MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics and wrestling teams conclude their 2017-18 home seasons at the WVU Coliseum with the Beauty and the Beast meet on Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m.
 
The Mountaineer gymnasts will compete against Pitt and Maryland, while the wrestlers will face Clarion. It's also Senior Day for both squads, and following the competitions, the teams will honor gymnasts Robyn Bernard, Jordan Gillette and Zaakira Muhammad, and wrestlers Jacob A. Smith and Parker VonEgidy.
 
Prior to the competition, the first-ever Mountaineer Fan Festival will be held on the WVU Coliseum concourse. Doors open at 12:30 p.m., and fans can meet their favorite Mountaineers at several exciting activity stations, including a selfie station with members of the WVU football team, featuring Will Grier, Dravon Askew-Henry and David Long Jr.
 
Upon entrance, all fans are encouraged to pick up their passport for the day. Passports will be stamped at each station, and completed passports may be turned into the WVU athletic marketing staff at the Gold Gate for five grand-prize drawings.
 
The first 800 fans Sunday will receive a free Beauty and the Beast t-shirt courtesy of United Bank and the Mountaineer Maniacs. Additionally, Mr. Twister will provide balloon art and face painting.
 
One ticket gains fans admittance into both events. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youths and senior citizens and $2 for groups of 10 or more. WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU Student I.D. Tickets are on sale now at WVUGAME.com and will be available for purchase at the WVU Coliseum Gold Gate Ticket Office.
 
To provide a safer environment for Mountaineer fans and to expedite entry into all ticketed WVU athletic events, the West Virginia Department of Intercollegiate Athletics enforces the NFL's Clear Bag Policy. The athletic department invites and encourages fans to visit WVUsports.com/clearbag for more information, to view pictures of permissible and non-permissible items and to obtain answers to frequently asked questions about the clear bag policy.
 
"Our team is so excited to be back at home after three pretty hard road meets," Mountaineer gymnastics coach Jason Butts said. "The fact that it's Beauty and the Beast and a large crowd should be behind us – we couldn't ask for more for our final home meet of the season. It's a fun meet."
 
"I'm excited for Sunday. I think it's going to be a huge success," WVU wrestling coach Sammie Henson said. "Having all the WVU varsity teams at the first-ever Mountaineer Fan Festival before the meet begins means a lot to me. It means that we are supportive of each other. Mountaineers support each other, and that's a great thing to have. I'm just happy that the administration was able to pull this off, and I'm looking forward to it."
 
The Mountaineer gymnasts return to the WVU Coliseum on the heels of three straight road meets. WVU (5-6, 0-2) ranks No. 31 in this week's Road to Nationals Rankings with a 195.117 season average. The Mountaineers have scored 195.0 or better in four meets, including a season-best 195.875 mark in a loss to No. 14 Arizona State (196.475) on Jan. 14 at the WVU Coliseum.
 
"There's a lot on the line for this team Sunday," Butts added. "The gymnasts have worked really hard in Cary Gym this week, and they're ready to prove themselves, especially on bars and beam."
 
WVU is 59-13-2 all-time against Pitt (4-7, 3-1 EAGL) and 39-18-1 against UMD (7-5, 2-3 Big Ten). Sunday is the Mountaineers' first of three meetings with the Panthers this season.
 
Eight of the 14 Mountaineer gymnasts who have competed this season have reached the podium. Muhammad and junior Kirah Koshinski pace with seven podium finishes each, and Koshinski has earned a team-best four event wins.
 
The duo is nationally ranked on vault this week. Koshinski again moved up four sports and sits at No. 14 with a 9.871 average. Muhammad shows a 9.84 average and ranks No. 48.
 
In their last outing, the Mountaineers tallied 194.925 and finished third at No. 12 Denver on Feb. 10. The Pioneers finished first with a 196.725 mark, while No. 21 George Washington scored 195.95 and placed second. The Mountaineers tallied a season-high 49.175 mark on vault, paced by Koshinski's second place, season-high matching 9.9 score. The Berwick, Pennsylvania, native also finished a team-best fourth on floor with a 9.85 score. Muhammad and freshman Sydney Marler tied for 10th on bars with 9.775 totals, a career-best matching score for Marler. Sophomore Abby Kaufman paced on beam and finished 10th overall with a 9.75.  
 
The Mountaineer wrestling team brings a 24-14-2 series lead into Sunday's match at the WVU Coliseum in a series that dates back to 1979. The Mountaineers have won seven straight over the Golden Eagles, including a 22- 10 win in their regular-season finale last season at Tippin Gym, in Clarion, Pennsylvania.
 
West Virginia dropped a 21-15 dual to Edinboro in its final road match of the season on Thursday at McComb Fieldhouse, in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. The Mountaineers claimed four of 10 matches, with Smith winning by forfeit at 197 pounds to bring West Virginia within three at 18-15. All eyes then turned to the heavyweight bout for the second time this year, as sophomore Brandon Ngati went head-to-head with his fifth ranked opponent of the season in No. 14 Billy Miller. The Mountaineers could not sustain another come-from-behind victory, though, as Ngati dropped a 4-0 decision to give Edinboro the 21-15 team win. Junior Christian Monserrat picked up his 16th win of the season with a 2-1 decision over Edinboro's Nate Hagan at 141 pounds. Redshirt freshman Kyler Rea won his third straight match, claiming a 4-1 decision over Jensen Lorea at 149 pounds, and freshman Brenden McRill won a 5-0 decision over Zach Ancewicz at 184 pounds.
 
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 1-1 performance in East Lansing, Michigan, on Friday. Clarion dropped a 22-12 match to Michigan State, but bounced back in its second dual of the evening, for the 18-12 win over Eastern Michigan.
 
Of note, the squad clinched its first winning dual season in 15 years with a 30-9 victory over Bloomsburg on Feb. 9. Individually, redshirt junior Brock Zacherl ranks fifth in the nation. He is currently on a 44-match win streak in dual bouts, having not lost a dual match since his redshirt freshman season of 2015-16. Jake Gromacki (125) and Greg Bulsak (184) also join Zacherl in the top 33 of their respective weight classes in the second NCAA Division I Wrestling Coaches' Panel Rankings of the year, released on Feb. 8.
 
Three Mountaineers also check-in to the NCAA coaches' panel rankings, as redshirt junior Zeke Moisey leads the way, ranking 16th overall at 125 pounds. Schmitt comes in at No. 33 at 133 pounds, moving up two spots from his previous rank of No. 32 in the rankings released on Jan. 18. Additionally, Smith appears at No. 21 in his respective weight class of 197 pounds.
 
Of note, Moisey paces the Mountaineers with 35 match points and 26 takedowns on the year, winning four of his last five duals.