MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Five scores of 9.8 or better on floor helped push the West Virginia University gymnastics team to a first place, 194.925 showing in its home season opener this afternoon at the WVU Coliseum.
 
The Mountaineers (8-2, 0-1) swept their competition for the third consecutive week, as Kent State finished second (194.45) and George Washington finished third (194.125). WVU's win over the Colonials was the team's first since 2014.
 
Sitting in third place after a 48.275 showing on balance beam in the third rotation, the Mountaineers recovered on floor in the last rotation, as WVU's five counting scores were the top-five marks awarded today and pushed the home team to a meet-best 49.25 team total, WVU's second-highest mark of the season.
 
"Our floor lineup is amazing and nationally ranked. I knew we could make up some tenths on that event," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "They turned in some amazing performances – all six of them – to give us this win."
 
The Mountaineers won vault with a 48.875 total. WVU finished second on balance beam (48.275) and third on uneven bars (48.525).
 
"Today was great. We were a little tentative, which surprised me a bit, but once we got on a roll we got going," Butts added. "There were still some little mistakes, so we need to come out next weekend and not be as tentative. It's always good to get the nerves out of the way and get a win at home."
 
A WVU gymnast finished first on every event today, including wins on vault and floor for senior Kirah Koshinski, as the Berwick, Pennsylvania, native tallied 9.9 on both events. Koshinski continues to rank No. 2 in program history with 37 career scores of 9.9 or better. She shows 21 career vault scores of 9.9 or better and needs two more scores to tie TeShawne Jackson (2000-03) for the program record. Additionally, with 16 career floor scores of 9.9 or better, she ranks No. 3 in program history, needing one more mark to move into a second-place tie with Kristen Macrie (1999-02).
 
Senior Jaquie Tun tied for the floor win with a career-high matching 9.9. The Chattanooga, Tennessee, native also tallied a season-best 9.8 on uneven bars and finished tied for first with freshman Esperanza Abarca, who earned the career-best mark for the fourth consecutive week. Additionally, senior Carly Galpin tied for the beam victory with a season-high 9.8.
 
The Mountaineers opened the meet with a 48.875 showing on vault, their second-best score of the season. Koshinski's win was her third in as many meets. Tun finished second overall with a 9.775 score, while sophomore Michelle Waldron and freshman Rachel Hornung placed fourth with 9.75s. Junior Abby Kaufman tallied 9.7 and tied for ninth place.
 
WVU's 48.525 showing on bars in the second rotation also was its second-best mark of the season. Abarca's win was her second in as many meets, while Tun finished first on bars for the first time this season and the fifth time in her career. Kaufman and junior Chloe Cluchey tied for 13th place with 9.65 scores, and freshman Kendra Combs earned a 9.625 mark in her career debut.
 
Galpin's win on beam, her first of the season and the seventh of her career, highlighted WVU's 48.275 event showing. Koshinski finished seventh overall with a 9.7, and Hornung finished 10th with a 9.65. Kaufman and sophomore McKenna Linnen chipped in scores of 9.6 and 9.525, respectively.
 
WVU's senior anchors on floor continue to set the standard. Koshinski has won the event title each meet this season and scored below 9.9 just once, while Tun has finished on the podium in all four meets and tallied a career-high 9.9 twice. Kaufman and Hornung finished fourth overall with matching season-best 9.825 scores, and Linnen opened the lineup with a 9.8 total, good enough for sixth place.
 
Competing in the all-around for the fourth time this season, Kaufman finished second with a 38.775 total. GW's Alexandra Zois took the all-around crown with a 38.95 score.
 
With the wins, WVU improves to 47-7 all-time against GW (2-4, 0-2 EAGL) and 22-9 against KSU (3-2).
 
The Mountaineers stay in Morgantown and return to the WVU Coliseum on Saturday, Feb. 2, for a Big 12 Conference tri meet against No. 7 Denver and Iowa State at 7 p.m. It's Military Appreciation Day, and free admission will be provided to all past and present military members who show their I.D. Family and guest of the military members will receive group-rate tickets of $3 at the door. Additionally, select concessions will be available for $1 each, and red, white and blue light-up wands will be given to the first 500 fans.