TOWSON, Md. – In history-making fashion, the West Virginia University gymnastics team swept the competition at Towson's five-squad meet this afternoon, scoring a season-best 196.775 and earning four victories inside the SECU Arena.
 
No. 23-ranked NC State finished second with a 196.55 score, while the host Tigers placed third with a 196.4 mark. Cornell placed fourth with a 193.475, and William & Mary finished in fifth place with a 192.825.
 
Today's win over the Wolfpack (18-8, 6-1 EAGL) is WVU's first over a ranked opponent this season.
 
The Mountaineers' (13-10, 0-3) score ranks No. 9 in program history and is the team's top road mark since scoring 197.05 at the 2004 EAGL Championship. With today's total, the Mountaineers become the first team in the program's history to score 196.0 or better in three roads meets in one season.
 
"I could tell when we got to the arena today that this team was going to bring excitement to the meet," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "We opened our warmups with such a great attitude. It's hard to open on floor, but I thought we did a great job – that rotation paced us through the whole meet. Any time we faced adversity, we pushed through. 
 
"We broke records today, and this team now believes it can do that each week. There's no end in sight for this team – we just need to keep climbing."
 
WVU finished first outright on balance beam and vault with scores of 49.25, a season high, and 49.15, respectively. The team tied for first on uneven bars with a 49.15 and placed third on floor with a 49.3.
 
"Consistency is one of this team's pillars of success," Butts added. "This team has bought into that fight and mentality. They want to be consistent all season long, and they're proving it. It's nice to work with a team who does exactly what you ask them to do in the gym. I'm so proud of them."
 
 
Senior Zaakira Muhammad returned to the all-around in a big way, scoring a career-high 39.575 and finishing first overall with the sixth-best score in program history. The total is WVU's top all-around mark since 2004.
 
"She had an incredible day," Butts said of Muhammad. "We always want our seniors doing their best gymnastics, and she stepped up time and time again today. She refocused our lineups and showed her leadership throughout the day. She's showing what consistency in training can bring to the meet."
 
The Mountaineers secured the four wins in the fifth rotation with season-best 49.2 on beam, 0.075 points better than the team's previous high of 49.125, set on March 11. Muhammad anchored the event with a career high, winning 9.925. The mark is WVU's top individual beam score of the season. Senior Jordan Gillette scored a career-best 9.875 and finished in fourth place, while sophomore Abby Kaufman tallied a season-best 9.85 and placed sixth. Junior Kirah Koshinski earned 9.825 and placed 10th, and freshman McKenna Linnen opened the rotation with a 9.775, good enough for 14th place.
 
"Ending on beam is a hard event to conclude a meet on – you have to keep your concentration through all the distractions. It's especially tough when you're as excited as we were," Butt said. "This team stepped up and got the job done today."
 
The Mountaineers jumped into first place in the opening rotation, scoring 49.3 on floor, their second-best mark of the year and top road score. Koshinski again provided the team's exclamation point, scoring 9.925 and finishing tied for first place. The mark matches her second-best score of the season; she has scored 9.9 or better on the event four times this season. Sophomore Chloe Cluchey returned to the lineup and tallied a season-best 9.875, good enough for fourth place, while Muhammad and Kaufman tied for 10th place with 9.85s, a career-best matching mark for Kaufman. Additionally, sophomore Erica Fontaine opened the rotation with a 9.8, her best score since Feb. 18, and senior Jordan Gillette tallied a 9.775.
 
Following a bye in the second rotation, two big vaults at the end of the lineup pushed WVU to a 49.15 showing in the third rotation. Koshinski anchored with a career-high matching 9.95 and won the event outright. The Berwick, Pennsylvania, native has earned the score twice this season, and she has scored below 9.9 just once since Feb. 10. Muhammad preceded Koshinski in the lineup and earned her own career-high matching score, a 9.9, and finished in second place. The Pennsauken, New Jersey, native previously earned the mark at Iowa State on Feb. 2. Sophomore Julia Merwin scored 9.825 and tied for fifth place, while senior Robyn Bernard finished in ninth place with a 9.775. Cluchey chipped in a 9.7.
 
For the second straight week, WVU scored 49.0+ on bars, as the Mountaineers tallied 49.075 in the fourth rotation. Muhammad continued her domination on the meet, anchoring the lineup with a career-high matching 9.9, good enough for a share of first place; she earned the mark for the third time of her career and the first time since March 3, 2017. Gillette added her own career-high score, a 9.85, to finish in fourth place. Cluchey and Tun added 9.8s and tied for sixth place, and Bernard finished with a 9.725 score.
 
The Mountaineers travel to Ames, Iowa, next weekend for the 2018 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship, set for Saturday, March 24, at Iowa State's Hilton Coliseum, at 5 p.m. EST.