WVU Explodes for Season-Best Road Score

Sunday, March 8

Iowa City, Iowa

2:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

196.175

196.75

Iowa

Photo by: Katie MacCrory

March 08, 2020 05:19 PM | Gymnastics

Results

By: Amy Salvatore

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Three 49.0+ event performances propelled the West Virginia University gymnastics team to a season-high road score in a 196.75-196.175 loss at Iowa on Sunday afternoon, at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena, in Iowa City.

The Mountaineers (11-8, 0-2 Big 12) finished second to the Hawkeyes (7-9, 2-7 Big Ten) on every event but balance beam. WVU ended the meet with a 49.025 on beam. In addition to its win on beam, WVU scored a season-high 49.0 on uneven bars and matched its season high on vault with a 48.9. The Mountaineers also scored 49.25 on floor exercise.

"This is exactly what we needed to do today," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "This will help our NQS for the postseason tremendously. It also builds confidence with the team. I couldn't have asked for a better day. This is what we trained for. They came out and hit 24-for-24 routines, and the scores reflected that."

Freshman Emily Holmes-Hackerd competed on beam for the first time in her Mountaineer career and won the event outright with a 9.875 total. She also tied for fourth overall on floor with a personal-best mark of 9.85.

"Emily is doing exactly what we know she can do," Butts said. "She embodied the whole Mountaineer spirit today. She had a slow start this year due to injury, but she stayed in the game and worked really hard to get to where she is. We needed that from her today."

WVU tallied a season-high total in the first rotation on bars, as four gymnasts scored 9.8 or better to put the squad's score at 49.0. Freshman Kayla Yancey finished in a three-way tie for second with a personal-best score of 9.85. Kayla Yancey bested her previous mark of 9.775 and earned her second podium finish on the event. Sophomores Esperanza Abarca and Kendra Combs and freshman Kianna Yancey finished with matching 9.8s in a tie for eighth. Senior Chloe Cluchey added a 9.75 mark, and sophomore Rachel Hornung anchored the lineup with a 9.725 score.

UI's Ellie Rogers finished first on bars with a 9.875 score.

The Mountaineers matched their season high on vault for the fifth time this season, scoring 48.9 in the second rotation. Freshman Abbie Pierson paced WVU with a 9.875 in the anchor position to tie for second overall. Junior Michelle Waldron and Kayla Yancey tied for sixth with matching 9.775s. Kayla Yancey's mark also was a career high. Kianna Yancey placed ninth with a 9.75, while seniors Abby Kaufman and Julia Merwin rounded out the Mountaineers in the event standings with 9.725s in a tie for 10th.

UI's Lauren Guerin won vault outright with a 9.9.

WVU tallied its highest team total of the day in the third rotation, as five Mountaineers scored 9.8 or better for a 49.25 showing on floor. Of note, West Virginia has scored 49.0 or higher for the fifth consecutive meet and sixth time this season. Pierson anchored the lineup and paced the Mountaineers with a career-high 9.925 mark and placed second. Junior McKenna Linnen and Holmes-Hackerd tied for fourth overall with matching 9.85s. Cluchey finished ninth with a 9.825, followed by senior Erica Fontaine in 10th with a 9.8. Kaufman added a 9.725 and placed 11th.

Guerin took home her second event title of the day on floor with a 9.95 score.

The Mountaineers clinched their big road score on balance beam in the fourth rotation, recording a 49.0+ team score for the third straight meet. Holmes-Hackerd came through in the anchor position and won the event outright with a 9.875. Kaufman and Abarca tied for fourth with 9.8s, while Pierson and Hornung scored matching 9.775s and tied for eighth. Linnen opened the rotation and added a mark of 9.425.

With the loss, WVU drops to 2-3 all-time against the Hawkeyes.

"It's not easy starting the meet on bars and ending on beam, especially know the potential that we have," Butts said. "We are where we need to be, performance wise, this time of year, and that's what we need to focus."

Looking ahead, the Mountaineers will close their regular-season slate at home on Friday, March 13. WVU plays host to Penn, Maryland and Kentucky in a quad meet at 7 p.m. ET.

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