West Virginia Wraps Up Big 12 Regular Season at No. 12 Utah with No. 24 BYU
March 06, 2026 11:46 AM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team prepares to wrap up the Big 12 Conference regular season at No. 12 Utah with No. 24 BYU on Saturday, March 7. Action at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET/3 p.m. MT.
The meet will be streamed live on ESPN+, with Nick Koop and Alisa Mowe on the call. Live stats are available at WVUsports.com. Of note, the meet does not count as a Big 12 competition for BYU, as the Cougars were added late due to a schedule change.
Utah (3-0) and BYU (5-0) are undefeated all-time against the Mountaineers. West Virginia and Utah last met in the 2025 Big 12 Championship in West Valley City, Utah. Utah became the 2025 Big 12 Champions with a 197.775 team total, while WVU finished in seventh with a 194.875. West Virginia and BYU just faced one another in Morgantown on Feb. 27, as the Cougars claimed a 195.275-195.975 victory over the Mountaineers.All three teams will compete against one another again in the 2026 Big 12 Championship in West Valley City, Utah, on March 21. Utah enters Friday's competition with an 11-3 overall record and a 5-0 mark in the Big 12. The Utes were crowned the Big 12 regular-season champions after earning a 197.2-196.1 win over No. 16 Denver on March 1. BYU is 7-4 this season and last competed in the dual meet with WVU on Feb. 27.
This week's rankings mark the third week of the season based on National Qualifying Score (NQS). West Virginia's vault lineup currently ranks No. 30 nationally in the Road to Nationals rankings with a 48.925 NQS. The vault lineup owns a season high of 49.125, which it earned at Towson on March 1. Elsewhere, WVU ranks No. 47 overall, No. 47 on bars, No. 56 on beam and No. 45 on floor exercise.
Individually, freshman Kayla Smith ranks No. 6 in the Big 12 Conference and the southeast region with a 38.945 NQS on all-around this year. Sophomore Sophia Rice ranks No. 10 in the Big 12 Conference and No. 18 in the southeast region with a 9.82 NQS on vault. She is followed by classmate Karleigh DiCello at No. 15 (9.8), while sophomore Emerson Smith and Kayla Smith are tied at No. 17 (9.795 NQS).
Junior Amber Lowe is No. 11 in the conference and No. 23 in the region on bars with a 9.82 NQS. She also sits at No. 17 in the Big 12 on beam (9.785 NQS). On floor, Emerson Smith ranks No. 11 in the league and No. 20 regionally with a 9.855 NQS. Kayla Smith comes in at No. 22 in the conference with a 9.795 NQS. Senior Carlee Nelson rounds out the floor group at No. 25 (9.775 NQS) in the Big 12.
Behind two 49.0+ event scores and 12 individual season highs, West Virginia tallied a season-best 196.35 to finish in second place in its last meet at Towson on March 1. The Mountaineers reached their first 196.0+ score of the season, which also marked their highest team score since March 12, 2023. No. 22 NC State took first place with a 197.15, followed by WVU in second. Host Towson took third place with a 195.675, and Ursinus rounded out the meet in fourth with a 191.775. West Virginia used scores of 49.125 on vault, 48.975 on uneven bars, 48.95 on balance beam and 49.3 on floor exercise to reach the new season high.
Kayla Smith recorded her second 39.0+ all-around score of the weekend, securing a 39.075 to finish in second place. Elsewhere, all five of West Virginia's 9.825's were good for a tie for third place on vault, including Kayla Smith, Emerson Smith, Taylor Tuohy, DiCello and Rice. Lowe tied for first place on beam with a career-best 9.9, and Emerson Smith and Tuohy also tied for first on floor with a pair of season-best 9.9's.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Behind two 49.0+ event scores and 12 individual season highs, West Virginia tallied a season-best 196.35 to finish in second place in its last meet at Towson on March 1. The Mountaineers reached their first 196.0+ score of the season, which also marked their highest team score since March 12, 2023. No. 22 NC State took first place with a 197.15, followed by WVU in second. Host Towson took third place with a 195.675, and Ursinus rounded out the meet in fourth with a 191.775. West Virginia used scores of 49.125 on vault, 48.975 on uneven bars, 48.95 on balance beam and 49.3 on floor exercise to reach the new season high.
Kayla Smith recorded her second 39.0+ all-around score of the weekend, securing a 39.075 to finish in second place. Elsewhere, all five of West Virginia's 9.825's were good for a tie for third place on vault, including Kayla Smith, Emerson Smith, Taylor Tuohy, DiCello and Rice. Lowe tied for first place on beam with a career-best 9.9, and Emerson Smith and Tuohy also tied for first on floor with a pair of season-best 9.9's.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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