Gymnastics score 194.075 to sweep Pitt, Rutgers

West Virginia senior Amy Bieski and sophomore Kaylyn Millick helped lead the Mountaineers to their first conference victories this weekend.

The pair tied for second in the all-around, scoring 38.425, as WVU (4-2, 2-1 East Atlantic Gymnastics League) defeated Pittsburgh (2-3, 0-3)and Rutgers (8-4, 2-4 EAGL).

West Virginia finished with 194.075 points, bettering Rutgers' 191.15 and Pittsburgh's 189.025.

"I thought the team was very, very confident," said WVU coach Linda Burdette-Good. "I hope they can carry this through to other competitions."

Millick got the loudest cheers, as she posted a career-high 9.9 on the floor. The Eastern Michigan transfer also posted 9.7 on vault and bars.

Lead by that floor performance, the Mountaineers posted a season-high 49.225 on floor. They took the top four spots.

"Floor was by far the best we've done in a couple years," Burdette-Good said. "We did a beautiful job on the floor exercise."

The Mountaineers got off to a strong start with help from junior Tina Maloney, freshman Hope Sloanhoffer and Bieski, who all scored 9.8 on vault to claim the first three spots.

Bieski placed third on bars with 9.725 points and tied with Sloanhoffer for second on floor, as both scored 9.875. Bieski passed former gymnast TeShawne Jackson on the career-point total list and now ranks 11th with 1,668.2 points.

Luisa Leal-Restrepo of Rutgers finished first with a 38.85 all-around score.

Sloanhoffer, who has had tremendous early season success continued to excel Saturday night. She has now scored 9.8 or higher in 13 of the 15 events she has competed in.

"Coming here and being a part of this team and doing what I've been doing so far for the team has been great," Sloanhoffer said. "It's been everything that I was hoping for."

Senior Emily Kerwin placed first on bars, setting a career high as she posted a 9.825.

The Central, S.C., native also scored a 9.7 on vault to open the meet. Kerwin's previous career high was a 9.8, which she set against Georgia and matched that later in the week against N.C. State.

The score was good for first place on bars.

WVU is 50-12-2 against the Panthers and 49-0 against the Scarlet Knights. The Mountaineers also hold a 251-63-3 all-time record against current EAGL opponents.

Fairmont, W.Va., native and former Olympian gymnast Mary Lou Retton was an honorary guest, as she gave the top three finalists their awards.