IOWA CITY, Iowa — Three 49.0+ event performances propelled the West Virginia gymnastics team to a season-high road score in a 196.75-196.175 loss at Iowa on Sunday afternoon, at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Mountaineers (11-8, 0-2) finished second to the Hawkeyes (7-9, 2-7) on every event but balance beam. WVU ended the meet with a 49.025 on beam. In addition to its win on beam, WVU scored a season-high 49.0 on uneven bars and matched its season high on vault with a 48.9. The Mountaineers also scored 49.25 on floor exercise.
“This is exactly what we needed to do today,” Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. “This will help our NQS for the postseason tremendously. It also builds confidence with the team. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. This is what we trained for. They came out and hit 24 for 24 routines, and the scores reflected that.”
Freshman Emily Holmes-Hackerd competed on beam for the first time in her Mountaineer career and won the event outright with a 9.875 total. She also tied for fourth overall on floor with a personal-best mark of 9.85.
“Emily is doing exactly what we know she can do,” Butts said. “She embodied the whole Mountaineer spirit today. She had a slow start this year due to injury, but she stayed in the game and worked really hard to get to where she is. We needed that from her today.”
