MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Behind a season-best score on floor exercise and a career-high night from senior Kendra Combs, the West Virginia University gymnastics team finished in first place in a tri meet with George Washington and William and Mary inside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, on Monday night.
 
All six gymnasts in WVU's floor lineup scored a 9.85 or better, including a trio who earned 9.9 or higher, to help the squad earn a 49.525 total, on its way to a first-place 196.100 final score. The total marked WVU's second straight score of 196.0 or better, while it also is the No. 36 team score in program history. The Mountaineers (11-3, 0-2 Big 12) also bested their previous floor high of 49.400.
 
Combs led the way for the Mountaineers on Monday night, posting a huge, career-high 39.325 all-around score. The Windsor, Connecticut, native topped every podium but beam, as she earned career-best totals on vault, floor and the all-around. Combs earned a 9.85 on vault, before going on to match the score on the uneven bars. She rounded out the night with a near-perfect floor routine that earned a 9.95, as one judge flashed a perfect 10.
 
"Our team loves floor exercise, and they have been proving all year that it is their marquee event," WVU coach Jason Butts said. "They keep showing it off more and more, the score keeps climbing, and they're definitely a national powerhouse. For Kendra to have a perfect 10 flashed tonight and seeing the excitement on their faces, I know that's going to be motivation for all of them. They're seeing themselves perform at a level where some of these top-ranked schools are also performing."
 
West Virginia earned its fourth straight first-place finish on Monday night, as George Washington claimed second place with a 194.550 total, and William & Mary placed third with 187.900 points.
 
Five other Mountaineers also tallied podium finishes on Monday night, including junior Abbie Pierson who earned three and freshman Anna Leigh with two. Senior Rachel Hornung, junior Kianna Yancey and sophomore Agatha Handono added one apiece.
 
In the opening rotation on vault, Combs led the way with her first career vault score of 9.8 or better to finish in first place, while Pierson and Hornung earned matching 9.775's to finish in a tie for third place.
 
Combs then went on to top the bars podium with a 9.85 score, while Leigh matched the total to earn her first career event win. Yancey followed in third place with a 9.825. Also of note, junior Emily Holmes-Hackerd joined the beam lineup for the first time since Jan. 28, tallying a season-best 9.75.
 
WVU then moved to beam, where the lineup struggled a bit, but kept its rhythm despite some setbacks. Pierson and Handono tallied a pair of 9.775's to finish in a tie for second place, while Hornung followed with a 9.75 and landed just off the podium in fourth place.
 
It was in the floor rotation where the Mountaineers truly shined, as all six gymnasts posted scores of 9.85 or better. Combs again led the way with an event-winning, career-best 9.95 total. With the score, she becomes the first Mountaineer to score a 9.95 on floor exercise since Chloe Cluchey on March 1, 2020. The high scoring didn't stop there, however, as Leigh earned a career-best 9.925 to lead off the rotation, and Pierson collected her fourth 9.9 on the event this season. The trio tallied a 1-2-3 finish on the podium, while Holmes-Hackerd and sophomore Kiana Lewis rounded out the scoring with matching 9.875's.
 
Combs was the lone WVU competitor in the all-around, topping the podium with her career-best 39.325 total. Of note, she becomes the first Mountaineer to record a 39.325 all-around total since now-assistant coach Zaakira Muhammad earned the mark at the NCAA Morgantown Regional Championships on April 1, 2017.
 
"This was our second meet in the last 48 hours, and typically they don't do that until the postseason," Butts continued. "So the fact that they can go 196.0 on both of them back-to-back is huge. I told them let's go to UNC this week and do the same thing. Every piece of the puzzle is there, we just have to keep putting it together and filling it in."
 
West Virginia now prepares to travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to compete against No. 22 North Carolina on Thursday, Feb. 24. Action inside Carmichael Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
 
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