown against Iowa State and preseason No. 13 Denver on Feb. 2. A quad meet at Penn on Feb. 10 precedes a home meet against Utah State, Cornell and Pitt on Feb. 17. WVU closes the month with a pair of meets, returning to Pitt on Feb. 22 before facing preseason No. 2 Oklahoma on Feb. 24 at the WVU Coliseum.
WVU travels to preseason No. 18 Ohio State on March 2 and to No. 20 Arizona State on March 13 before closing its home and regular season against No. 18 Ohio State, No. 25 NC State and Penn State on March 17, at the WVU Coliseum.
The 2019 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship is set for March 23 in Norman, Oklahoma.
The NCAA Regional Championships will be held April 4-6 at the following sites: Michigan, Georgia, LSU and Oregon State. The 2019 season marks the debut of the new NCAA postseason format, featuring four regional sites instead of six and a super-regional competition on the third day of action.
The 2019 NCAA National Championships will be held April 19-20, at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
One Last Meet Season
Three seniors will lead WVU in 2019 – Carly Galpin, Kirah Koshinski and Jaquie Tun. Combined, the trio has competed in 96 career meets.
Koshinski paces the Mountaineers with 1,109.4 career points and finished second on the team in 2018 with 382.475 points. Tun ranks No. 2 on the team with 582.725 career points, while Galpin shows 281.725 points.
The senior trio gets the job done in the classroom, too, as all three gymnasts were named to the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) Scholastic All-America Team in 2018, the third career awards for Koshinski and Tun.
Koshinski Eyes History
Senior Kirah Koshinski enters the 2019 season with the power to make Mountaineer history, as she could become the first-ever WVU gymnast to earn at least one All-America honor in each of her four years in Morgantown.
A native of Berwick, Pennsylvania, Koshinski has landed on the NACGC/W Regular-Season All-America Second Team Vault each of the three previous years. In 2018, she ranked No. 10 nationally on the event with a 9.91 regional qualifying score (RQS). Koshinski scored below 9.85 on the event just once last year and earned marks of 9.9 or better seven times.
Koshinski ranks third in program history with three career All-America honors. She is the second Mountaineer gymnast to earn at least one honor in more than one season; Kristin Quackenbush received six All-America honors in three seasons (1994-96).
Looking to Make Their Mark
Five gymnasts join the Mountaineers for the 2019 season: Esperanza Abarca, Kendra Combs, Rachel Hornung, Kristin Lang and Taylor Sell.
A native of The Colony, Texas, Abarca was a four-year level 10 gymnast at World Olympic Gymnastics Academy and a three-time Junior Olympics National Championships qualifier. She finished 19th in the all-around at the 2017 Junior Olympics National Championships.
Combs, a native of Windsor, Connecticut, was a four-year level 10 gymnast at NEGX and also qualified for three Junior Olympics National Championships, placing fourth on bars and beam at the 2017 championships.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Hornung was a four-year level 10 gymnast at Pittsburgh Northstars and a two-time Junior Olympics National Championships qualifier. She placed sixth on beam and ninth in the all-around at the 2018 championships, as well as 10th on vault at the 2017 championships.
Lang, a native of Pittsford, New York, was a five-year level 10 gymnast at Rochester Gymnastics Academy. A three-time Junior Olympics National Championships qualifier, she placed fifth on beam at the 2016 championships, as well as 15th on floor and 17th in the all-around.
Sell, a Manheim, Pennsylvania, native, was a five-year level 10 gymnast at Prestige Gymnastics and a Junior Olympics National Championships qualifier.
Familiar Face Returns
Kaylyn Millick rejoined the WVU gymnastics staff as an assistant coach in August 2018. A native of Washington, Pennsylvania, Millick previously served as the Mountaineers' assistant from 2015-17.
A three-year letterwinner at WVU from 2011-13, Millick most recently coached the Mountaineers in 2017. WVU finished the season at 12-8, including a 3-3 showing against Big 12 Conference opponents, and placed third at the 2017 NCAA Morgantown Regional Championships with a program-record 196.325 score. The Mountaineers finished the season ranked No. 20 in the Road to Nationals Rankings.
Also in 2017, Zaakira Muhammad advanced to the NCAA Championships in the all-around and finished eighth on floor exercise, earning All-America Second Team accolades. Additionally, then-sophomore Koshinski claimed her second of three career NACGC/W Regular Season All-America Second Team Vault honors.
