AMES, Iowa — The WVU gymnastics team opens its Big 12 Conference slate Feb. 2, at Iowa State.
The squads also will compete against Northern Illinois and Yale, in the Mountaineers’ (3-3) first quad meet of the season.
“I’m looking forward to officially reaching our Big 12 portion of the schedule,” Mountaineers coach Jason Butts said. “Iowa State is a talented team, and I think it’s going to be an exciting meet. Friday’s meet will give us our first look at what we can expect at the Big 12 Gymnastics Championship in March.”
First-year WVU assistant coach Shea Anderson was a four-year letterwinner (2009-’12) at ISU (6-1, 0-1 Big 12).
Senior Jordan Gillette tied for the floor win, her first career victory on the event, and the mark matched her career best.
WVU junior Kirah Koshinski ranks No. 23 nationally on vault, with a 9.862 season average. Senior Zaakira Muhammad is nationally ranked in the all-around, with a 39.1 average.
WRESTLING
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountaineers (3-5, 2-3 Big 12) are on a Big 12 road trip this weekend, in Colorado for a pair of league duals.
The team starts off in USAF Academy tol face Air Force (6-2, 1-1 Big 12) today, then turns around and head to Greeley on Saturday for a match-up with Northern Colorado (2-7, 1-3 Big 12).
“We haven’t wrestled these teams in a dual setting before,” fourth-year WVU coach Sammie Henson said. “I’m worried about the altitude a little bit, but you prepare for it as much as you can.”
Air Force and Northern Colorado joined four other schools as affiliate members of the Big 12 during the 2015-’16 academic year. Last year marked the Falcons’ second season in the Big 12, as the squad posted a 6-6 overall dual record and a 1-4 mark in league play. The Bears went 2-10 overall and 1-6 in conference.
Most recently, the Mountaineers dropped a pair of Big 12 road matches at then-No. 5 Oklahoma State (29-6) and Iowa State (25-17).
Redshirt junior Zeke Moisey (125) and redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt (133) are tied for the team lead with 16 wins.
INDOOR TRACK
The Mountaineers compete today and Saturday at the 14th annual Akron (Ohio) Invitational.
WVU will be joined by 22 other schools: Akron, Ashland, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Cedarville, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Dayton, Indiana Tech, IUPUI, Kent State, Malone, Michigan State, Mount St. Mary’s, Penn, Saint Francis, South Florida, Tiffin, Virginia Tech, Windsor and Xavier.
BASEBALL
The Mountaineers were picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 preseason coaches’ poll, the conference announced.
The Mountaineers are coming off a second consecutive fourth-place Big 12 finish and are ranked No. 22 in the D1Baseball Preseason top 25.
Texas Tech tops the preseason poll, with 61 points. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team.
WVU made the NCAA tournament in 2017 for the first time since 1996.
