‘Almost flawless’: Mt. Pleasant’s Olivia Kovach offers picture-perfect performance at WPIAL meet

By: Ray Fisher
Monday, February 24, 2025 | 10:46 AM

Previous Next

Mt. Pleasant’s Olivia Kovach put on a picture-perfect performance at this year’s WPIAL individual gymnastics championships.

Her coach indicated it was near-seamless.

Kovach dethroned three-time champion Abby Rexrode from Baldwin in winning the WPIAL Advanced Division all-around title Feb. 8 at Moon.

“It was something I really wanted this year,” Kovach said. “Coming up just short last year as the runner-up, I knew I would have to take my training up a notch and really work hard through practices this season to be competitive.

“I knew before I competed in the final event, the balance beam, that it would have to be my best performance ever. I’m honored to have competed and won against some really amazing girls this season.”

The 5-foot-2 junior amassed a 38.2 all-around point total, and Rexrode finished with a 37.9 score, giving Kovach a margin of victory of just three-tenths of a point.

Kovach finished first on the beam, second on bars (9.3), fifth on vault (9.65) and sixth on her floor routine (9.45).

Rexrode, a senior, took first place on bars (9.4), second on vault (9.75) and beam (9.2) and third on floor (9.55).

Kovach is a 16-year-old independent gymnast for the school district and a USAG Level 10 competitor for Ultimate Gymnastics in Delmont. She is a cyber student at Mt. Pleasant.

“It gives me the flexibility to spend time at the gym practicing and working around my travel schedule during meet season,” she said.

The Westmoreland County athlete, who recently acquired her driver’s license, has trained competitively at Ultimate since 2016 when she joined up as a Level 2 gymnast.

Kovach’s coach, Renee Ruggeri, owns and operates the gym and is in charge of the Hempfield and Burrell squads along with many independent gymnasts.

“Olivia’s performance was almost flawless,” Ruggeri said. “Her best events are always floor and beam. (On Feb. 8), she was solid on all four events.”

Kovach usually draws a crowd when participating in the floor event.

“Olivia’s strongest event is probably floor,” Ruggeri said. “She is dynamic and has a fun routine. The other gymnasts and the crowd love it. She also has a very impressive front tuck mount on beam.

“This is her first year as a Level 10 in USAG, and she’s already worked her way to the top in most of our competitions. She was the best (at WPIALs) she has been all year.”

Kovach’s “best” lifted her to dizzying heights that she hadn’t yet experienced at previous WPIAL championships.

“I really just wanted to go in and have my best meet of the season,” Kovach said. “I had high hopes, and I really wanted to finish at the top after coming in as runner-up the previous year.

“I’m short but powerful, as my coach, tells me, which makes a good gymnast. She has been with me every step of the way and really supports me to reach the goals I set for myself every year.”

Ruggeri said her star pupil turned in a championship effort on the always difficult and nerve-racking balance beam.

“The all-around did come down to her performance on beam,” Ruggieri said, “and she was one of the last to compete. She needed a 9.5, which is not easy with her high-level skills and everyone watching. She scored an almost perfect 9.8.”

Kovach said she knew what the top score was on the beam before she competed in the event.

“So I knew, at least, what I needed to win that event,” she said. “I did not realize the all-around score was so close or what I needed to win all-around.”

Kovach became interested in gymnastics when she was just 3 years old.

“I started with recreational tumbling classes,” she said. “I began competing as a Level 2 in 2016.

“I always loved flipping and tumbling. I would do backflips and handsprings across my living room floor daily. When I went for a summer class at Ultimate in 2016, I ended up trying out for the team. The rest is history.”

Kovach has been the only girl to compete in gymnastics since her freshman year at Mt. Pleasant. She said she made a big leap from last season, rising from Level 9 to Level 10.

“Having the experience at Level 9 Eastern Nationals last year gave me the opportunity to meet girls from the East Coast and really see what I needed to work on to become a good Level 10 gymnast,” Kovach said. “I’ve worked hard on bigger beam skills and floor tumbling to get near-10 start values with USAG, and I’ve added more practice time in the gym to really work on routines.

“In Level 10, you have to essentially earn your start value: the bigger the skills, the higher the start value. High school gymnastics is similar in that you have to earn every single point. But in high school you basically start at a zero and earn the points based on skills, then on performance.”

Ruggeri couldn’t help but notice the improvement in Kovach’s routines from a year ago. Kovach competed as a Level 9 the past two years and placed second at the WPIAL Advanced Division championships last season with a 38.175 all-around score.

“Olivia is strong and a very dedicated gymnast. She works hard and never gives up,” Ruggeri said. “She never misses practice and remains positive and true to her goals no matter what. She’s a wonderful girl to work with, and determination is her strong point. She’s small, strong and determined, which makes for a great gymnast.

“Her leadership and confidence have improved this year. She knows she can do it, and we have a great team of girls who stand behind her. She is truly a leader this year and has become so much more consistent. She deserves the success she earns.”

Kovach said she is keeping her post-high school options open.

“I would love to be considered for a college gymnastics team,” she said, “but I know how competitive it is for that opportunity.

“Right now, I enjoy my courses in automotive collision at CWCTC and coaching the Level 3 team at Ultimate.”

Whatever decision Kovach makes will be fully supported by her longtime coach.

“Olivia is not sure if she is going to pursue gymnastics or college after high school,” Ruggieri said. “Any school would be lucky to have her. She is a junior, so she has time. If nothing else, I hope she stays to coach.

“It’s a pleasure to coach her and watch her grow. She’s a 4.0 student. She practices four days a week and teaches classes for me three days. She is a great team leader and mentor for the little ones.”

Kovach was able to participate in a tune-up meet by competing in the 2025 Happy New Year Invitational in early January. She finished in a tie for first all-around with Madeline Wingerter of Oakland Catholic with 36.55 points.

Kovach took first place on vault, beam and floor and second on bars.

“I loved this meet as we don’t usually get medals for high school meets outside of the (WPIAL) championship,” she said. “So it was nice to be recognized in the middle of the season.”

While Kovach practices diligently at the gym, she also can utilize some unique training methods at home.

The Kovach family owns the Alpaca Key Farm in Mt. Pleasant, which houses a large variety of animals, including alpacas, goats, donkeys, ducks, chickens, cats and a dog.

“I help with just about everything on the farm, including animal care, building barns and everything else that goes into the farm,” Kovach said. “I’m very involved with my family at home when I’m not at the gym.

“Farm work is hard work, and there’s a lot of physical work in it. Carrying hay bales daily, mucking barns and cutting and stacking wood all are extra workouts for me and definitely help my strength training.”

Most of the alpacas (and other farm animals) have Disney-inspired names.

It seems Kovach consummated her WPIAL gymnastics season with an inspiring Disney-like adventure.

Tags: Mt. Pleasant