Gymnastics Set for NCAA Morgantown Regional[/B]
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (April 3, 2015) [/B]- The sixth-seeded West Virginia University gymnastics team will play host to the 2015 NCAA Morgantown Regional Championships on Saturday, April 4, at 4 p.m., at the WVU Coliseum.
MEET NOTES[/URL]
Saturday's meet will feature six of the nation's best collegiate gymnastics teams. WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU student I.D. All other tickets are $12 each when purchased in advance online at WVUGAME.com or by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office at 1-800-WVU-GAME. Groups of 10 or more can receive a special group rate of $10 per person at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME. Group tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets will be available at the door for $10 for youths and senior citizens, and $15 for adults on the day of the meet.
The Mountaineers (14-9-1, 1-1-1) earned their 36th regional championships berth, their 31st in NCAA competition, and their first since qualifying in 2013. WVU welcomes its ninth regional championships since 1983 and second in three seasons.
"From the beginning of this season, our main goal was to return to the regional championships," said fourth-year coach Jason Butts. "This team fought hard throughout preseason and continued to fight throughout the competition year, and they deserve their spot in the regional. We're happy to be here.
"I would love to see us earn a season-high score Saturday. The cards will fall where they will, but I want us to hit 24-for-24 and have fun."
WVU returns to competition following a program best, second-place finish at the 2015 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship in Norman, Oklahoma, on March 21. The Mountaineers tallied a score of 195.025, and the mark helped them punch their return ticket to the regional championships.
The Mountaineers will open Saturday's meet on floor exercise. The team's complete rotation order is floor, vault, BYE, uneven bars, balance beam, BYE.
"Floor has emerged as one of our best and most consistent lineups this year," explained Butts. "We have some knockout routines in that lineup. Starting on floor will set the tone for this team. Hopefully, we will build momentum that we will carry with us throughout the meet."
The Morgantown Regional is the only regional to feature five teams ranked in the top 25 of the March 23 GymInfo Poll. No. 2 Florida (12-5, 5-2 SEC), the two-time reigning NCAA national champions, earned the region's No. 1 seed. No. 11 Stanford (10-9-1, 8-7 Pac-12) is the No. 2 seed, and No. 14 Illinois (21-4, 16-3 Big Ten) is No. 3. No. 19 Arkansas (7-13, 2-5 SEC) will compete as the No. 4 seed, and No. 25 New Hampshire (18-8, 6-1 EAGL) is the No. 5 seed.
"There's a lot of great gymnastics competing at the Coliseum this weekend," said Butts. "Saturday's going to be a great show - you're going to see some of the best gymnastics in the country right here in Morgantown."
All six teams last competed at their conference championships on March 21-22, with three squads finishing in second place: Illinois (Big Ten, 197.35), New Hampshire (EAGL), 195.7) and West Virginia (Big 12, 195.025). Florida (197.4) and Stanford (197.175) finished third at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Pac-12 Conference Championships, respectively, and Arkansas (195.95) placed sixth at the SECs. Six gymnasts set to compete Saturday combined for nine conference titles, including a perfect 10.0 on bars for UF's Bridget Sloan.
Of its competition, WVU has only met UNH this season, and the squads split their two meets, with each team earning the win in its home gym. The Mountaineers fell, 196.525-195.3, in Durham, New Hampshire, on February 8. WVU avenged its loss on February 22, defeating the then-No. 25 Wildcats, 195.2-194.1, at the WVU Coliseum; it is the team's only victory of the year against a ranked opponent.
The top two teams and the top two all-around competitors (who are not on an advancing team) from each regional will receive an automatic berth to the national championships in Fort Worth, Texas, April 17-19, hosted by Texas Woman's University and the Knight Eady Sports Group. Additionally, the event winners at each regional site will advance to the national championships (in that event only) if they are not part of a qualifying team or an all-around qualifier.
Mountaineer senior Dayah Haley has competed in the all-around in the last two meets, earning her first career win on March 14 with a 39.075 score and finishing second at the conference championship with a 38.95 mark. She ranks No. 31 nationally on floor with a 9.89 regional qualifying score (RQS).
