Photo by: Seth Seebaugh
West Virginia Welcomes Pitt and TWU on Friday
February 10, 2022 11:18 AM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team (5-3, 0-2 Big 12) returns home for the first time since January to play host to Pitt and Texas Woman's on Friday, Feb. 11, inside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown. The meet is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Friday's competition is the Women's Empowerment Meet. From 6-7 p.m., women working in various occupations will have interactive stations set up throughout the Coliseum concourse in an effort to promote career goals for young girls. The first 200 children who participate in at least five stations will receive a WVU Gymnastics t-shirt, available in youth sizes while supplies last.
It's also the second and final Friday Night Happy Hour planned for the season, as the concession stands will offer half-priced drinks from 6-7 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by visiting WVUGAME.com or calling 1-800-WVU GAME to avoid lines at the gate on meet day. When purchasing online, tickets are $5 each. At the ticket window on meet day, any remaining tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth and seniors. Gates open at 6 p.m., on meet day, and the discounted online pricing will be available until the start of competition.
Face masks are strongly encouraged at WVU Athletics venues during public events.
Michael Minnich and Julia Merwin will have the call of Friday night's meet on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. For more information, or to sign up for the digital platform, visit WVUsports.com/Big12Now. Live stats also are available at WVUsports.com.
"It's round number two with Pitt, so we're excited to see them again, while also welcoming TWU to the Coliseum," WVU coach Jason Butts said. "We just brought back a win from Pitt last week, so that's always a good thing, and we'll be looking to do that again on Friday. TWU also is a very strong, competitive team, so it should be a great night of gymnastics. Hopefully we can get a lot of fans to come out and support the team. It's always a fun night with Pitt in town, so we're going to give it our absolute best to bring home a win."
West Virginia and Pitt have a storied history, which dates back to WVU's first season of competition in 1974 and spans 87 total meetings, as the Mountaineers hold a 68-17-2 overall record over the Panthers. WVU and Pitt met last week on Feb. 6, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in a quad meet with NC State and Alaska Anchorage. The Mountaineers took first place in the quad, while the host Panthers placed second.
Friday's meet marks just the third overall meeting between West Virginia and Texas Woman's. The two squads last met on Feb. 14, 2020, with WVU earning a 195.575-193.875 victory in Morgantown.
In last week's quad meet at Pitt, the Mountaineers tallied a season-best 195.925 to secure first place, as the host Panthers finished in second place with a 195.8. NC State followed in third place with a 194.550, and Alaska Anchorage tallied a 191.25 total to finish in fourth place. Junior Abbie Pierson and sophomore Kiana Lewis paced the team with one first-place finish each. Pierson topped the podium on floor exercise with a 9.9, and Lewis recorded a 9.825 on vault to finish in a four-way tie for first place.
In this week's Road to Nationals rankings, WVU is ranked No. 13 on floor exercise with a 49.269 average. Overall, WVU did not crack the top 25 this week, coming in at No. 31 with a season average of 195.269. West Virginia is No. 3 overall in the Big 12 Conference, while it ranks No. 2 in the league on floor. The Mountaineers are No. 3 on balance beam (48.756 avg.) and No. 4 on vault (48.913 avg.) and uneven bars (48.331).
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Friday's competition is the Women's Empowerment Meet. From 6-7 p.m., women working in various occupations will have interactive stations set up throughout the Coliseum concourse in an effort to promote career goals for young girls. The first 200 children who participate in at least five stations will receive a WVU Gymnastics t-shirt, available in youth sizes while supplies last.
It's also the second and final Friday Night Happy Hour planned for the season, as the concession stands will offer half-priced drinks from 6-7 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by visiting WVUGAME.com or calling 1-800-WVU GAME to avoid lines at the gate on meet day. When purchasing online, tickets are $5 each. At the ticket window on meet day, any remaining tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth and seniors. Gates open at 6 p.m., on meet day, and the discounted online pricing will be available until the start of competition.
Face masks are strongly encouraged at WVU Athletics venues during public events.
Michael Minnich and Julia Merwin will have the call of Friday night's meet on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. For more information, or to sign up for the digital platform, visit WVUsports.com/Big12Now. Live stats also are available at WVUsports.com.
"It's round number two with Pitt, so we're excited to see them again, while also welcoming TWU to the Coliseum," WVU coach Jason Butts said. "We just brought back a win from Pitt last week, so that's always a good thing, and we'll be looking to do that again on Friday. TWU also is a very strong, competitive team, so it should be a great night of gymnastics. Hopefully we can get a lot of fans to come out and support the team. It's always a fun night with Pitt in town, so we're going to give it our absolute best to bring home a win."
West Virginia and Pitt have a storied history, which dates back to WVU's first season of competition in 1974 and spans 87 total meetings, as the Mountaineers hold a 68-17-2 overall record over the Panthers. WVU and Pitt met last week on Feb. 6, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in a quad meet with NC State and Alaska Anchorage. The Mountaineers took first place in the quad, while the host Panthers placed second.
Friday's meet marks just the third overall meeting between West Virginia and Texas Woman's. The two squads last met on Feb. 14, 2020, with WVU earning a 195.575-193.875 victory in Morgantown.
In last week's quad meet at Pitt, the Mountaineers tallied a season-best 195.925 to secure first place, as the host Panthers finished in second place with a 195.8. NC State followed in third place with a 194.550, and Alaska Anchorage tallied a 191.25 total to finish in fourth place. Junior Abbie Pierson and sophomore Kiana Lewis paced the team with one first-place finish each. Pierson topped the podium on floor exercise with a 9.9, and Lewis recorded a 9.825 on vault to finish in a four-way tie for first place.
In this week's Road to Nationals rankings, WVU is ranked No. 13 on floor exercise with a 49.269 average. Overall, WVU did not crack the top 25 this week, coming in at No. 31 with a season average of 195.269. West Virginia is No. 3 overall in the Big 12 Conference, while it ranks No. 2 in the league on floor. The Mountaineers are No. 3 on balance beam (48.756 avg.) and No. 4 on vault (48.913 avg.) and uneven bars (48.331).
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
GYM: Florida Quad Recap
Tuesday, January 13
Assistant Coach Kaylyn Millick | Intro
Tuesday, September 09
Assistant Coach Jessica Yamzon | Intro
Tuesday, September 09
Associate Head Coach Travis Doak | Intro
Tuesday, September 09
