PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team overcame an early deficit to sweep the competition tonight at Pitt's Fitzgerald Field House with a 195.65 score.
 
The host Panthers scored 195.425 and finished in second place, and Ball State placed third with a 195.025 total.
 
Sitting in second place after opening the meet with a 48.625 on balance beam, the Mountaineers (15-5, 0-3) finished first on floor exercise, vault and uneven bars to power to their third win of the season over the Panthers and their fifth meet sweep of the year.
 
"I loved our energy. I felt like we were lacking a little bit on beam, and we challenged them and their energy level," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "They really brought the energy on floor, vault and bars. It's always nice to get another win over Pitt – we're 3-0 over them this season, and I'll take that.
 
"We hit 24 routines today. I liked our consistency, hard work and energy."
 
WVU's score is its second-best of the season and top mark earned away from Morgantown. The Mountaineers' 15 victories are the most for a team since WVU earned 21 in Butts' first season in 2012.
 
The Mountaineers opened the meet on balance beam for the third time this season. After suffering two falls in its last meet, WVU bounced back tonight and hit six-for-six for a 48.625 team total, the fourth-best mark of the season. Despite the solid score, WVU trailed Pitt out of the gate, as the Panthers earned 49.05 on vault.
 
Freshman Taylor Sell anchored the beam lineup with a career-high 9.775 and finished fourth overall. Sophomore McKenna Linnen opened the rotation with a 9.75, a score matched by freshman Rachel Hornung, and the duo placed seventh. Junior Abby Kaufman followed in the lineup with a 9.725, good enough for 10th place, and senior Kirah Koshinski added a 9.625.
 
WVU began to mount its comeback in the second rotation, scoring a meet-best 49.0 on floor exercise. Koshinski anchored the lineup and earned her seventh victory of the season with a 9.9 score. Senior Jaquie Tun tied for second place with a 9.825, and junior Erica Fontaine finished fourth with a 9.8. Kaufman scored 9.75 and tied for eighth place, while Linnen again opened the rotation, this time scoring 9.725 and placing 11th.
 
WVU tallied its second-best vault score of the season in the third rotation, earning a 49.075 mark. For the second time in as many weeks, the Mountaineers saw a 10.0 flashed, as Koshinski earned the mark, along with a 9.9, for a winning, career-high matching 9.95. Tun and Kaufman tied for sixth place with 9.8s, a career-best matching score for Kaufman, while junior Julia Merwin finished 10th with a 9.775. Hornung opened the lineup with a 9.75.
 
The Mountaineers closed the meet with a 48.95 showing on uneven bars, their top road score of the season. Tun tied for the event win, her third of the year, with a 9.85 mark. Freshman Esperanza Abarca opened the lineup with a career-high matching 9.825 and tied for third place, while sophomore Sydney Marler anchored with a career-best 9.8 and tied for fifth place. Freshman Kendra Combs placed ninth with a 9.75 total, and Kaufman and Merwin chipped in scores of 9.725 and 9.7, respectively.
 
"We were worried about that lineup in the fall, and we challenged them," Butts added. "They've been working so hard in the gym, and it's nice to see it pay off for them. We have nine routines who could go – I wish we could compete all nine of them, but we have to go with our six strongest."
 
After scoring a career-best 39.225 last week, Kaufman earned her first career all-around victory with a 39.0 total tonight.
 
With the wins, WVU improves to 64-14-2 all-time against Pitt (7-8, 1-3 EAGL) and 10-1 against Ball State (3-9, 2-2 MAC).
 
The Mountaineers take a short rest before welcoming No. 1-ranked Oklahoma to the WVU Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 24, at 2 p.m. It's the Wendy M. Roach Invitational, and fans are asked to Color the Coliseum for Cancer by wearing the color of the cancer advocacy they personally support.