WVU Readies for 2025 Edition of Backyard Brawl
March 08, 2025 02:15 PM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team prepares for the 2025 edition of the Backyard Brawl when it hits the road to compete at Pitt on Sunday, March 9. Competition at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
The meet will be streamed live on ACCNX, while live stats from the meet are available at WVUsports.com.
West Virginia leads the all-time series between the two teams, holding a 70-19-2 advantage with the first meeting dating back to WVU's first season of competition in 1974. The two teams have a storied history, having competed in nearly every season at least once, with a few seasons featuring two or more matchups. Last season, Pitt traveled to Morgantown for a quad meet on March 3. The Panthers finished second in the quad with a 195.225, narrowly outscoring the Mountaineers in third place with a 195.0.
Pitt enters Sunday's competition with a 3-7 overall record and an 0-6 mark in the ACC in 2025. The Panthers are coming off a 195.925-195.65 loss to Kent State in Kent, Ohio, on Feb. 28.
Last time out, WVU reached a new season-best 196.125 in a quad meet at Towson with George Washington and Penn in Towson, Maryland, on March 4. Posting their first 196.0+ score of the season, the Mountaineers reached their highest team total since scoring a 196.225 at the 2023 Big 12 Championship. WVU reached the season-high total with scores of 48.925 on vault, 48.925 on uneven bars, a season-best 49.3 on balance beam and a 48.975 on floor exercise.
In the team standings, host Towson took first place with a 196.4, while Penn finished in second with a 196.2. West Virginia was just behind Penn in third (196.125), and George Washington finished in fourth with a 195.8. In the final event standings, freshman Karleigh DiCello earned a share of the top spot on beam with a career-high 9.925, while senior Anna Leigh tied for third on floor, scoring a 9.875.
In this week's Road to Nationals rankings, West Virginia ranks No. 48 nationally with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 194.735 as of March 3. WVU also ranks No. 50 on vault, No. 48 on bars, No. 54 on beam and No. 39 on floor. Individually, Leigh ranks No. 6 in the southeast region and in the Big 12 on floor with an NQS of 9.88. On beam, Brown ranks No. 21 regionally and No. 22 in the conference with a 9.8 NQS on the event. Freshman Karleigh DiCello ranks No. 22 in the league and No. 25 in the region on vault with a 9.785 NQS.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The meet will be streamed live on ACCNX, while live stats from the meet are available at WVUsports.com.
West Virginia leads the all-time series between the two teams, holding a 70-19-2 advantage with the first meeting dating back to WVU's first season of competition in 1974. The two teams have a storied history, having competed in nearly every season at least once, with a few seasons featuring two or more matchups. Last season, Pitt traveled to Morgantown for a quad meet on March 3. The Panthers finished second in the quad with a 195.225, narrowly outscoring the Mountaineers in third place with a 195.0.
Pitt enters Sunday's competition with a 3-7 overall record and an 0-6 mark in the ACC in 2025. The Panthers are coming off a 195.925-195.65 loss to Kent State in Kent, Ohio, on Feb. 28.
Last time out, WVU reached a new season-best 196.125 in a quad meet at Towson with George Washington and Penn in Towson, Maryland, on March 4. Posting their first 196.0+ score of the season, the Mountaineers reached their highest team total since scoring a 196.225 at the 2023 Big 12 Championship. WVU reached the season-high total with scores of 48.925 on vault, 48.925 on uneven bars, a season-best 49.3 on balance beam and a 48.975 on floor exercise.
In the team standings, host Towson took first place with a 196.4, while Penn finished in second with a 196.2. West Virginia was just behind Penn in third (196.125), and George Washington finished in fourth with a 195.8. In the final event standings, freshman Karleigh DiCello earned a share of the top spot on beam with a career-high 9.925, while senior Anna Leigh tied for third on floor, scoring a 9.875.
In this week's Road to Nationals rankings, West Virginia ranks No. 48 nationally with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 194.735 as of March 3. WVU also ranks No. 50 on vault, No. 48 on bars, No. 54 on beam and No. 39 on floor. Individually, Leigh ranks No. 6 in the southeast region and in the Big 12 on floor with an NQS of 9.88. On beam, Brown ranks No. 21 regionally and No. 22 in the conference with a 9.8 NQS on the event. Freshman Karleigh DiCello ranks No. 22 in the league and No. 25 in the region on vault with a 9.785 NQS.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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Head Coach Jason Butts | Intro
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