AMES, Iowa – Despite not counting a fall, the No 25-ranked West Virginia University gymnastics team finished fourth at the 2018 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship with a 195.625 score this afternoon at Iowa State's Hilton Coliseum.
 
No. 1-ranked Oklahoma claimed its seventh straight Big 12 title with a 197.775 score. No. 13 Denver placed second with a 197.075 score, and the host Cyclones finished in third place with a 195.65 score.
 
WVU's score was its second-best earned at a Big 12 Championship away from Morgantown.
 
"I think today put us on good footing as we prepare for the regional championships," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "We opened the meet with a fall on bars, and you could feel the oxygen get sucked out of the room. The next five gymnasts got up and hit their routines though, and that's the kind of fight we need to be ready for regionals.
 
"We had a few bumps, and we gave away some tenths here and there. The performance could have been better, and their score could have been better, but overall their attitude was great. They fought back several times, and that's all we can ask for as we move forward this postseason."
 
The Mountaineers (13-13, 0-6) finished as high as third place on uneven bars with a 49.025 total. WVU placed fourth on vault (49.05), floor (49.025) and balance beam (48.525).
 
"I told this team as soon as the meet was over – the power of waves is in their consistency," Butt said. "This team has fought for that consistency. Maybe today wasn't exactly where they want to be, but it was a step in the right direction. It's incredible to go this far into a season without counting a fall. We're really proud of them, and we're going to keep that going as we continue to prepare for regionals."
 
The Mountaineers started the meet strong on uneven bars, finishing with a 49.025 total, their third-best score of the season. Senior Zaakira Muhammad anchored the lineup with a 9.875 and finished in ninth place with the fourth-best score of the day. A trio of Mountaineers finished in 16th place, as senior Jordan Gillette, junior Jaquie Tun and sophomore Chloe Cluchey each scored 9.8. Sophomore Abby Kaufman added a career-best 9.75 and placed 21st.
 
The Sooners' Nicole Lehrmann won bars with a 9.975 total.
 
WVU scored 48.525 on balance beam in the second rotation. Gillette and junior Carly Galpin paced the Mountaineers with matching 9.775 marks, good enough for 10th place. Junior Kirah Koshinski and freshman McKenna Linnen tallied 9.7 scores and tied for 18th place, while Kaufman chipped in a 9.575.
 
DU's Kaitlyn Schou earned the beam conference title with a 9.925.
 
All five counting Mountaineers scored 9.775 or better on floor in the third rotation, giving WVU a 49.025 total. Koshinski scored 9.875, the second-best mark awarded tonight, and tied for sixth place. Gillette and Cluchey tallied 9.8s and placed 13th, while Muhammad and Kaufman added marks of 9.775.
 
Five gymnasts scored 9.9 and tied for the floor victory: ISU's Haylee Young, DU's Maddie Karr and OU's Brenna Dowell, Anastasia Webb and Maggie Nichols.
 
Ranked 13th nationally, the Mountaineers tallied 49.05 on vault in the final rotation. Koshinski tied for fifth place with a 9.875 score, the fourth-best mark of the day. Muhammad and senior Robyn Bernard tied for 10th place with 9.825 marks. Sophomore Julia Merwin scored 9.775 and placed 16th, while Cluchey matched her season high of 9.75 for WVU's fifth counting score.
 
Karr and AJ Jackson of Oklahoma tied for the vault title with 9.95s.  
 
Muhammad competed in the all-around for the second straight week and finished ninth with a 38.75 score. Nichols finished first overall with a 39.675.
 
"Some people may say a team could leave this meet with its head down, but I say it's chin up," Butts added. "Everything is working the way it's supposed to be working, and we'll use this as our inspiration to get ready for regionals."
 
Based on their current regional qualifying score of 196.07, the Mountaineers have qualified for the 2018 NCAA Regional Championships. WVU will learn its seed and regional site when the NCAA Selection Show airs Monday, March 26, at 4 p.m., on NCAA.com.