Following a matchup at the Best of Utah competition on Monday, the Southern Utah University women’s gymnastics team will head to Logan, Utah to face Utah State University on Saturday, Jan. 17 at noon.
This meet will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network.
Southern Utah
The Flippin’ Birds currently hold a 1-3 record, due to coming in last place at the Best of Utah competition. However, they have still put up strong scores, recording a 195.675 twice this season.
SUU’s top performers so far include Niya Randolph, Berlin Hall and Kayla Pardue, with the three sweeping every Mountain Pacific Sports Federation weekly award. Randolph, a junior from Las Vegas, earned Gymnast of the Week while Pardue won Specialist of the Week and Hall was crowned Freshman of the Week.
This marks Gymnast of the Week No. 11 for Randolph, and the second Specialist of the Week recognition for Pardue. This is also the eighth time that SUU has swept the MPSF weekly awards since 2024.
In the season opener against Boise State, all three women earned impressive scores of 9.800 or higher, with Randolph achieving a 9.900 on the bars. Their hot streak continued to the Best of Utah competition, with all three earning a 9.700 or higher. Alongside them, sophomore Mia Hampton has had a great start to the year and placed third in the all-around at Best of Utah with a 39.150.
Over their first two meets, the Flippin’ Birds have proven especially skilled in the floor event. They nabbed an impressive score of 49.225 against Boise State. They also did well on the vault at Best of Utah, earning a 49.050. If not for a stumble on the beam, SUU might have secured a victory in that meet.
Utah State
Utah State currently has a record of 2-1 after placing second in the Best of Utah. USU shocked the T-Birds and Cougars with a great showing despite being ranked lower than the three other schools.
Utah State scored a 195.825 during Best of Utah, the second-highest season-opening score in the history of the program. The Aggies scored a 49.000 on both the bars and floor, with eight gymnasts scoring career highs for the meet.
Junior Sydney Jelen was named Utah State’s Most Valuable Performer, due to scoring a 9.800 on the beam and a career high of 9.850 on bars. Alongside her, sophomore Olivia Orengo scored a 39.150 in the all-around at Best in Utah which tied her for third
This upcoming meet marks the second time the Flippin’ Birds will face USU this season. Last time they competed, SUU earned the lower score on the bars, beam and floor but secured a higher score on the vault with a 49.050.
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Author: Conner Dean
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
