Gymnastics: WVU Places Sixth at Regionals

By Shanonn McNamara for WVUsports.com
April 02, 2011 08:30 PM

Kaylyn Millick

ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 6-seeded West Virginia University gymnastics team concluded its 2011 season this evening with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships at Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum.

The Mountaineers (13-10, 10-4 EAGL) scored 192.5 points. The squad finished third on floor (49.0), fifth on beam (47.075) and sixth on vault (48.65) and bars (47.775).

No. 6-ranked UCLA, the defending national champions, and No. 8 Georgia, the meet’s top-two seeds, finished first (197.425) and second (196.75), respectively, and earned the right to advance to the 2011 NCAA National Championships.

Third-seeded LSU finished third (195.35), while East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) foes NC State (194.75) and Maryland (193.2), the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, respectively, finished fourth and fifth.

“We lost our focus tonight,” says 37-year coach Linda Burdette-Good. “It has happened to us at different points all season – we start strong, but we just can’t maintain that momentum. We have the skill – we’re a very talented team. We just need to work on our concentration this summer in order to have a better finish next season.

“Despite the score, I’m still proud of this team. They came out, had a strong floor rotation, regained some of their focus and finished well.”

Freshman Hope Sloanhoffer made her career all-around debut and scored 38.875 points, good enough for 10th place.

Senior Amy Bieski concluded her brilliant Mountaineer career with a 38.325 all-around score, pushing her career point total to 1,978.925. The Nanticoke, Pa., native will graduate ranked No. 2 on the all-time WVU career points list.

Also advancing from this evening’s regional to the national championships are LSU’s Kaleigh Diskson and NC State’s Stephanie Ouellette. Diskson and Ouellette finished fifth (39.075) and sixth (38.95), respectively, and earned the right to move on as the meet’s top two all-arounders not attached to an advancing team.

The Bruins’ Olivia Courtney finished first overall with a 39.5 score.

The Mountaineers opened the meet on vault and scored a solid 48.65.

Bieski paced the team with a score of 9.8, her ninth 9.8-plus vault mark of the season, and finished 15th overall. Senior Emily Kerwin and Sloanhoffer opened and closed the rotation with 9.75 scores, and sophomores Chelsea Goldschrafe and Alaska Richardson contributed 9.7 and 9.65 scores, respectively.

Following a bye in the second rotation, WVU moved to bars and tallied a 47.775 score, pushing its two-event total to 96.425.

Bieski, the EAGL bars champion, and classmate Alysha Pretzello each scored a team-best 9.65. Sloanhoffer, in her career bars debut, and senior Faye Meaden added 9.6 scores.

Competing on beam in the fourth rotation, WVU scored 47.075 and moved its three-event score to 143.5.

Sloanhoffer paced the Mountaineers and finished 16th overall with a 9.725 score. Sophomore Arlene Hathaway finished second on the team with a 9.625 mark, while senior Stephanie Keaton, competing her final collegiate event, scored 9.5.

The Mountaineers closed the meet with their strongest event and scored 49.0 on floor.

Sophomore Kaylyn Millick scored 9.85 and finished in a tie for fifth place; Millick was the only Mountaineer to finish in the top six this evening. Bieski and Sloanhoffer each scored 9.8 and tied for 12th place. Goldschrafe and junior Tina Maloney added scores of 9.775.

Tonight’s meet was the final career competition for six seniors: Bieski, Naja Johnson, Keaton, Kerwin, Meaden and Pretzello.

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