THE SHOTGUN THROWDOWN: West Virginia gymnastics team earns NCAA bid

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NCAA BID

The West Virginia gymnastics team has earned a spot in the 2022 NCAA Championships. The Mountaineers are 13-5 in head-to-head meets this season and recently finished in third place at the Big 12 Championship. WVU has been selected for the Norman, Oklahoma, Regional of the NCAA Championships. The hosting Sooners are the top team in the country and won the conference championship. This is the seventh consecutive time that the Mountaineers have qualified for regional competition in the NCAA Championships. Last season, WVU won their first-round meet against Penn State, but finished in third place in the second session, which prevented the team from advancing. This year, the Mountaineers will compete against Arizona in the first round in Norman. The Wildcats went 2-7 in head-to-head competition this year and, like WVU, finished in third place at their conference championship. This matchup between the Mountaineers and Wildcats is set for Wednesday, March 30th, at 4:00 p.m. ET.

MORE NCAA ACTION

Members of the West Virginia men’s swimming and diving team are also competing in NCAA Championship competition. Fifth-year senior David Dixon and senior PJ Lenz are the two Mountaineers that qualified for the championships. Dixon will be swimming in the 100-fly, 200-IM, and 200-butterfly. He is also the first swimmer in WVU history to qualify for the NCAA Championships five years in a row. Lenz is making his second NCAA Championships appearance and will be diving in the 1-meter springboard and platform.

WEST VIRGINIA ROUNDUP

• Junior Ting-Pei Chang and freshman Camilla Bossi of the West Virginia tennis team are now ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s doubles rankings. This is the first time in WVU history that a doubles pair is ranked.
• The West Virginia baseball team will now host Youngstown State tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday, as opposed to Friday through Sunday. All three of the games in this home series for the Mountaineers will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

AROUND THE BIG 12

• Texas Tech is one of three Big 12 men’s basketball teams in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders are facing Duke tonight on CBS.

AROUND THE NCAA

• The Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament will start with top-seeded Gonzaga facing Arkansas tonight at 7:09 p.m. ET on CBS. The Bulldogs are favored by almost 10 points in this matchup.
• After narrowly making its way into the tournament, the Michigan basketball team is looking to continue its “Cinderella” run. The Wolverines will play Villanova tonight on TBS.
• Tonight’s Sweet Sixteen games will conclude with Arizona facing Houston.

ODDS AND ENDS

• The Kansas City Chiefs have traded wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins for five draft picks.

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