The Southern Utah University women’s gymnastics team is getting ready to close out their season at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference Championship. They will face off against Sacramento State University, the University of California, Davis and the University of Alaska Anchorage.
The meet will take place at 6 p.m. in the America First Event Center in Cedar City, Utah on Saturday, March 21.
Southern Utah
SUU currently has an overall record of 7-10 and a conference record of 3-0. They sit at the top of the MPSF leaderboard going into the championship.
The T-Birds have dominated the conference standings this year, sweeping numerous awards and making incredibly consistent showings at every meet. The team won an overwhelming majority of the MPSF end-of-season awards.
Niya Randolph won her third-straight conference Gymnast of the Year award while Berlin Hall earned Freshman of the year. Both team members had incredible seasons. Among other accomplishments, Randolph recorded the conference’s second-highest all-around score ever. Hall ranked in the top 60 nationally for her floor routine and was No. 1 on floor in the conference.
SUU also won 20 all-conference honors. They are as follows:
Niya Randolph: Five; first team in every routine and all-around
Mia Hampton: Three; first team in bars and beam, second team in floor
Rylee Miller: Two; first team in beam, second team in bars
Other first-team honorees: Elliot Bringhurst, Ariel Collum, Berlin Hall, Carilia Martinez, Kayla Pardue, Alex Routsis
Other second-team honorees: Mackenzie Kelly, Vinciane Le Pen, Kendall McGuire, Emma Nipper
If the Thunderbirds take home this championship, it will be their fourth-straight conference title. Even with some stumbles and close losses, the Thunderbirds’ consistency and drive is unmatched among their conference peers.
Alaska Anchorage
The Seawolves have an overall record of 4-8 and are No.2 in the MPSF standings.
The last time they took on SUU, UAA placed fourth at a quad meet at Utah State University. The Seawolves last faced the College of William & Mary, where they lost 194.650-192.675. However, freshman Tessa Richardson and junior Claudia Lessig led the team to a second-consecutive season-high score.
Sacramento State
Sacramento State holds an overall record of 6-14 and sits at No. 3 in the MPSF standings.
After beating UC Davis, the Hornets lost to Washington 195.725-194.000. Despite the loss, they recorded their second-highest score of the season. Junior Sarah Lutrel placed first in the all-around and junior Kara Houghton tied for second on the floor.
UC Davis
UC Davis holds an overall record of 5-14 and sits at the bottom of the MPSF standings.
The Aggies are coming off of a quad meet in California where they placed fourth with a score of 191.175. During the meet, sophomore Avah Reichow and senior Amelia Moneymaker tied for fifth on the floor.
Moneymaker is a formidable head to this Aggies squad. She earned a Gymnast of the Week honor this season while recording the fourth-highest floor routine in MPSF history.
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Author: Conner Dean
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
