Jan 18 | 07:00 PM
1st - 194.575
Brigham Young University
2nd - 193.950
Utah State University
Tatiana Littlefield | Posted: 18 Jan 2019 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
Game Recap
Tatiana Littlefield

No. 6 BYU tops Utah State in MRGC opener

BYU vs. Utah State Meet Results

LOGAN, Utah – The No. 6 BYU gymnastics team topped Utah State 194.575 to 193.950 in the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference opener Friday night at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

"Last week's loss felt like a win and this week's win feels like a loss," BYU head coach Guard Young said. "We did not do what we need to do to be one of the top teams. The judging was very tight from the very first routine and when the judging is like that we have to dig down deeper and let those performances come up. I think we let that get to us a little bit."

Captains Natasha Marsh and Shannon Evans claimed the top score in two events as Marsh scored a 9.775 on bars and Evans posted a 9.875 on vault. Utah State's Madison Ward-Sessions claimed the other three honors as she scored a 39.225 in the all-around while Evans came in second with a 39.125.

The Cougars started the night on the parallel bars and earned a 48.625 on the event. The captains led the way as Marsh scored a 9.775 and Evans tallied a 9.750. Helody Cyrenne and Gabrielle Hubbard followed with a 9.725 and 9.700, respectively. Abby Boden also scored in the top five with a 9.675. After one rotation, the Aggies held the lead, 48.675 to 48.625.

On vault, BYU scored a 48.950 as Abbey Miner posted a career-high 9.825 while Evans led the team with a 9.875. Haley Pitou recorded a 9.800, Rebekah Bean scored a 9.750 and Angel Zhong posted a 9.700. The Cougars took the lead after the second rotation, 97.575 to 97.100.

In the third rotation, Evans once again led the way with a 9.850. She was followed by Briana Pearson's 9.800, Abbey Miner's 9.775 and Brittney Vitkauskas' 9.750. Sadie Miner also competed, tallying a 9.250. BYU posted a 48.900 as the Cougars stayed on top 146.475 to 145.150.

In the final rotation, BYU posted a 48.100 on beam with Marsh leading the way with a 9.750. Abby Boden and Shannon Evans followed with a 9.675 and 9.650, respectively. Cyrenne (9.600) and Abbey Miner (9.425) closed out the top scores.

The Cougars return to the Marriott Center on Friday, Jan. 25, at 11 a.m. MST as they host Utah State for the annual Kids Meet. The meet will be broadcast live on BYUtv and live stats will be available on StatBroadcast.com.

Meet Milestones

  • Abbey Miner scored a career-high 9.825 on vault.
  • Shannon Evans posted a 9.875 on vault to tie her career best that was previously set in 2017.
  • Haley Pitou also tied her career-high on vault with a 9.800.
  • Gabby Hubbard performed her first time on bars to set her career-best at 9.700.
  • Sadie Miner's 9.725 on floor sets her career high.
 
 
Tatiana Littlefield | Posted: 16 Jan 2019 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
Event Preview
Tatiana Littlefield

No. 6 Cougars travel to Utah State for MRGC opener

PROVO, Utah – After earning national recognition against Utah, the No. 6 BYU gymnastics team travels to Utah State for the first Mountain Rim Gymnastics competition on Friday, Jan. 18.

BYU vs. Utah State Meet Notes

Meet Information

THE COUGARS. BYU earned its highest season-opening meet score in program history after recording a 196.475 against instate rival No. 3 Utah. The score earned them the No. 6 spot in the national rankings.

EVANS & SUPER MARIO BROS. Junior Shannon Evans shined against the Utes as she scored a 39.400 in the all-around. Her floor routine earned a 9.900 as she performed to a Super Mario Brothers theme. The routine has flooded the Internet and was featured on Sports Illustrated. Evans also shared MRGC Bars and Floor Specialists of the Week honors.

BEAM RECORD. The Cougars earned a 49.325 on the balance beam after senior Natasha Marsh and sophomore Abbey Miner earned scores of 9.900 for their routines. The score is added to the program record book, tied for fifth place with BYU's performance against Southern Utah in 2018.

THE AGGIES. Utah State finished in third place in their meet last week after posting a 194.600 in the first meet of the season. West Virginia took first, Pittsburgh placed second and Eastern Michigan came in fourth place. Senior Madison Ward-Sessions scored a 9.825 on bars for the meet title and shared the floor title after scoring a 9.900. Her scores led her to win MRGC Bars Specialist of the Week and share the Floor Specialists of the Week honor. The Aggies also broke a school record for highest season-opening score.