Mountaineers Shine at Beauty and the Beast

Sunday, February 23

Morgantown, W.Va.

1:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

196.0

195.075

Western Michigan

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

February 23, 2020 06:12 PM | Gymnastics

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By: Amy Salvatore

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A season-high score on balance beam helped the West Virginia University gymnastics team sweep the competition on Sunday afternoon with a 196.0 showing in the program's sixth Beauty and the Beast Meet held at the WVU Coliseum.

Western Michigan (7-5, 5-0 MAC) finished second overall with a 195.075 score, and Bowling Green (6-8, 0-5 MAC) placed third with a 194.225 mark. Towson (6-6, 1-3 EAGL) totaled 193.425 and finished fourth.

The Mountaineers (10-6, 0-2 Big 12) nearly swept the event wins, finishing first on uneven bars (48.875), beam (49.175) and floor exercise (49.125). WVU also finished second on vault (48.825).

The Broncos won vault with a score of 48.85.

"We just have to keep doing what we're doing," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "I told them that we can do this on the road. It doesn't matter that we were at home. This team travels well. We have to be a self-contained squad. We have to go to these competitions regardless if it is at the WVU Coliseum or on the road. We just have to go there and do the gymnastics that we know how to do.

"We were kind of waiting for that magic moment today, and it happened for us on beam. We must keep that energy going, and it flowed over for us today on floor. This is an extremely talented team, and we can do that exact same thing, week-in and week-out."

Sophomore Esperanza Abarca took home the beam title for the first time in her career with a personal-best mark of 9.9. The Colony, Texas, native was the first gymnast to post a 9.9 or better since freshman Abbie Pierson's routine in the Mountaineers' 2020 season opener on Jan. 11.

Additionally, senior Chloe Cluchey and sophomore Kendra Combs tied for the event win on floor with matching 9.875s.

WVU opened the meet on vault, as Pierson paced the Mountaineers on the event with a 9.825 mark for second place. The New Kensington, Pennsylvania, native has earned a 9.8 or better four times this season and three times in the last five meets. Junior McKenna Linnen and Cluchey tied for sixth with matching 9.775s. Linnen's mark was a career high, as she competed on vault for the first time this season. Senior Abby Kaufman and freshman Kianna Yancey tied for 13th place with 9.725s. Senior Julia Merwin added a 9.675 total and tied for 19th overall.

Bowling Green's Jovannah East won the event with a 9.85 mark.

Abarca opened the bars rotation with a 9.8 and tied for second. A trio of gymnasts scored 9.775 and tied for sixth: junior Sydney Marler, Kianna Yancey and Combs. Marler matched her season high in the tie. Cluchey and freshman Kayla Yancey added marks of 9.75 and 9.6, respectively.

East also took home the bars title with a score of 9.825.

Four scores of 9.8 or better helped the Mountaineers secure their season-high beam showing in the third rotation. Abarca anchored the lineup with a career-high 9.9 mark and placed first. Combs finished in second place with a 9.875, good enough for a career-high, while sophomore Rachel Hornung recorded a season-high matching 9.85 and tied for third. Kaufman tallied 9.8 and tied for eighth, and Pierson tied for 13th with a 9.75. Linnen scored 9.5 in the lineup's No. 1 position.

"I told the team after beam that I was waiting for that magic moment to happen," Butts said. "It's been an event that has been a frustrating struggle for us because we have so much talent, but it came through today. Everyone in that lineup has been in the lineup before, so we have been making changes in the way that we train, and it worked.

"Friday night was a little bit frustrating on that event. We had a lot of stumbles, but for them to come in here and have the day that they had, that was great to see. We just have to keep recreating that moment."

WVU also recorded a 49.0+ on floor for the third consecutive meet and fourth time this season, totaling 49.125 in the event win. Combs and Cluchey shared the floor title with matching 9.875s, while Pierson scored 9.825 for the third straight meet and tied for fourth. Linnen placed eighth with a 9.8, and senior Erica Fontaine tied for 10th place with a 9.75. Freshman Emily Holmes-Hackerd made her Mountaineer debut in the anchor position, scoring 9.6.

With today's wins, WVU improves to 26-11 all-time against Towson, 10-5 against BGSU and 5-0 against WMU.

Of note, today was WVU's sixth Beauty and the Beast Meet. The Mountaineers' attendance of 2250 was the 13th-best mark in program history.

"I would love to do it (Beauty and the Beast) every year," Butts said. "I love the event. I think it is a fun event for families on a Sunday afternoon, especially with all the other teams up on the concourse beforehand. It's great for the fans, and our team really enjoys it."

Looking ahead, the Wendy M. Roach Invitational is set for Sunday, March 1, as West Virginia welcomes Rutgers and Pitt to the WVU Coliseum at 2 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to Color the Coliseum for Cancer by wearing the color that represents the cancer advocacy of their choosing. The Mountaineers will wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.

Additionally, Mountaineer Maniac students will receive a free giveaway item in honor of its annual "Maniacs Yard Sale" event, and Mr. Twister will be in attendance on the concourse.

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.