Gymnastics | 2/19/2023 7:00:00 PM

DENTON, Texas (Feb. 19, 2023) – Sundays were made for season-highs.

On Sunday, Feb. 19, the Texas Woman's gymnastics team hosted a dual meet in Kitty Magee Arena against No. 1 ranked Oklahoma.

The Pioneers rotated in Olympic order today – vault, bars, beam and floor—and they soared to a 2023 season-high of a 195.075. Oklahoma topped the meet with a 198.325.

Starting off on vault, TWU soared to a new season-high of a 48.825 on the event. Steelie King and Daisy Woodring punched the air with enthusiasm on their vaults, as they led the Pioneers with a pair of 9.825s. Madeline Gose kept the high-energy going, matching her season-high of a 9.775. Keeping the season-high trend going, Beth Lazarus, who led off on the event for the Pioneers, matched her season-high of a 9.750. In the third spot for TWU, Maddie Griffith vaulted to a 9.650. She marked the fifth and final counted score for the Pioneers on the opening rotation.

Then, TWU rotated with Oklahoma and moved to the uneven bars, where the season-highs kept rolling in. Griffith, who competed sixth for the Pioneers, topped the leader board on the event and matched her season-high with a 9.825. In the anchor spot, Brooke Ferrari remained a consistent achiever for TWU, scoring a 9.775. Kami Zarlengo competed third and finished third for the Pioneers with a 9.650. Alix Pierce and Mara Johnson brought home the final two scores for TWU on bars. Pierce flew to a 9.550 and Johnson hit a 9.475. TWU finished on bars with a 48.275.

Moving onto the four-inch balance beam, the Pioneers balanced their way to an impressive season-high score of 48.975. Pierce, in the anchor sport for TWU, continued to hold onto their beam queen status. After an incredible routine, Pierce's score flashed as a career-high 9.875. Ruby Goad really lit the career-high flame on beam for the Pioneers, prior to Pierce. Goad competed in the third position for the Pioneers and hit every series, scoring a 9.850. The entire lineup really fed off of each other's routines. Kyla Podges competed second, ahead of Goad, and ignited the high scores with a beautiful routine, matching her season-high and career-high with a 9.825. Gose flexed her strength and poise on the beam, scoring a 9.725, and Woodring remained consistently great on the apparatus; she scored a 9.700 for the Pioneers.

While the crowd remained hyped the entire afternoon, the Pioneers got them on their feet during their final, fantastic floor rotation. On their best rotation of the day, TWU scored a season-high 49.000, bringing the house down with excitement.

In the lead-off position, Podges set the tone from the first pass, scoring a 9.750. Podges started off the high scores and all the Pioneers continued to build on her incredible start. Competing in the second spot, King rose to the occasion in her first season competing on floor. She electrified the crowd and scored a career-high 9.800. Following King, Woodring maintained the exhilarating momentum and scored a 9.775. Then, Johnson stuck her landings and soared to a 9.800. Gose, in the fifth spot, brought electricity to KMA with her routine and scored a 9.750. Finally, the top Pioneer floor scorer brought the house down and closed the meet with an awesome routine, which Pierce continues to do on a nightly basis. Pierce closed the final rotation with a 9.875 to help led the Pioneers to a season-high finish at home on Sunday.
 
"We had such a great week in practice leading up to this meet, and it really showed today in competition," TWU Head Coach Lisa Bowerman said. "We showed the heights we are capable of reaching. I am proud of our gymnasts, and we look forward to building upon this meet as we head into the second half of our season and look ahead to the postseason."

The Pioneers will be at home next week. They will host West Virginia in KMA on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. TWU will be celebrating Faculty and Staff Appreciation, Black History Month and Pack the House.