Sunday, February 23
Morgantown, W.Va.
1:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
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Western Michigan
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Mountaineers Return to Coliseum Sunday
February 22, 2020 05:17 PM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team returns to the WVU Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 23, for its second competition of the weekend, a quad meet against Bowling Green, Towson and Western Michigan, at 1 p.m.
Sunday's meet also is Beauty and the Beast, and the WVU gymnastics and wrestling teams will compete simultaneously. The second-ever Mountaineer Fan Festival also will be held prior to the start of competition, with the Coliseum Gold Gate opening at 12 p.m. A fan meet-and-greet on the Coliseum concourse will cap the day's events.
Additionally, the first 500 Mountaineer Maniac students in attendance will receive free pizza and a giveaway item. Sunday also features special appearances by Mr. Twister, the face-painting and balloon animal artist, and Musket, the Mountaineer Kids Club's mascot. MKC members can pick up their t-shirts the day of the event.
One ticket gains fans admittance into Mountaineer Fan Fest and the Beauty and the Beast competition. Tickets are on sale now at WVUGAME.com and also will be available for purchase at the WVU Coliseum Gold Gate Ticket Office.
More information on the Mountaineer Fan Festival can be found HERE.
"I'm excited for Sunday because it is a lot of fun for the fans," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "It provides a great family atmosphere, and it's a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I'm excited for that, and I'm excited for our second home meet. We've been traveling so much, so we are excited to be back in the Coliseum. The more excitement there is, especially with an event like this, the better the team does. They love the crowd, the noise and the fan fair that comes with it, so I'm definitely excited for Sunday."
West Virginia will compete at home for the first time since its home opener on Jan. 26. The Mountaineers are 2-0 at the WVU Coliseum this season. Sunday also marks WVU's third quad meet of the year, and the Mountaineers are 6-4 in multi-team meets.
West Virginia owns winning marks against all three opponents. WVU is 9-5 against Bowling Green, 25-11 against Towson and 4-0 against Western Michigan.
WVU's last meeting against BGSU took place at the 2016 NCAA Regionals in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Mountaineers placed fifth with a 194.25 total, while the Falcons finished in sixth with a score of 193.85. West Virginia and Towson last met in 2018, with the Mountaineers earning a pair of regular-season victories in a home-and-away series. The Mountaineers have not competed against the Broncos since 2013.
WVU will start competition on vault for the third time this season and is 2-0 when opening on the event. West Virginia's complete rotation order is vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
West Virginia most recently earned a big win against its regional rival Pitt, 194.925-194.575, on Feb. 21, at Fitzgerald Field House, in Pittsburgh. The Mountaineers hit 23-for-24 routines and earned a 48.675-48.475 edge over the Panthers on vault, a 48.875-48.4 win on bars and a 49.0-48.875 victory on floor. Pitt claimed the beam win, 48.825-48.375.
Individually, freshman Abbie Pierson matched her career high and scored a 9.9 on vault for the first time since the Mountaineers' 2020 season opener on Jan. 11, winning the event outright. Sophomore Rachel Hornung paced the Mountaineers on beam with a season-high mark of 9.85 and tied for first overall, while classmate Kendra Combs tied for first on floor with a 9.85 total.
Bowling Green also competed in a dual meet on Friday, falling to Mid-American Conference (MAC) foe Central Michigan, 195.4-191.85, at the Anderson Arena, in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Towson most recently earned a second-place finish at Pitt's tri-meet on Feb. 15. The Tigers defeated Yale, 193.2-193.05, but suffered a 194.7-193.2 loss to host Pitt. Western Michigan suffered its first dual meet setback of the season with a 195.9-194.85 loss at No. 23 Illinois on Feb. 14. WMU's overall score marked the fifth time this season it has topped 194.8.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Sunday's meet also is Beauty and the Beast, and the WVU gymnastics and wrestling teams will compete simultaneously. The second-ever Mountaineer Fan Festival also will be held prior to the start of competition, with the Coliseum Gold Gate opening at 12 p.m. A fan meet-and-greet on the Coliseum concourse will cap the day's events.
Additionally, the first 500 Mountaineer Maniac students in attendance will receive free pizza and a giveaway item. Sunday also features special appearances by Mr. Twister, the face-painting and balloon animal artist, and Musket, the Mountaineer Kids Club's mascot. MKC members can pick up their t-shirts the day of the event.
One ticket gains fans admittance into Mountaineer Fan Fest and the Beauty and the Beast competition. Tickets are on sale now at WVUGAME.com and also will be available for purchase at the WVU Coliseum Gold Gate Ticket Office.
More information on the Mountaineer Fan Festival can be found HERE.
"I'm excited for Sunday because it is a lot of fun for the fans," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "It provides a great family atmosphere, and it's a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I'm excited for that, and I'm excited for our second home meet. We've been traveling so much, so we are excited to be back in the Coliseum. The more excitement there is, especially with an event like this, the better the team does. They love the crowd, the noise and the fan fair that comes with it, so I'm definitely excited for Sunday."
West Virginia will compete at home for the first time since its home opener on Jan. 26. The Mountaineers are 2-0 at the WVU Coliseum this season. Sunday also marks WVU's third quad meet of the year, and the Mountaineers are 6-4 in multi-team meets.
West Virginia owns winning marks against all three opponents. WVU is 9-5 against Bowling Green, 25-11 against Towson and 4-0 against Western Michigan.
WVU's last meeting against BGSU took place at the 2016 NCAA Regionals in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Mountaineers placed fifth with a 194.25 total, while the Falcons finished in sixth with a score of 193.85. West Virginia and Towson last met in 2018, with the Mountaineers earning a pair of regular-season victories in a home-and-away series. The Mountaineers have not competed against the Broncos since 2013.
WVU will start competition on vault for the third time this season and is 2-0 when opening on the event. West Virginia's complete rotation order is vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
West Virginia most recently earned a big win against its regional rival Pitt, 194.925-194.575, on Feb. 21, at Fitzgerald Field House, in Pittsburgh. The Mountaineers hit 23-for-24 routines and earned a 48.675-48.475 edge over the Panthers on vault, a 48.875-48.4 win on bars and a 49.0-48.875 victory on floor. Pitt claimed the beam win, 48.825-48.375.
Individually, freshman Abbie Pierson matched her career high and scored a 9.9 on vault for the first time since the Mountaineers' 2020 season opener on Jan. 11, winning the event outright. Sophomore Rachel Hornung paced the Mountaineers on beam with a season-high mark of 9.85 and tied for first overall, while classmate Kendra Combs tied for first on floor with a 9.85 total.
Bowling Green also competed in a dual meet on Friday, falling to Mid-American Conference (MAC) foe Central Michigan, 195.4-191.85, at the Anderson Arena, in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Towson most recently earned a second-place finish at Pitt's tri-meet on Feb. 15. The Tigers defeated Yale, 193.2-193.05, but suffered a 194.7-193.2 loss to host Pitt. Western Michigan suffered its first dual meet setback of the season with a 195.9-194.85 loss at No. 23 Illinois on Feb. 14. WMU's overall score marked the fifth time this season it has topped 194.8.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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Assistant Coach Jessica Yamzon | Intro
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Associate Head Coach Travis Doak | Intro
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Head Coach Jason Butts | Intro
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