MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team soared to a season-high total on the uneven bars to finish in first place in a tri meet against Pitt and Texas Woman's in front of 1,422 fans inside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown on Friday night.
 
The Mountaineers (7-3, 0-2 Big 12) tallied three consecutive scores of 9.875 to close the bars lineup, recording their first bars total of 49.0+ with a 49.150 on the event. WVU finished first on every event except for balance beam, earning the team win on vault, bars and floor exercise on its way to a winning, 195.9 total. Pitt finished second in the tri meet with a 194.575, while TWU finished third with a 194.5.
 
"I am very proud of this team tonight," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "We were far from perfect performance-wise, but we stayed in the competition until the very end and earned a pair of wins against two very talented teams. It was so special to see the team and all of the incredible fans who came out to support us tonight singing Country Roads after the meet."
 
Junior Kianna Yancey paced West Virginia's podium finishers, as she tallied a pair of first-place finishes on Friday night. Senior Rachel Hornung earned a win on the all-around, while five other Mountaineers – including senior Kendra Combs, junior Emily Holmes-Hacked, sophomore Kiana Lewis and freshmen Anna Leigh and Brooke Alban – also ascended the podium against Pitt and TWU.
 
In the first rotation on vault, Lewis led the way for the Mountaineers, scoring a season-high 9.85 to finish in a tie for first place on the event. Hornung and Alban were just behind her with a pair 9.825's to finish in a tie for third, while the scores also were good for new career-high totals for the duo. Yancey matched her season-best with a 9.8, before freshman Heide Hartje made her Mountaineer debut in the anchor position, also scoring a 9.8, to help WVU tally a 49.1 total on the event.
 
On the uneven bars, the West Virginia lineup put together its best performance of the season to date, as it notched a 49.15 total for its first 49.0+ bars score of the season. The lineup was led by Yancey, Combs and Alban, who closed the rotation with three straight stuck landings to earn three straight 9.875's. The trio topped the podium in a three-way tie for first, while Leigh followed closely behind in a tie for fifth place after notching a career-best 9.8 in the third spot. For Alban and Leigh, the totals marked the first bars scores of 9.8+ of their careers.
 
West Virginia's momentum from the first two rotations faltered a bit on beam, as the Mountaineers were forced to count a fall for the first time since Jan. 28. Despite the struggles, the squad still tallied three scores of 9.8+, courtesy of Hornung (9.85), Lewis (9.825) and Handono (9.8) to record a 48.425 on the event. Hornung finished in a tie for second place, while Handono's total was a career best and her first career score of 9.8 or better.
 
The Mountaineers closed the meet on floor exercise, as all five counting gymnasts tallied scores of 9.825 or better. WVU's lineup was led by Yancey, who earned a career-high matching 9.875 to finish in a tie for first place. Leigh and Holmes-Hackerd scored matching 9.85's, as Holmes-Hackerd made her season debut on the event. Lewis and Combs rounded out the scoring with a pair of 9.825's to help West Virginia tally a 49.225 total on floor.
 
Hornung and Combs were the lone Mountaineer competitors in the all-around, as Hornung topped the podium with a career-best 39.175. Combs followed in second place, after notching a 39.125 total.
 
With her career debut on vault Friday night, Hartje becomes one of four Mountaineer freshmen to record their first collegiate performances so far this season.
 
"At the end of the day, we had too many mistakes tonight, and we have to get those ironed out," Butts continued. "We are making different mistakes every weekend, but they are still mistakes. We will learn from tonight, celebrate the highlights and the victory, then prepare for our trip to Towson next weekend."
 
Next up, West Virginia prepares for a two-meet weekend, beginning with its second trip of the season to Towson, Maryland, to take on Towson and Ursinus College on Saturday, Feb. 19. Competition inside SECU Arena is set for 6 p.m. ET.
 
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