Photo by: Matthew Smith
Mountaineers Open 2023 with Quad Meet at No. 2 Florida
January 05, 2023 03:31 PM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team opens its 2023 campaign with a quad meet at No. 2 Florida with Ball State and Lindenwood on Friday, Jan. 6. The meet is set for 6:45 p.m. ET, inside the Exactech Arena at Stephen O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.
Friday's action will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Kyle Crooks and Sydney Johnson-Scharpf on the call. Fans also can follow along with live stats available at WVUsports.com.
The Mountaineers are set to open their season on the road for the fourth time in the last five years. West Virginia is 8-12 in season-opening meets under 12th-year head coach Jason Butts. Friday marks the first day of the 2023 NCAA gymnastics season, as the Mountaineers and their three opponents will officially open their seasons in Gainesville this weekend.
Florida and WVU meet for the 16th time in program history on Friday, with the Gators holding a 14-2 advantage in the all-time series. West Virginia holds an 11-1 all-time mark against Ball State, while the Mountaineers are set to compete against Lindenwood for the first time in program history.
WVU returns to competition after posting a 13-5 overall record in 2022, as well as a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championship, the squad's highest finish at the conference meet since 2017. West Virginia's season high of 196.650 at the Big 12 Championship marked its highest team score since 2018, as well as a program-best total at the conference championship.
West Virginia ranked inside the top 25 of the Road to Nationals Rankings on floor exercise every week during the 2022 regular season. The lineup debuted in the rankings at No. 4 on Jan. 17, 2022, marking the team's highest since at least 1998 in the Road to Nationals rankings. The last time the Mountaineers appeared inside the organization's top 10 was in the final rankings of the 2001 regular season, when the squad was ranked No. 8 nationally on floor
Additionally, WVU's 196.25-195.225 win over No. 22 North Carolina on Feb. 24, was its first win over a ranked opponent since March 17, 2019, when it bested No. 22 Ohio State and No. 24 Penn State. The Mountaineers also earned their 42nd regional championships berth all-time in 2022, including their seventh consecutive qualification.
Four seniors return to lead the team this season, including Kendra Combs, Emily Holmes-Hackerd, Abbie Pierson and Kianna Yancey. Combs returns for her fifth year of eligibility in 2023, having competed in 45 meets and amassing 1,103.0 career points.
Additionally, seven freshmen look to make their Mountaineer career debuts this season: Kaia Bochow, Brooke Irwin, Carlee Nelson, Olivia Pitzer, Ellie Sigman, Miranda Smith and Emma Wehry
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Friday's action will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Kyle Crooks and Sydney Johnson-Scharpf on the call. Fans also can follow along with live stats available at WVUsports.com.
The Mountaineers are set to open their season on the road for the fourth time in the last five years. West Virginia is 8-12 in season-opening meets under 12th-year head coach Jason Butts. Friday marks the first day of the 2023 NCAA gymnastics season, as the Mountaineers and their three opponents will officially open their seasons in Gainesville this weekend.
Florida and WVU meet for the 16th time in program history on Friday, with the Gators holding a 14-2 advantage in the all-time series. West Virginia holds an 11-1 all-time mark against Ball State, while the Mountaineers are set to compete against Lindenwood for the first time in program history.
WVU returns to competition after posting a 13-5 overall record in 2022, as well as a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championship, the squad's highest finish at the conference meet since 2017. West Virginia's season high of 196.650 at the Big 12 Championship marked its highest team score since 2018, as well as a program-best total at the conference championship.
West Virginia ranked inside the top 25 of the Road to Nationals Rankings on floor exercise every week during the 2022 regular season. The lineup debuted in the rankings at No. 4 on Jan. 17, 2022, marking the team's highest since at least 1998 in the Road to Nationals rankings. The last time the Mountaineers appeared inside the organization's top 10 was in the final rankings of the 2001 regular season, when the squad was ranked No. 8 nationally on floor
Additionally, WVU's 196.25-195.225 win over No. 22 North Carolina on Feb. 24, was its first win over a ranked opponent since March 17, 2019, when it bested No. 22 Ohio State and No. 24 Penn State. The Mountaineers also earned their 42nd regional championships berth all-time in 2022, including their seventh consecutive qualification.
Four seniors return to lead the team this season, including Kendra Combs, Emily Holmes-Hackerd, Abbie Pierson and Kianna Yancey. Combs returns for her fifth year of eligibility in 2023, having competed in 45 meets and amassing 1,103.0 career points.
Additionally, seven freshmen look to make their Mountaineer career debuts this season: Kaia Bochow, Brooke Irwin, Carlee Nelson, Olivia Pitzer, Ellie Sigman, Miranda Smith and Emma Wehry
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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