Four West Virginia gymnasts will be introduced for the final time at the WVU Coliseum Friday at 7 p.m. when the Mountaineers take on Bridgeport.
One of those four, Chelsi Tabor, said that although she’s had four year to prepare for the moment, she still can’t believe she is entering her final home meet.
"It hasn’t hit me yet," the Beckley, W.Va., native said. "When Senior Night rolls around, I probably still won’t believe it. I’ll think it’s a dream."
WVU head coach Linda Burdette-Good hopes it is a special night for Tabor along with Ashley Wilson, Kiersten Spoerke and Shelly Purkat. Together, the class has compiled a 79-32 record since their freshman season in 2007.
"We haven’t tried to talk about it too much," Burdette-Good said. "We’ve told them that every meet gets closer to the end.
"It has been a fun ride with these girls. Every one is special."
Bridgeport is the reigning 2009 Co-USA Gymnastics Collegiate Team National Champions, sharing the honor with Cornell after scoring 191.675 in the championship meet.
This year, Bridgeport has seen similar success. Coming off its best meet of the season, Bridgeport is riding a six-meet winning streak.
"The school has some good gymnasts, and they have a great track record," Burdette-Good said.
Because the Knights compete in a smaller competition set than WVU, Burdette-Good sees them as a good tune up for the post-season.
"They are a much smaller school and I do not think they will have scores comparable to ours," she said.
However, Bridgeport scored a school record 194.200 in its last meet. The Knights also have wins over Towson, Temple and Southern Connecticut State.
Suwanee, Ga., native Lorraine Galow is one of the most graceful performers in the Bridgeport program. The junior scored a 9.850 on floor in the previous meet and won the all-around competition at the championship meet last season.
The Mountaineers have an all-around competitor of their own, however, in junior Amy Bieski who picked up her fourth East Atlantic Gymnastics League honor this week following her all-around title at North Carolina last weekend. She has eclipsed the 39-point mark in six of the past eight meets.
The meet was originally set up as a tri-meet. Iowa had to back out due to budget restraints.
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