Event Previews
Vault
The Mountaineer vault lineup will be anchored by one of the nation's best vaulters in senior Kirah Koshinski, a three-time NACGC/W Regular Season All-America Second Team honoree. She anchored the vault lineup in 12 of 13 meets in 2018 and tallied 9.9 or better seven times, including a career-high matching 9.95 twice. The only Mountaineer to compete a Yurchenko 1.5 with a 10.0 start value, Koshinski concluded the 2018 season ranked No. 10 nationally with a 9.91 regional qualifying score (RQS).
Junior Julia Merwin is the second-highest ranked gymnast returning to the WVU vault lineup. A native of Frederick, Maryland, Merwin concluded the 2018 season ranked No. 21 in the Southeast Region with a 9.825 RQS. She scored 9.8 or better seven times, including a career-best 9.875.
Also expected to return to the lineup are senior Jaquie Tun, who tallied a career-high 9.85 in 2018, as well as junior Abby Kaufman and sophomore Michelle Waldron.
The Mountaineer coaches expect freshmen Rachel Hornung and Esperanza Abarca to appear in the lineup throughout the season, too.
"I think this event will be stronger for us this year," associate head coach Travis Doak said. "Even though we lost Zaakira (Muhammad) and Robyn (Bernard) to graduation, I really believe we'll be better."
Uneven Bars
The Mountaineers will use a combination of strong returning routines and fresh, dynamic, new routines to overcome the loss of lineup staples Jordan Gillette, Bernard and Muhammad.
Tun returns to lead the way. A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, she competed in the lineup all 13 meets in 2018 and ranked No. 22 regionally with a 9.825 RQS. Tun did not drop a bars score last year, matching her career-best 9.875 mark once, and collected nine top-10 finishes.
"Jaquie is definitely our 'wow' factor in this lineup and will be our anchor," Butts said.
Kaufman will be key in the lineup this season and may eventually open the rotation. A York, Pennsylvania, native, she finished the year strong on the vent, hitting for a career high 9.75 at the Big 12 Gymnastics Championship. Classmate Chloe Cluchey should also earn a lineup position. Cluchey scored 9.8 or better in three of the final four meets of 2018, including a winning, career-best 9.925 showing at George Washington.
Among the returners vying for lineup positions are junior Kassidy Cumber and sophomore Sydney Marler, who each own a 9.775 career high. Additionally, Koshinski is expected to make her career bars debut.
A trio of freshmen will be tasked with providing depth to the lineup. Abarca and Hornung are earning praise from the coaching staff for their lines, while Kendra Combs has a dynamic routine with big releases.
"Last season, we struggled with handstands and stuck dismounts," Doak explained. "Esperanza nails her handstand every routine. Kendra will be a strong force, and Rachel has such pretty lines. I think we have hope for this event this season; we will start in one spot and look to build."
"We have never had this many routines," Butts added. "This lineup will come down to quality and consistency."
Balance Beam
By far, WVU's deepest event entering the 2019 season is balance beam, where as few as 11 Mountaineers could compete this year.
"We have so many options this year," said Doak. "This group is really training hard. The quality of the routines is there, but I want our jumps to be a little stronger. Our consistency is fantastic so far."
Tops among the returners is senior Carly Galpin, who ranked No. 22 regionally last year with a 9.825 RQS. A native of Boonsboro, Maryland, Galpin has dropped just one score in 26 career lineup appearances. Last season, she paced the Mountaineers with a 9.752 average, tallying marks of 9.8 or better five times and earning two podium finishes, including an event win with a career-best 9.875.
Sophomore McKenna Linnen, Koshinski and Kaufman each competed in all 13 meets in 2018, with Linnen finishing second on the team with a 9.738 average. Kaufman owns a career high of 9.9, while Koshinski shows a 9.85 and Linnen a 9.8.
Junior Erica Fontaine, as well as Tun and Cumber, also appeared in the lineup last year. In her only routine of the season, Tun scored 9.875 and finished tied for second place at George Washington.
Though she did not compete as a freshman, Marler is expected to push for a lineup spot this season. Hornung and Abarca also will push for lineup positions, as could freshman Taylor Sell.
"This is a lineup we will see shift a ton throughout the year until we find the strongest one, but I know we're going to have a great, strong lineup," Doak added.
"We worked on consistency so much throughout the preseason," assistant coach Kaylyn Millick said. "Now, the routines are looking clean and the gymnasts are growing confident. They do these routines so easily, and we're able to now focus on the artistry, too."
