WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
GYMNASTICS KENDRA COMBS
24
WVUSPORTS.COM
13-5/0-2 BIG 12
• West Virginia qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships for the 42nd time in program history, including its seventh consecutive berth. • In the postseason, the Mountaineers reached a season-high 196.650 at the 2022 Big 12 Championship to finish in third place. It marked the squad’s highest finish at the conference meet since 2017, when it also finished third. • WVU’s total was its highest team score at the Big 12 Championship in program history, besting its previous program-best of 196.375, recorded in 2014. • Rachel Hornung competed in the all-around at Big 12s, earning a spot on the 2022 All-Big 12 Championship Team to become the first Mountaineer to be named to the all-championship team since 2017 and the first to earn the honors in the all-around since 2015. • WVU ended the year ranked No. 33 in the Road to Nationals Rankings with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 392.240. • The Mountaineers ranked inside the top 25 of the Road to Nationals rankings on floor exercise every week during the regular season, finishing the year at No. 19 with a 49.345 NQS. • WVU’s floor lineup debuted in the rankings at No. 4 on Jan. 17, marking the team’s highest since at least 1998 in the Road to Nationals rankings. The last time the Mountaineers appeared inside the organization’s top 10 was in the final rankings of the 2001 regular season, when the squad was ranked No. 8 nationally on floor • West Virginia’s 196.25-195.225 win over No. 22 North Carolina on Feb. 24, was its first win over a ranked opponent since March 17, 2019, when it bested No. 22 Ohio State and No. 24 Penn State. • At season’s end, Kendra Combs ranked inside the top 10 in the Big 12 on floor, tying for No. 4 overall with an NQS of 9.910. Abbie Pierson also tied for No. 7 in the league (9.895 NQS). • A pair of Mountaineers were named the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week, as Combs earned the honor on March 1, and Pierson on March 15. It marked the first time WVU has had multiple weekly conference awards in one season since 2016. • Combs also was honored on the All-Big 12 Team, becoming the first gymnast to earn all-conference honors on the all-around since 2014. She also was the first Mountaineer to be named to the All-Big 12 team on any event since 2019. • Eleven of the 14 Mountaineers who saw competitive time reached the podium, as WVU boasted 84 podium finishes on the year. Combs led the team with 21, including 11 event wins.
