AMES, Iowa – The West Virginia University gymnastics team opens its Big 12 Conference slate at No. 24 Iowa State on Friday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. EST, inside Hilton Coliseum.
 
The squads also will compete against Northern Illinois and Yale, and the competition is the Mountaineers' (3-3) first quad meet of the season.
 
"I'm looking forward to officially reaching our Big 12 portion of the schedule," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "Iowa State is a talented team, and I think it's going to be an exciting meet. Friday's meet will give us our first look at what we can expect at the Big 12 Gymnastics Championship in March."
 
The Mountaineers are 2-0 on the road this season and 3-1 in multi-team meets. WVU finished the 2017 season at 3-3 in the Big 12.
 
WVU and ISU (6-1, 0-1) have met 12 times, and the Mountaineers own a 6-5-1 all-time record, taking the series lead in 2017 with a pair of victories, including a 195.95-195.725 win at the WVU Coliseum on Feb. 26. In their last meeting in Ames, the No. 23 Mountaineers were edged by the Cyclones, 195.3-195.2, on Feb. 5, 2016.
 
Of note, first-year WVU assistant coach Shea Anderson was a four-year letterwinner (2009-12) at ISU.
 
The Mountaineers and the Huskies (1-6, 0-2 MAC) have met only once before, a 188.175-187.9 WVU victory at Texas Woman's University in 1994.
 
WVU is 5-0 all-time against Yale (3-4, 0-1 Ivy), and the two teams have not met since 2007.
 
Standing just outside this week's Road to Nationals Rankings at No. 27 with a 195.188 season average, the Mountaineers earned their first road wins of the 2018 season with a first place, 195.05 victory at UC Davis on Jan. 26. Junior Kirah Koshinski earned a pair of wins, matching her season-high vault score of 9.9 and tallying 9.875 on floor. With the wins, she shows a team-best 25 career victories. Senior Jordan Gillette tied for the floor win, her first career victory on the event, and the mark matched her career best.
 
"We had a quick turn around this week due to travel," Butts added. "This week is all about addressing some areas where we can continue to improve and making sure we feel confident in our lineups. We will be looking for another win on the road, as well as reaching our score potential away from Morgantown."
 
Koshinski, a native of Berwick, Pennsylvania, ranks No. 23 nationally on vault with a 9.862 season average. Senior Zaakira Muhammad is nationally ranked in the all-around with a 39.1 average.
 
Last week, ISU earned a 195.275-191.05 win over Texas Woman's University on Jan. 26 in Ames. Three gymnasts scored 9.825 on beam, and senior Haylee Young finished first in the all-around with a 39.3 mark.
 
The Cyclones rank No. 24 nationally, No. 3 in the Big 12, with a 195.219 average. ISU also is nationally ranked No. 15 (48.969 avg.) on vault. Young ranks No. 22 in the all-around (39.275 avg.) and No. 36 on vault (9.844 avg.).
 
NIU dropped a 195.65-194.95 decision to No. 19 Central Michigan on Jan. 28, at the NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb, Illinois. Senior Ashley Potts won the all-around with a career-high 39.35 score and also finished first on beam (9.9) and second on vault (9.8) and bars (9.875) en route to Mid-American Conference Gymnast of the Week honors.
 
The Huskies rank as high as No. 29 nationally on bars (48.681 avg.). Potts ranks No. 48 (9.837 avg.) on the event.
 
The Bulldogs scored a season-high 192.05 in a third-place showing at Towson on Jan. 27. Four gymnasts set or matched season highs on vault, pushing the team to a 48.4 total, the sixth-best score in program history.