Floor Exercise
"I think floor is going to be really fun this year," Millick started. "I think floor is always fun, but we've really upped our difficulty for the 2019 season. We have multiple E passes, and there's so much energy surrounding this event."
Koshinski returns as one of the most dynamic floor performers nationally, as she ranked No. 33 in the NCAA, No. 5 in the region and No. 6 in the Big 12 Conference in 2018 with a 9.9 RQS. The lineup's anchor in all 13 meets last season, she scored 9.8 or better in all but three meets and tallied 9.9 or better four times, including a career-best 9.95 showing. Koshinski ranks No. 6 in WVU program history with 13 career floor scores of 9.9 or better.
Tun is expected to precede Koshinski in the 2019 lineup. She competed floor five times last year and finished with a season average of 9.73.
Kaufman and Fontaine finished second and fourth, respectively, last year with season averages of 9.79 and 9.761 and are expected to return to the lineup this season. Also looking to return is Linnen, who competed floor through the first five meets and hit for a career-best 9.85 twice.
"Erica has a new, fun routine which the crowd will love," Millick said.
Hornung and Abarca are expected to contribute immediately, while Merwin and Cumber could earn their first lineup spots since the 2017 season.
"There is a lot of different choreography this year – every routine is so unique," Millick added. "I took a new approach to choreography this year – I did it with each gymnast. Working with the gymnasts as we built these routines really helped, as I was able to see how they will look in the moment."
After months spent in Cary Gym working on new skills and perfecting refreshed routines, the West Virginia University gymnastics team is ready to make its 2019 debut.
Led by eight-year coach Jason Butts, the Mountaineers open their season in sunny Cancun, Mexico, on Jan. 4 at the Cancun Classic. WVU will face preseason No. 9 Michigan, the reigning Big Ten Conference champion, Iowa State and Rutgers at 7 p.m.
Mountaineers Hit Road in 2019
WVU will log travel miles in 2019, as the Mountaineers' schedule features eight road competitions, including three consecutive meets away from Morgantown at the onset of the year.
The Mountaineers' schedule also features five home meets at the WVU Coliseum, three in the month of February. WVU will compete against nine teams who ended the 2018 season ranked in the top 25 of the Road to Nationals Rankings, including national runner-up and reigning Big 12 Conference champion Oklahoma.
First up for the Mountaineers is the Cancun Classic on Jan. 4 in Cancun, Mexico, where WVU will compete against Michigan, ranked No. 9 in the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association Preseason Poll, as well as Iowa State and Rutgers.
Following trips to Pitt on Jan. 12 and Air Force on Jan. 19, the Mountaineers will open their 2019 home season at the WVU Coliseum on Jan. 27 against Kent State and George Washington.
The Mountaineers open February in Morgantown against Iowa State and preseason No. 13 Denver on Feb. 2. A quad meet at Penn on Feb. 10 precedes a home meet against Utah State, Cornell and Pitt on Feb. 17. WVU closes the month with a pair of meets, returning to Pitt on Feb. 22 before facing preseason No. 2 Oklahoma on Feb. 24 at the WVU Coliseum.
WVU travels to preseason No. 18 Ohio State on March 2 and to No. 20 Arizona State on March 13 before closing its home and regular season against No. 18 Ohio State, No. 25 NC State and Penn State on March 17, at the WVU Coliseum.
The 2019 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship is set for March 23 in Norman, Oklahoma.
The NCAA Regional Championships will be held April 4-6 at the following sites: Michigan, Georgia, LSU and Oregon State. The 2019 season marks the debut of the new NCAA postseason format, featuring four regional sites instead of six and a super-regional competition on the third day of action.
The 2019 NCAA National Championships will be held April 19-20, at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
One Last Meet Season
Three seniors will lead WVU in 2019 – Carly Galpin, Kirah Koshinski and Jaquie Tun. Combined, the trio has competed in 96 career meets.
Koshinski paces the Mountaineers with 1,109.4 career points and finished second on the team in 2018 with 382.475 points. Tun ranks No. 2 on the team with 582.725 career points, while Galpin shows 281.725 points.
The senior trio gets the job done in the classroom, too, as all three gymnasts were named to the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) Scholastic All-America Team in 2018, the third career awards for Koshinski and Tun.
Koshinski Eyes History
Senior Kirah Koshinski enters the 2019 season with the power to make Mountaineer history, as she could become the first-ever WVU gymnast to earn at least one All-America honor in each of her four years in Morgantown.
