PROVO, Utah - In its home opener, BYU gymnastics fell to Utah by a score of 196.900 to 194.175 on Friday night at the Marriott Center.

“The crowd was magnificent, the Marriott Center felt full and the crowds were loud, for both Utah and BYU,” BYU head coach Guard Young said. “We need to get back in the gym and focus on pressure sets and situations. So, when we are back at this stage again, hopefully we can handle it a little bit better.”

Despite the loss, two Cougars recorded career highs, Shannon Hortman on the vault, uneven bars and floor with scores of 9.850, 9.825 and 9.750, respectively, and Briana Pearson on the floor with 9.700.

Hortman claimed fourth place in the all-around with a 39.050, and Jill van Mierlo was close behind in fifth with 38.975.

The opening rotation featured the Cougars on vault with the Utes taking on the uneven bars. Hortman took the highest mark and logged a career high of 9.850. Mackenzie Douglas was second with a 9.800, and Lauren Love and van Mierlo both scored 9.700s. BYU ended their time on the vault with a final score of 48.700, just behind Utah’s 49.125 on the uneven bars.

In their highest-scoring event of the night, the Cougars competed on the uneven bars in the second rotation and finished with a 48.875. Hortman and Jessie Westergard took the highest marks for the Cougars with 9.825s, Hortman recording yet another new career high. Brittni Hawes logged a solid 9.775, with van Meirlo producing a 9.750.  

At the end of the second rotation, Utah led BYU by a score of 98.425 to 97.575.

The third rotation featured the Cougars finishing with 47.875 on the beam while the Utes, who performed on floor, produced a 49.275. Van Meirlo claimed the highest score for BYU, a 9.775, and Natasha Trejo, Hannah Miller and Hortman were close behind her with 9.725, 9.650 and 9.625, respectively. A huge rotation for Utah, however, kept BYU in second, 147.700 to 145.450.  

On floor, BYU finished with a mark of 48.725. Douglas scored the highest for the Cougars with a 9.775, and Hortman finished close behind her, scoring a 9.750. Pearson recorded a career high of 9.700, and Trejo finished with the same mark.

The meet concluded with Utah taking the victory with a total score of 196.900 to BYU’s 194.175.

BYU will remain in Provo to take on Utah State on Friday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. MST at the Smith Fieldhouse. The meet will be broadcast on BYUtv. 

PROVO, Utah — BYU gymnastics hosts in-state rival No. 5 Utah in its home opener Friday at the Marriott Center.

“There is a tremendous amount of respect for their program and we’re honored to be on the same floor as them,” BYU head coach Guard Young said. “We want to prove to them, the rest of the gymnastics community and to us that we are a good team; we focus on fundamentals and we train extremely hard year-round.”

The Cougars scored a 194.525 for a second-place finish against Penn State, Bowling Green State and Temple last week. Junior Mackenzie Douglas led the team on vault with a 9.775. On uneven bars, Brittni Hawes tied her career high, while Jessie Westergard set hers as both gymnasts earned a 9.900. Shannon Hortman scored a 9.800 on beam in her BYU debut and Douglas earned a 9.775 on floor.

Utah opened its season with a 196.625-195.525 win over No. 7 Michigan last week. 2016 USA Olympic Team alternate and freshman Mykayla Skinner won the all-round (39.550), vault (9.900) and bars (9.900) titles, and tied for first on floor (9.900). Baely Row led the Utes on beam with a 9.925.

Young believes the rivalry atmosphere brings good energy into the arena.

“Both as an athlete and as a coach, I feel that energy in the gym elevates gymnastics,” Young said. 

Fans wearing BYU gear to the meet may purchase a buy-one-get-one-free ticket deal. In honor of Friday the 13th, those who dress up in scary costumes (no masks) can participate in giveaways.

The meet begins at 7 p.m. MST. It will be televised live on BYUtv and live stats will be available at byu.statbroadcast.com. Tickets may be purchased at the Marriott Center ticket office by calling (801) 422-2981 or online.