SEATTLE - No. 19 BYU equaled its second-best road score of the season with a 196.375 in a third-place finish against No. 8 Washington (196.950) and No. 16 Boise State (197.000) on Thursday night in Seattle. The Cougars also achieved their highest vault score this season. 

“I was really happy with the fight that the girls showed," head coach Guard Young said. "We had some adversity hit us, and the girls fought the whole way through. I was really proud of the energy and the effort that they showed."

One highlight of the meet for BYU was achieved on vault with its season-high score of 49.100 on the event. This marked the third meet for BYU with a 49.000 or higher on every event. Senior Jill van Mierlo set a new career-high 9.875 on vault while also matching her season-high 9.875 on floor. Briana Pearson also matched her career-high score on beam of 9.825.

BYU started the night on beam, earning a total 49.100 on the event. Briana Pearson started the Cougars off with a 9.825, matching her career high. Abby Boden and Shannon Hortman Evans contributed the team’s highest scores with a 9.875 and 9.850, respectively. This left BYU in second place with Boise State leading (49.200) and Washington in third (49.075).

Jill van Mierlo led the Cougars on floor as she matched her season-high score with a 9.875. Kyleigh Greenlief posted a 9.875 as Evans and Abbey Miner both followed up with a 9.825. BYU ended the rotation with a 49.100, bringing the total score to 98.200. The Broncos led at the end of the second rotation with 98.600 followed by the Huskies with 98.225, leaving the Cougars in third place.

On the third rotation, BYU set its new season-high score on vault with a 49.100. Jill van Mierlo again led the Cougars with a 9.875, setting a new personal career high. Freshman Jordan Danbury set a 9.850 for the second week in a row, followed by a pair of 9.800 scores from Evans and Avery Bennett. BYU ended the rotation in third with a total 147.300. Washington held second with 147.475 while Boise State led with 147.800.

The Cougars ended the night on bars, earning a total 49.075 in the rotation. Evans led the team with a 9.900, her third 9.900 or higher of the season on bars. Freshmen Abby Boden and Haley Pitou both earned a 9.825. BYU ended the meet in third place with Evans taking third in the all-around with a 39.375.

This meet marks the end of the regular season for the Cougars. The team will take on No. 16 Boise State, Utah State and Southern Utah next weekend at the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference Championships.

"It’s been what I would consider a magical season," Young said. "We’re deep from our freshmen to our senior leadership. We’ve had some great wins against some top-ranked teams."

BYU at Washington Final Results

BYU travels to Cedar City, Utah, for the MRGC Championships hosted by Southern Utah on Saturday, March 24. The championships will start at 6 p.m. MDT.

PROVO, Utah - No. 19 BYU travels to Seattle, Washington, to face No. 8 Washington and No. 16 Boise State in a tri-meet showdown of top-20 teams on Thursday night.

“We’re really excited to head up to Seattle,” head coach Guard Young said. “These are great teams doing great gymnastics, and we just want to perform really well and throw up a high road score.”

Last weekend, the Cougars took second with a 196.500 in the last home meet of the season against No. 10 Penn State, Utah State and Texas Woman’s. The vault lineup posted a 49.050, matching the season-high team score, while the uneven bars team earned a 49.425, the second-highest bar score in BYU gymnastics history.

Shannon Hortman Evans received a 9.850 on vault, 9.950 on bars and a 9.925 on floor, earning her MRGC Specialist of the Week titles on all three events. Freshman Jordan Danbury was also named a MRGC Vault Specialist of the Week with her 9.850 as a first-time competitor in the lineup.

The Huskies posted their fourth score over 197.000 (197.400) of the season this weekend at home against UC Davis and Seattle Pacific. The team earned season-high scores on three events: 49.150 on vault, 49.475 on beam and 49.450 on floor. The Broncos, also representing the MRGC, come into the meet after receiving a 196.625 road score at No. 20 Georgia. 

BYU will start the first rotation on bars. The meet is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. PDT/7 p.m. MDT on Thursday. Live stats and live streaming will both be available.