Gymnastics: WVU Owns Five Top 30 Rankings

By Shannon McNamara for WVUsports.com
March 26, 2012 01:41 PM

Hope Sloanhoffer

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Two days removed from winning its league-best seventh East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Championship, the West Virginia University gymnastics team owns five Top 30 rankings in today’s GymInfo Poll.

The Mountaineers (21-5, 12-1 EAGL) moved up two spots and are ranked No. 20 on vault with a 49.07 regional qualifying score (RQS). The squad also is ranked No. 21 (49.055) on floor for the fourth straight week.

Though still outside the Top 25, WVU moved up two spots and is ranked No. 27 (195.265) overall. The Mountaineers also moved up four spots to No. 27 (48.77) on balance beam. The squad made its biggest leap on the uneven bars and is up eight spots this week to No. 28 (48.87).

Sophomore Hope Sloanhoffer, the 2012 EAGL Gymnast of the Year, ranks No. 33 nationally in the all-around with a 39.2 RQS. The Cornwall, N.Y., native won the league title with a career-best 39.5 score. She also ranks No. 47 (9.87) on vault and No. 48 (9.84) on beam.

Regionally, WVU ranks No. 4 in the Southeast. The squad checks in at No. 3 on vault and floor, and No. 4 on bars and beam.

Four Mountaineers are ranked on vault and bars.

Sloanhoffer paces the vault lineup and is ranked No. 10. Juniors Alaska Richardson and Chelsea Goldschrafe check in at No. 15 (9.85) and No. 19 (9.83), respectively, while senior Tina Maloney ranks No. 25 (9.8).

Junior Kaylyn Millick is tops on bars with a No. 15 (9.83) ranking. Sloanhoffer ranks No. 18 (9.815), while sophomore Erica Smith ranks No. 22 (9.795), and senior Nicole Roach is ranked No. 24 (9.785).

Richardson, the team’s anchor, ranks No. 9 (9.855) on floor. Millick trails at No. 17 (9.83), and sophomore Makenzie Bristol checks in at No. 24 (9.8).

Sloanhoffer and Millick ranks No. 10 and No. 21 (9.77), respectively, on beam. The duo also ranks in the all-around at No. 6 and No. 11 (38.92), respectively. Maloney also ranks in the all-around and checks in at No. 15 (38.62).

Despite its league championship win, the Mountaineers continue to rank No. 2 in the EAGL behind No. 20 NC State. WVU is tops in the league on vault and floor, and No. 2 on bars and beam.

Sloanhoffer is the league’s No. 1-ranked gymnast for the 11th consecutive week. She also ranks No. 4 on vault and beam and No. 9 on bars.

Richardson is ranked No. 3 on floor and No. 7 on vault, while Millick checks in at No. 5 on bars and No. 7 in the all-around.

Maloney ranks No. 9 in the all-around, and Goldschrafe ranks No. 10 on vault.

The Mountaineers tallied a season-best 196.475 score in their win on March 24. In addition to her all-around title, Sloanhoffer also won bars outright and a share of the vault championship. Freshman Beth Deal won the beam title and sealed the team’s victory with a career-best 9.9 routine.

The NCAA will announce regional championships bids later today. The Mountaineers have qualified for 33 regional championships.

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