A native of Berwick, Pennsylvania, Koshinski has landed on the NACGC/W Regular-Season All-America Second Team Vault each of the three previous years. In 2018, she ranked No. 10 nationally on the event with a 9.91 regional qualifying score (RQS). Koshinski scored below 9.85 on the event just once last year and earned marks of 9.9 or better seven times.
Koshinski ranks third in program history with three career All-America honors. She is the second Mountaineer gymnast to earn at least one honor in more than one season; Kristin Quackenbush received six All-America honors in three seasons (1994-96).
Looking to Make Their Mark
Five gymnasts join the Mountaineers for the 2019 season: Esperanza Abarca, Kendra Combs, Rachel Hornung, Kristin Lang and Taylor Sell.
A native of The Colony, Texas, Abarca was a four-year level 10 gymnast at World Olympic Gymnastics Academy and a three-time Junior Olympics National Championships qualifier. She finished 19th in the all-around at the 2017 Junior Olympics National Championships.
Combs, a native of Windsor, Connecticut, was a four-year level 10 gymnast at NEGX and also qualified for three Junior Olympics National Championships, placing fourth on bars and beam at the 2017 championships.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Hornung was a four-year level 10 gymnast at Pittsburgh Northstars and a two-time Junior Olympics National Championships qualifier. She placed sixth on beam and ninth in the all-around at the 2018 championships, as well as 10th on vault at the 2017 championships.
Lang, a native of Pittsford, New York, was a five-year level 10 gymnast at Rochester Gymnastics Academy. A three-time Junior Olympics National Championships qualifier, she placed fifth on beam at the 2016 championships, as well as 15th on floor and 17th in the all-around.
Sell, a Manheim, Pennsylvania, native, was a five-year level 10 gymnast at Prestige Gymnastics and a Junior Olympics National Championships qualifier.
Familiar Face Returns
Kaylyn Millick rejoined the WVU gymnastics staff as an assistant coach in August 2018. A native of Washington, Pennsylvania, Millick previously served as the Mountaineers' assistant from 2015-17.
A three-year letterwinner at WVU from 2011-13, Millick most recently coached the Mountaineers in 2017. WVU finished the season at 12-8, including a 3-3 showing against Big 12 Conference opponents, and placed third at the 2017 NCAA Morgantown Regional Championships with a program-record 196.325 score. The Mountaineers finished the season ranked No. 20 in the Road to Nationals Rankings.
Also in 2017, Zaakira Muhammad advanced to the NCAA Championships in the all-around and finished eighth on floor exercise, earning All-America Second Team accolades. Additionally, then-sophomore Koshinski claimed her second of three career NACGC/W Regular Season All-America Second Team Vault honors.
Event Previews
Vault
The Mountaineer vault lineup will be anchored by one of the nation's best vaulters in senior Kirah Koshinski, a three-time NACGC/W Regular Season All-America Second Team honoree. She anchored the vault lineup in 12 of 13 meets in 2018 and tallied 9.9 or better seven times, including a career-high matching 9.95 twice. The only Mountaineer to compete a Yurchenko 1.5 with a 10.0 start value, Koshinski concluded the 2018 season ranked No. 10 nationally with a 9.91 regional qualifying score (RQS).
Junior Julia Merwin is the second-highest ranked gymnast returning to the WVU vault lineup. A native of Frederick, Maryland, Merwin concluded the 2018 season ranked No. 21 in the Southeast Region with a 9.825 RQS. She scored 9.8 or better seven times, including a career-best 9.875.
Also expected to return to the lineup are senior Jaquie Tun, who tallied a career-high 9.85 in 2018, as well as junior Abby Kaufman and sophomore Michelle Waldron.
The Mountaineer coaches expect freshmen Rachel Hornung and Esperanza Abarca to appear in the lineup throughout the season, too.
"I think this event will be stronger for us this year," associate head coach Travis Doak said. "Even though we lost Zaakira (Muhammad) and Robyn (Bernard) to graduation, I really believe we'll be better."
Uneven Bars
The Mountaineers will use a combination of strong returning routines and fresh, dynamic, new routines to overcome the loss of lineup staples Jordan Gillette, Bernard and Muhammad.
Tun returns to lead the way. A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, she competed in the lineup all 13 meets in 2018 and ranked No. 22 regionally with a 9.825 RQS. Tun did not drop a bars score last year, matching her career-best 9.875 mark once, and collected nine top-10 finishes.
