WVU Wraps Home Slate Against No. 24 BYU on Senior Night
February 26, 2026 12:14 PM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team returns to Morgantown to wrap up its 2026 home slate against No. 24 BYU on Friday, Feb. 27. Competition inside Hope Coliseum is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
The Mountaineers will honor the 2026 senior class as they take the floor at Hope Coliseum one final time. Following the conclusion of the meet, we will recognize our three seniors gymnasts and one student manager for their contributions over the last four years. It also will be our Coal Rush meet, so be sure to wear black. The first 250 fans also will receive a free WVU Coal Rush rally towel.
Tickets purchased in advance through WVUGAME.com will be priced at $10. Group tickets for parties of 10 or more will be available for $5 per person in advance. On-site, meet day pricing will be $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and youth (ages 18 and under).
Michael Minnich and Erica Williams will have the call of Friday's meet on ESPN+. Live stats also are available at WVUsports.com.
BYU is undefeated in the all-time series, with four wins across the series history. Of note, Friday's meet will mark the Cougars' first-ever visit to Morgantown. The two teams first met in 1990, a 185.2-184.05 BYU win at Georgia. West Virginia and BYU last met in the 2025 Big 12 Championship in West Valley City, Utah. BYU took fourth place with a 196.275 team total, while WVU finished in seventh with a 194.875. West Virginia and BYU also met in a dual meet during the regular season last year. The Cougars claimed a 195.675-195.0 victory in Provo on Feb. 14.
Friday's matchup marks the first of two scheduled competitions between the Mountaineers and Cougars this season. The two teams will face one another in the 2026 Big 12 Championship in West Valley City, Utah, on March 21. BYU enters Friday's competition with a 7-4 overall record and a 3-2 mark in the Big 12 so far in 2026. The Cougars are coming off a 196.575-195.925 upset win over No. 16 Denver on Feb. 20.
Last time out, West Virginia went 24-for-24 for the first time this season as it finished in second place behind Arizona inside the McKale Center in Tucson on Feb. 2. Despite posting one of its cleanest all-around performances of the season, the Mountaineers finished with a 194.65 to finish behind the Wildcats, who scored a 196.625. WVU tallied scores of 48.95 on vault, 48.6 on the uneven bars, 48.35 on balance beam and 48.75 on floor exercise.
In the final event standings, sophomore Sophia Rice finished in second on vault, with senior Carlee Nelson just behind her in third. Sophomore Emerson Smith earned a third-place finish on floor, and freshman Kayla Smith also finished third on all-around with a 38.775 total on all four events.
This week's rankings mark the second week of the season based on National Qualifying Score (NQS). Entering a new format this year, a minimum 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. 30 nationally in the Road to Nationals rankings with a 48.915 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. 50 on floor exercise
Individually, Kayla Smith ranks No. 6 in the Big 12 Conference and the southeast region with a 38.8 NQS on all-around this year. Rice ranks No. 15 in the Big 12 Conference with a 9.795 NQS on vault. She is followed by Emerson Smith and Kayla Smith at No. 19 (9.775 NQS), while sophomore Karleigh DiCello ranks No. 23 (9.77 NQS). Junior Amber Lowe is No. 14 in the conference and No. 19 in the region on bars with 9.8 NQS. She also sits at No. 20 in the Big 12 on beam (9.74 NQS). On floor, Emerson Smith ranks No. 18 in the league with a 9.805 NQS and Kayla Smith comes in at No. 21 with a 9.765 NQS. Nelson rounds out the floor group at No. 23 (9.74 NQS).
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The Mountaineers will honor the 2026 senior class as they take the floor at Hope Coliseum one final time. Following the conclusion of the meet, we will recognize our three seniors gymnasts and one student manager for their contributions over the last four years. It also will be our Coal Rush meet, so be sure to wear black. The first 250 fans also will receive a free WVU Coal Rush rally towel.
Tickets purchased in advance through WVUGAME.com will be priced at $10. Group tickets for parties of 10 or more will be available for $5 per person in advance. On-site, meet day pricing will be $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and youth (ages 18 and under).
Michael Minnich and Erica Williams will have the call of Friday's meet on ESPN+. Live stats also are available at WVUsports.com.
BYU is undefeated in the all-time series, with four wins across the series history. Of note, Friday's meet will mark the Cougars' first-ever visit to Morgantown. The two teams first met in 1990, a 185.2-184.05 BYU win at Georgia. West Virginia and BYU last met in the 2025 Big 12 Championship in West Valley City, Utah. BYU took fourth place with a 196.275 team total, while WVU finished in seventh with a 194.875. West Virginia and BYU also met in a dual meet during the regular season last year. The Cougars claimed a 195.675-195.0 victory in Provo on Feb. 14.
Friday's matchup marks the first of two scheduled competitions between the Mountaineers and Cougars this season. The two teams will face one another in the 2026 Big 12 Championship in West Valley City, Utah, on March 21. BYU enters Friday's competition with a 7-4 overall record and a 3-2 mark in the Big 12 so far in 2026. The Cougars are coming off a 196.575-195.925 upset win over No. 16 Denver on Feb. 20.
Last time out, West Virginia went 24-for-24 for the first time this season as it finished in second place behind Arizona inside the McKale Center in Tucson on Feb. 2. Despite posting one of its cleanest all-around performances of the season, the Mountaineers finished with a 194.65 to finish behind the Wildcats, who scored a 196.625. WVU tallied scores of 48.95 on vault, 48.6 on the uneven bars, 48.35 on balance beam and 48.75 on floor exercise.
In the final event standings, sophomore Sophia Rice finished in second on vault, with senior Carlee Nelson just behind her in third. Sophomore Emerson Smith earned a third-place finish on floor, and freshman Kayla Smith also finished third on all-around with a 38.775 total on all four events.
This week's rankings mark the second week of the season based on National Qualifying Score (NQS). Entering a new format this year, a minimum 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. 30 nationally in the Road to Nationals rankings with a 48.915 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. 50 on floor exercise
Individually, Kayla Smith ranks No. 6 in the Big 12 Conference and the southeast region with a 38.8 NQS on all-around this year. Rice ranks No. 15 in the Big 12 Conference with a 9.795 NQS on vault. She is followed by Emerson Smith and Kayla Smith at No. 19 (9.775 NQS), while sophomore Karleigh DiCello ranks No. 23 (9.77 NQS). Junior Amber Lowe is No. 14 in the conference and No. 19 in the region on bars with 9.8 NQS. She also sits at No. 20 in the Big 12 on beam (9.74 NQS). On floor, Emerson Smith ranks No. 18 in the league with a 9.805 NQS and Kayla Smith comes in at No. 21 with a 9.765 NQS. Nelson rounds out the floor group at No. 23 (9.74 NQS).
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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