Links for live scores and a free video feed can be found at WVUsports.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (April 3, 2015) [/B]- The sixth-seeded West Virginia University gymnastics team will play host to the 2015 NCAA Morgantown Regional Championships on Saturday, April 4, at 4 p.m., at the WVU Coliseum.
MEET NOTES[/URL]
Saturday's meet will feature six of the nation's best collegiate gymnastics teams. WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU student I.D. All other tickets are $12 each when purchased in advance online at WVUGAME.com or by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office at 1-800-WVU-GAME. Groups of 10 or more can receive a special group rate of $10 per person at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME. Group tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets will be available at the door for $10 for youths and senior citizens, and $15 for adults on the day of the meet.
The Mountaineers (14-9-1, 1-1-1) earned their 36th regional championships berth, their 31st in NCAA competition, and their first since qualifying in 2013. WVU welcomes its ninth regional championships since 1983 and second in three seasons.
"From the beginning of this season, our main goal was to return to the regional championships," said fourth-year coach Jason Butts. "This team fought hard throughout preseason and continued to fight throughout the competition year, and they deserve their spot in the regional. We're happy to be here.
"I would love to see us earn a season-high score Saturday. The cards will fall where they will, but I want us to hit 24-for-24 and have fun."
WVU returns to competition following a program best, second-place finish at the 2015 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship in Norman, Oklahoma, on March 21. The Mountaineers tallied a score of 195.025, and the mark helped them punch their return ticket to the regional championships.
The Mountaineers will open Saturday's meet on floor exercise. The team's complete rotation order is floor, vault, BYE, uneven bars, balance beam, BYE.
"Floor has emerged as one of our best and most consistent lineups this year," explained Butts. "We have some knockout routines in that lineup. Starting on floor will set the tone for this team. Hopefully, we will build momentum that we will carry with us throughout the meet."
The Morgantown Regional is the only regional to feature five teams ranked in the top 25 of the March 23 GymInfo Poll. No. 2 Florida (12-5, 5-2 SEC), the two-time reigning NCAA national champions, earned the region's No. 1 seed. No. 11 Stanford (10-9-1, 8-7 Pac-12) is the No. 2 seed, and No. 14 Illinois (21-4, 16-3 Big Ten) is No. 3. No. 19 Arkansas (7-13, 2-5 SEC) will compete as the No. 4 seed, and No. 25 New Hampshire (18-8, 6-1 EAGL) is the No. 5 seed.
"There's a lot of great gymnastics competing at the Coliseum this weekend," said Butts. "Saturday's going to be a great show - you're going to see some of the best gymnastics in the country right here in Morgantown."
All six teams last competed at their conference championships on March 21-22, with three squads finishing in second place: Illinois (Big Ten, 197.35), New Hampshire (EAGL), 195.7) and West Virginia (Big 12, 195.025). Florida (197.4) and Stanford (197.175) finished third at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Pac-12 Conference Championships, respectively, and Arkansas (195.95) placed sixth at the SECs. Six gymnasts set to compete Saturday combined for nine conference titles, including a perfect 10.0 on bars for UF's Bridget Sloan.
Of its competition, WVU has only met UNH this season, and the squads split their two meets, with each team earning the win in its home gym. The Mountaineers fell, 196.525-195.3, in Durham, New Hampshire, on February 8. WVU avenged its loss on February 22, defeating the then-No. 25 Wildcats, 195.2-194.1, at the WVU Coliseum; it is the team's only victory of the year against a ranked opponent.
The top two teams and the top two all-around competitors (who are not on an advancing team) from each regional will receive an automatic berth to the national championships in Fort Worth, Texas, April 17-19, hosted by Texas Woman's University and the Knight Eady Sports Group. Additionally, the event winners at each regional site will advance to the national championships (in that event only) if they are not part of a qualifying team or an all-around qualifier.
Mountaineer senior Dayah Haley has competed in the all-around in the last two meets, earning her first career win on March 14 with a 39.075 score and finishing second at the conference championship with a 38.95 mark. She ranks No. 31 nationally on floor with a 9.89 regional qualifying score (RQS).
Links for live scores and a free video feed can be found at WVUsports.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter.
