West Virginia University gymnastics coach Jason Butts announced on April 22 the signing of Zaara Burnett for the 2026-27 school year.
Burnett, who is from Gaithersburg, Maryland, will graduate from Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School this spring. She trained at Hills Gymnastics under coach Cynthia Smaha and will join the Mountaineer gymnastics team as a freshman in the fall, with plans to compete in the 2027 season.
Burnett recently competed at the 2026 Region 7 Championships, where she placed seventh on beam and twelfth on bars. At the Maryland State Championships earlier in the year, she finished in the top fifteen on every event and took second place on bars.
She is a four-year Level 10 gymnast and has qualified twice for the Women’s Development Program National Championships. In her first trip to nationals in 2023, Burnett achieved a top-ten finish on every event at regionals and placed twenty-fourth on bars at nationals. She returned to nationals as a sophomore in 2024 after another strong regional performance that included a second-place finish on bars.
Burnett is planning to major in criminal justice at West Virginia University. She is the daughter of Christopher and Kadiatou.
