After starting the year with their highest season-opening road score ever, the Southern Utah University gymnastics team will compete in the Rio Tinto Best of Utah Meet. Set for Monday, Jan. 15, at 4 p.m., the meet will also feature Brigham Young University, Utah State University and the University of Utah.
Brigham Young
The BYU Cougars opened the year up at the Super 16 Meet, where they scored 195.900, then posted a 196.100 in the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad Meet.
In the two meets they averaged 49.140 on the vault, 49.175 on the bars, 48.838 on the beam and 48.863 on the floor. Ava Jorgensen and Sydney Benson each hit 9.875 on the vault at the Super 16 for the team’s best score of the event. Anyssa Alvarado scored 9.950 on the bars to earn her the Big 12 Conference Event Specialist of the Week title. Also at the Super 16, Elise Rollins scored 9.900 on the beam and Sofia Dudley scored 9.875 on the floor.
Utah State
The Aggies have only competed in the North Carolina Quad Meet so far and came in behind the University of North Carolina, Ball State University and Rutgers College with a score of 193.175.
USU’s top scores for the vault, the bars and the floor were all 9.800, coming from Nyla Morabito, Brianna Brooks and Alivia Ostendorf. Lexi Aragon’s 9.850 was the highest beam score in the Mountain West Conference.
Utah
After putting up 197.300 against Boise State University and 196.975 in the Sprouts Collegiate Quad Meet, the Utes are sitting on a 1-3 record. They have averaged 49.275 on the vault, 49.188 on the bars, 49.275 on the beam and 49.400 on the floor.
Camie Winger put up 9.950 on the vault, tying for the highest score in the event at the quad meet. Grace McCallum and Maile O’Keefe led the way on the bars with their 9.925s against Boise State. O’Keefe also had the top score on the floor with 9.950. If her other scores weren’t impressive enough, O’Keefe earned a perfect 10 to get her the top beam score, as well.
O’Keefe has struggled since the Boise State meet, though. At the quad meet, her 9.150 beam score and 9.575 floor score have left a lot to be desired.
Southern Utah
The Flippin’ Birds scored 196.025 in the Super 16 Meet, short of the University of Minnesota and Oregon State University but good enough to top Brigham Young.
They swept the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Gymnasts of the Week awards when Alexis Routsis earned Freshman of the Week, Aubri Schwartze earned Specialist of the Week and Niya Randolph earned Gymnast of the Week.
Schwartze had the highest bars and beam scores with her 9.900 and 9.850, while Randolph’s award-winning 9.825 performance came on the floor. Ellie Cacciola posted 9.850 for SUU’s best vault score.
At last year’s Best of Utah Meet, the Utes won with 197.750, followed by the Thunderbirds’ 196.175, the Aggies’ 195.800 and the Cougars’ 195.175.
Author: Anden Garfield
Photographer: Anden Garfield
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