"Jaquie is definitely our 'wow' factor in this lineup and will be our anchor," Butts said.
Kaufman will be key in the lineup this season and may eventually open the rotation. A York, Pennsylvania, native, she finished the year strong on the vent, hitting for a career high 9.75 at the Big 12 Gymnastics Championship. Classmate Chloe Cluchey should also earn a lineup position. Cluchey scored 9.8 or better in three of the final four meets of 2018, including a winning, career-best 9.925 showing at George Washington.
Among the returners vying for lineup positions are junior Kassidy Cumber and sophomore Sydney Marler, who each own a 9.775 career high. Additionally, Koshinski is expected to make her career bars debut.
A trio of freshmen will be tasked with providing depth to the lineup. Abarca and Hornung are earning praise from the coaching staff for their lines, while Kendra Combs has a dynamic routine with big releases.
"Last season, we struggled with handstands and stuck dismounts," Doak explained. "Esperanza nails her handstand every routine. Kendra will be a strong force, and Rachel has such pretty lines. I think we have hope for this event this season; we will start in one spot and look to build."
"We have never had this many routines," Butts added. "This lineup will come down to quality and consistency."
Balance Beam
By far, WVU's deepest event entering the 2019 season is balance beam, where as few as 11 Mountaineers could compete this year.
"We have so many options this year," said Doak. "This group is really training hard. The quality of the routines is there, but I want our jumps to be a little stronger. Our consistency is fantastic so far."
Tops among the returners is senior Carly Galpin, who ranked No. 22 regionally last year with a 9.825 RQS. A native of Boonsboro, Maryland, Galpin has dropped just one score in 26 career lineup appearances. Last season, she paced the Mountaineers with a 9.752 average, tallying marks of 9.8 or better five times and earning two podium finishes, including an event win with a career-best 9.875.
Sophomore McKenna Linnen, Koshinski and Kaufman each competed in all 13 meets in 2018, with Linnen finishing second on the team with a 9.738 average. Kaufman owns a career high of 9.9, while Koshinski shows a 9.85 and Linnen a 9.8.
Junior Erica Fontaine, as well as Tun and Cumber, also appeared in the lineup last year. In her only routine of the season, Tun scored 9.875 and finished tied for second place at George Washington.
Though she did not compete as a freshman, Marler is expected to push for a lineup spot this season. Hornung and Abarca also will push for lineup positions, as could freshman Taylor Sell.
"This is a lineup we will see shift a ton throughout the year until we find the strongest one, but I know we're going to have a great, strong lineup," Doak added.
"We worked on consistency so much throughout the preseason," assistant coach Kaylyn Millick said. "Now, the routines are looking clean and the gymnasts are growing confident. They do these routines so easily, and we're able to now focus on the artistry, too."
Floor Exercise
"I think floor is going to be really fun this year," Millick started. "I think floor is always fun, but we've really upped our difficulty for the 2019 season. We have multiple E passes, and there's so much energy surrounding this event."
Koshinski returns as one of the most dynamic floor performers nationally, as she ranked No. 33 in the NCAA, No. 5 in the region and No. 6 in the Big 12 Conference in 2018 with a 9.9 RQS. The lineup's anchor in all 13 meets last season, she scored 9.8 or better in all but three meets and tallied 9.9 or better four times, including a career-best 9.95 showing. Koshinski ranks No. 6 in WVU program history with 13 career floor scores of 9.9 or better.
Tun is expected to precede Koshinski in the 2019 lineup. She competed floor five times last year and finished with a season average of 9.73.
Kaufman and Fontaine finished second and fourth, respectively, last year with season averages of 9.79 and 9.761 and are expected to return to the lineup this season. Also looking to return is Linnen, who competed floor through the first five meets and hit for a career-best 9.85 twice.
"Erica has a new, fun routine which the crowd will love," Millick said.
Hornung and Abarca are expected to contribute immediately, while Merwin and Cumber could earn their first lineup spots since the 2017 season.
"There is a lot of different choreography this year – every routine is so unique," Millick added. "I took a new approach to choreography this year – I did it with each gymnast. Working with the gymnasts as we built these routines really helped, as I was able to see how they will look in the moment."
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/ GymnasticsAssistant Coach Kaylyn Millick | Intro
Tuesday, September 09
Assistant Coach Jessica Yamzon | Intro
Tuesday, September 09
Associate Head Coach Travis Doak | Intro
Tuesday, September 09
Head Coach Jason Butts | Intro
Tuesday, September 09
