WVU Makes Cross-Country Trek to Arizona Saturday
February 20, 2026 03:34 PM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team makes a cross-country trek to Tucson, Arizona, for a Big 12 Conference dual meet at Arizona on Saturday, Feb. 21. Competition inside the McKale Center is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.
The meet will be streamed live on ESPN+, with Chris Harris and Michele Strom on the call. Live stats are available at WVUsports.com.
Arizona leads the all-time series, 3-2, with the two teams first meeting in 1994. The Mountaineers earned a 189.0-188.525 win in that contest in Tucson. West Virginia and Arizona last met in the 2025 Big 12 Championship in West Valley City, Utah. U of A took second place with a 196.675 team total, while WVU finished in seventh with a 194.875. West Virginia and Arizona also met in a dual meet during the regular season last year. The Wildcats claimed a 194.925-195.3 victory in Morgantown on Feb. 28.
Saturday's matchup marks the first of two scheduled competitions between the Mountaineers and Wildcats this season. The two teams will face one another in the 2026 Big 12 Championship in West Valley City, Utah, on March 21. Arizona enters Saturday's competition with a 3-6 overall record and a 1-2 mark in the Big 12 so far in 2026. U of A is coming off a 195.35-196.6 loss to conference foe Denver on Feb. 14
This week's Road to Nationals rankings are the first of the season based on National Qualifying Score (NQS). Entering a new format this year, a maximum of nine scores will count toward a team's NQS, with the highest and lowest scores dropped. Teams can count a maximum of four home meets toward their final NQS. West Virginia's vault lineup currently ranks No. 29 nationally in the Road to Nationals rankings with a 48.906 NQS. The vault lineup owns a season high of 49.025, a total it has reached twice this season. Elsewhere, WVU ranks No. 48 overall, No. 48 on bars and No. 46 on floor exercise
Individually, freshman Kayla Smith ranks No. 6 in the conference with a 38.75 NQS on all-around this year. Sophomore Emerson Smith ranks No. 19 in the Big 12 Conference with a 9.77 NQS on vault. She is followed by sophomore Sophia Rice at No. 22 (9.765 NQS) and Kayla Smith at No. 23 (9.76 NQS). Junior Amber Lowe is No. 15 in the conference on bars (9.78 NQS). On floor, Emerson Smith ranks No. 17 with a 9.77 NQS and Kayla Smith comes in at No. 19 with a 9.755 NQS.
Last time out, WVU recorded a 194.075-194.425 loss to Big 12 Conference foe Arizona State inside Hope Coliseum in Morgantown on Feb. 14. The Mountaineers posted scores of 48.9 on vault, 48.6 on uneven bars, 47.85 on balance beam and 48.725 on floor exercise to finish in second place. Kayla Smith finished with a 38.775 on all-around, good for second place in the final event standings. Elsewhere, sophomore Karleigh DiCello and Rice tied for second place on vault, while Lowe added a third-place finish on bars and beam.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The meet will be streamed live on ESPN+, with Chris Harris and Michele Strom on the call. Live stats are available at WVUsports.com.
Arizona leads the all-time series, 3-2, with the two teams first meeting in 1994. The Mountaineers earned a 189.0-188.525 win in that contest in Tucson. West Virginia and Arizona last met in the 2025 Big 12 Championship in West Valley City, Utah. U of A took second place with a 196.675 team total, while WVU finished in seventh with a 194.875. West Virginia and Arizona also met in a dual meet during the regular season last year. The Wildcats claimed a 194.925-195.3 victory in Morgantown on Feb. 28.
Saturday's matchup marks the first of two scheduled competitions between the Mountaineers and Wildcats this season. The two teams will face one another in the 2026 Big 12 Championship in West Valley City, Utah, on March 21. Arizona enters Saturday's competition with a 3-6 overall record and a 1-2 mark in the Big 12 so far in 2026. U of A is coming off a 195.35-196.6 loss to conference foe Denver on Feb. 14
This week's Road to Nationals rankings are the first of the season based on National Qualifying Score (NQS). Entering a new format this year, a maximum of nine scores will count toward a team's NQS, with the highest and lowest scores dropped. Teams can count a maximum of four home meets toward their final NQS. West Virginia's vault lineup currently ranks No. 29 nationally in the Road to Nationals rankings with a 48.906 NQS. The vault lineup owns a season high of 49.025, a total it has reached twice this season. Elsewhere, WVU ranks No. 48 overall, No. 48 on bars and No. 46 on floor exercise
Individually, freshman Kayla Smith ranks No. 6 in the conference with a 38.75 NQS on all-around this year. Sophomore Emerson Smith ranks No. 19 in the Big 12 Conference with a 9.77 NQS on vault. She is followed by sophomore Sophia Rice at No. 22 (9.765 NQS) and Kayla Smith at No. 23 (9.76 NQS). Junior Amber Lowe is No. 15 in the conference on bars (9.78 NQS). On floor, Emerson Smith ranks No. 17 with a 9.77 NQS and Kayla Smith comes in at No. 19 with a 9.755 NQS.
Last time out, WVU recorded a 194.075-194.425 loss to Big 12 Conference foe Arizona State inside Hope Coliseum in Morgantown on Feb. 14. The Mountaineers posted scores of 48.9 on vault, 48.6 on uneven bars, 47.85 on balance beam and 48.725 on floor exercise to finish in second place. Kayla Smith finished with a 38.775 on all-around, good for second place in the final event standings. Elsewhere, sophomore Karleigh DiCello and Rice tied for second place on vault, while Lowe added a third-place finish on bars and beam.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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