When Zaakira Muhammad took her unofficial visit to West Virginia at 15 years old, she didn’t know much about the school or the state itself. By the end of her visit, she and her family knew her recruiting journey was over.
“As soon as I walked on campus, my mom [said] you’re going here. This is where you’re going to make your dreams happen,” Muhammad recalled about her recruiting journey, one that led her to Mountaineer fame as a gymnast and now back again two years later as the assistant head coach of a team on the rise thanks in part to her efforts.
As a gymnast, Muhammad’s name is written all over the Mountaineer record books. Although she never recorded a 10.0 as a gymnast, she holds the ninth highest number of 9.900-plus scores for West Virginia, tied with fellow alumna Kari Williams. Plus, she holds the sixth highest all-around score in program history with a 39.575 and was an individual all-around qualifier to the NCAA championships her junior year, securing second-team All-American status, the first WVU gymnast to accomplish that feat since Janae Cox in 2007.
After graduating with a journalism degree in 2018, Muhammad felt her journey in gymnastics was unfinished and she wasn’t ready to leave the sport. She had expressed desire throughout her…
