The Southern Utah University gymnastics team will welcome Penn State University on Friday, March 8, at 7 p.m. The meet can be streamed through Overnght. With the season coming to a close, this is the third-to-last meet for the Nittany Lions, while the Flippin’ Birds have only one meet after this matchup.
Both programs enter the matchup after prodigious performances in their last meets. The Flippin’ Birds posted a season-best score of 197.125 against Brigham Young University, and Penn State chalked up a 196.825 in their senior night quad meet.
Beam teams
Although the Nittany Lions rank No. 23 overall, their average score of 49.235 on the beam ranks No. 16. Junior Isabella Salcedo is among the best in the nation; early this season, she posted a career-high 9.950, and in the team’s last meet, she added a 9.900.
The Flippin’ Birds had a rough start to the year on the beam, but they’ve averaged a score of 49.175 over their last six meets, which would rank No. 22 in the nation if SUU tallied that across the whole season. Senior Anna Hartley helped keep SUU on track by racking up a career-best 9.900 in the last meet.
Flippin’ Bird freshman brilliance
Southern Utah’s roster consists of 12 freshmen, some of which have made an immense impact.
The astounding display from all-arounder Niya Randolph has stood out the most. In the Flippin’ Birds’ most recent meet, she shattered the program’s all-around record, achieving a score of 39.600. She was named Gymnast of the Week for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation after her spectacular performance.
Another dynamic Flippin’ Bird is Alyssa Fernandez. On Monday, Feb. 26, she boasted a personal-best score of 9.900 on the beam against Iowa State University. She once again scored high in the Flippin’ Birds previous meet, tying for first at 9.875.
The Nittany Lion all-around duo
Penn State boasts two all-arounders that rank in the top 50 nationwide. There are only three other gymnasts from the Northeast region this season that rank above the No. 50 spot.
Freshman Kalea McElligott stands at No. 46, averaging a substantial score of 49.220. In Penn State’s quad meet victory, she scored a personal-best 39.375. Another young all-arounder, sophomore Ava Piedrahita, ranks No. 34, one spot ahead of SUU’s Randolph, with an average of 39.305.
The Flippin’ Birds will need another stellar performance in order to pull off the upset.
Author: Brig Pyfer
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
