DENVER – The West Virginia University gymnastics team concludes a three-week swing away from Morgantown with a tri meet at No. 12 Denver, with No. 21 George Washington, on Saturday, Feb. 10, with action inside Hamilton Gymnasium set to begin at 8 p.m. EST.
Links for a video stream, produced by FloGymnastics, and live scores are available at WVUsports.com.
Saturday marks the Mountaineers' third meet in as many weeks against multiple opponents and second against a Big 12 Conference foe. WVU (5-4, 0-1) is 5-2 this season in meets featuring more than two teams and 0-1 in league action. It is DU's Big 12 opener.
"We are right where we need to be, gymnastics-wise, and in fact, the coaches believe this team is ahead, performance-wise," Mountaineer coach Jason Butt said. "What we want to focus on is taking ownership of our little steps and missed handstands. If we can't control the scoring, let's take away the opportunities to deduct points. We don't want this team to stress about perfection; instead, we want them to be proud and reclaim ownership of their routines."
The Mountaineers are 5-7 all-time against the Pioneers (8-1), who have been ranked in the top 20 in each of the teams' meetings since 2010. Conference foes since DU joined the Big 12 as an affiliate member in 2016, the Mountaineers dropped a 196.475-195.575 decision to the Pioneers at the 2017 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship on March 18 at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas.
"Denver has a lot of energy, and they always fill the stands," Butts noted. "It's a smaller arena, and with a lot of fans there, it will be loud. We're used to that. We thrive in loud, enthusiastic environments. I have heard from a lot of WVU alums, too, and we're looking forward to having a cheering section. It's going to be loud and intense, but I think Saturday will force us to focus as a team."
Saturday is the second meeting this season between WVU and GW (7-2, 2-0 EAGL). The Colonials earned the victory last month, defeating the Mountaineers, 195.575-195.4, on Jan. 21 at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers own a 46-5 edge in the all-time series.
Positioned at No. 27 in the Road to Nationals Rankings for the second straight week, WVU shows a 195.155 season average. The Mountaineers are nationally ranked No. 25 on balance beam with a 48.725 average, and junior
Kirah Koshinski ranks No. 19 nationally on vault with a 9.865 average.
The Mountaineers have hit 118-of-120 routines this year and show season highs of 49.0 or better on each event but uneven bars.
WVU continues Big 12 competition after opening its league slate with a 196.2-195.025 loss at No. 24 Iowa State on Feb. 2. The Mountaineers did earn a pair of wins at the meet, as Northern Illinois finished in third place (194.375) and Yale placed fourth (192.8). Included in WVU's showing were marks of 49.05 on vault and 48.775 on bars, the team's second-best scores of the season on each event.
Senior
Zaakira Muhammad tied for the vault win at ISU with a career-high matching 9.9. Juniors
Jaquie Tun and
Carly Galpin paced WVU on bars and beam, respectively, as each tallied a season-high 9.85. A trio of Mountaineers – senior
Jordan Gillette and sophomores
Erica Fontaine and
Abby Kaufman – finished a team-best fifth on floor with 9.775 scores.
The Pioneers most recently scored 196.75 and finished first in a quad meet at Hamilton Gymnasium on Feb. 3, defeating Ball State (195.45), No. 18 BYU (194.875) and Bowling Green (194.525). Sophomore Maddie Karr finished first in the all-around with a 39.625 mark, while freshman Lynzee Brown scored 39.475 and placed second.
Brown ranks No. 9 nationally in the all-around with a 39.405 average, and Karr sits at No. 15 with a 39.37 average. DU is nationally ranked No. 6 on vault (49.155 avg.) and beam (49.17 avg.), and No. 8 on floor (49.19 avg.).
The Colonials tallied a season-best 196.525 and finished first overall against Kent State (195.325), William & Mary (193.225) and UW-Oshkosh (190.975) at their Pink Meet on Feb. 4, inside the Charles E. Smith Center in Washington, D.C. Senior Jillian Winstanley finished second overall with a season-high 39.525 score, and included in her day was a winning 9.9 score on vault and second-place finishes on bars (9.875) and beam (9.875). She was named the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Gymnast of the Week for the second straight week and the third time this season.
