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Mountaineers get ready to face No. 7 Denver

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Following a season-best performance, the West Virginia gymnastics team plays host to No. 7 Denver at 1 p.m. today for its Cancer Awareness Meet, sponsored by WVU Medicine.

Due to ongoing COVID-19 protocols, and for the overall safety of spectators at indoor events, attendance will be capped at 1,500 spectators. Priority will be given to families and guests of the gymnasts and gymnastics coaching staffs, along with a limited number of WVU students and fans.

Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by visiting wvugame.com or calling 1-800-WVU GAME to avoid lines at the gate on meet day. When purchasing online, tickets are $5 each. At the ticket window on meet day, any remaining tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth and seniors. The discounted online pricing will be available until the start of competition.

The Mountaineer Ticket Office, as well as the Gold Gate, opens an hour before competition on meet day. WVU students are admitted for free with a valid Student I.D. All tickets are reserved in blocks, ranging from one to six seats, and socially distanced. When purchasing tickets, the system will allocate the best seats available based on the quantity selected.

Facemasks will be required of all spectators entering the arena and should be worn at all times, with the exception of when eating and drinking.

Today’s action will be carried live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, the conference’s digital platform, with Michael Minnich and Julia Merwin on the call. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at espnplus.com, espn.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It also is available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.

Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the gymnastics schedule page at wvusports.com.

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel,” Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. “With one practice, there is not a whole lot that we can reinvent. We are going to be shuffling up the lineups a little bit tomorrow. We’re heading into our fourth meet, and some other people are ready to go. It’s still kind of early as far as the lineup process, but I think after this meet, you will start to see them be a little bit more concrete.

“Yesterday, we just focused on hitting routines and fixing some of the little things that we had go wrong. Hopefully, we will have a great performance tomorrow, and then, we’ll be back in the gym next week for a full week of practice.”

The Mountaineers (0-3, 0-3) and Pioneers (3-2, 1-2) will meet for the 17th time overall on Thursday. UD owns an 11-5 all-time series advantage and is 7-1 against WVU since joining the league in 2016. The two teams last met in a tri-meet in 2019, with Denver capturing a 197.45-196.125 victory at the WVU Coliseum. West Virginia’s last win took place in 2017, when the squad claimed a 196.3-195.9 victory in Morgantown.