Gymnastics: No. 18 WVU Falls at No. 5 Georgia

By Shannon McNamara for WVUsports.com
January 17, 2011 04:09 PM

Nicole Roach

ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 18 West Virginia gymnastics team suffered its first loss of the season, falling at No. 5 Georgia, 196.725-192.125, this afternoon in front 8,416 fans at Stegeman Coliseum.

The Gym Dogs (4-1) swept the Mountaineers (2-1), winning vault (48.875-48.375), bars (49.45-47.85), beam (49.15-47.525) and floor (49.25-48.375).

The Mountaineers are now 1-1 against ranked competition this season.

UGA’s Cassidy McComb finished first overall with a score of 39.525, while teammate Noel Couch scored 39.15 for second place.

Mountaineer senior Amy Bieski finished third overall with a 39.0 score, her second 39.0-plus score of the season. The Nanticoke, Pa., native’s career point total now stands at 1,590.675, the 14th-best point total in program history.

Sophomore Kaylyn Millick placed fourth with 38.125 points.

The Mountaineers fell behind early, counting one fall and finishing with a 47.85 score on bars. The Gym Dogs opened the meet on vault and tallied 48.875 points.

WVU recovered from a slow start, and after two falls, junior Nicole Roach got the squad back on track with a 9.7. Senior Emily Kerwin paced the team in the No. 5 spot and finished sixth overall with a career-high 9.8. The duo sandwiched a 9.775 showing from Bieski.

Though WVU enjoyed a solid second rotation, scoring 48.375 on vault, the Gym Dogs put together a near-flawless bars lineup and earned 49.45 points, increasing their lead, 98.325-96.225.

Freshman Hope Sloanhoffer, ranked No. 18 nationally, anchored the Mountaineers’ lineup and finished second overall with a 9.8. Bieski preceded Sloanhoffer and scored 9.75, good enough for fourth place. Junior Tina Maloney finished third on the team with a 9.7 score.

The Mountaineers continued to slide in the third rotation and fell behind, 147.475-144.6, as UGA totaled 49.15 on beam to WVU’s 48.375 floor score.

Sloanhoffer and Bieski continued their strong season on floor, anchoring the lineup in the No. 5 and No. 6 position, respectively, and finishing in fourth and fifth place with scores of scoring 9.85 and 9.825. Millick opened the rotation with a 9.675 routine.

WVU concluded the meet on beam and scored 47.525, while UGA tallied 49.25 on floor.

Millick pulled through for the Mountaineers in the fourth rotation, scoring a team-best 9.8 and finishing fifth overall with the meet’s third-best score. Bieski finished behind Millick with a 9.65 mark, while Roach scored 9.5.

Today’s loss is the team’s second in three seasons to UGA; the Gym Dogs own a 7-0 series advantage.

The Mountaineers continue their two-meet road trip and open their East Atlantic Gymnastics League season at No. 10 NC State on Friday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m.

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