BOISE, Idaho - In a meet filled with highs and lows, No. 14 BYU had its three-meet winning streak over No. 25 Boise State come to an end, 196.325-196.250, at the ExtraMile Arena in Boise, Idaho, on Saturday. 

MEET RESULTS

Stepping up to overcome some challenges heading into the meet, the Cougars matched their season-high score in the closely contested competition against the five-time conference champions. 

"We had a lot thrown at the team this week," head coach Guard Young said. "We had a COVID-19 issue and that is something we had to overcome. I'm sure all the teams this year will have to overcome it. We had an injury with one of our starters on the last day of practice. We had some last minute changes. I'm super happy with these kids who came off the bench and scored us points."

The Cougars started strong in the first rotation, matching their season-high uneven bars score, a 49.350. Junior Abby Beeston achieved a career-high score of 9.900, topping her previous best of 9.850. Sophomore Anyssa Alvarado matched the 9.900, followed by a season-high 9.875 from senior Abby Boden-Stainton. All Cougars earned above a 9.775 to take the lead 49.350-48.900.

"I’m continually amazed by our bar swingers," Young said. "We have some really good backups that are just waiting to get in and these starters aren’t giving an inch. There’s no cracks in their gymnastics. Super impressed with how we are starting these events."

Coming off a high on the uneven bars, BYU headed to vault. However, the team earned its lowest vault score of the season, a 48.875. Highlights included senior Jordan Danbury-Matthews making her vault debut of the season and senior Angel Zhong hitting her highest score of the season, a 9.800. Senior Abbey Miner-Alder led the pack with a 9.875, the highest vault score of the evening.

With BYU leading by .025, junior Rachel Bain-Heaton started the floor rotation with a season-high score of 9.825. Senior Avery Bennett followed, making her career debut on floor with a routine packed with difficulty and personality. Matthews pulled a 9.800, matching her career high. Alder’s 9.875 would propel the team to a 49.175 total, earning the highest floor score with Maddi Nilson from Boise State. 

Ending on beam with a narrow lead of .150, the Cougars earned their highest score of the season on the apparatus, a 48.850. After a few hiccups this season, sophomore Elease Rollins found her groove, matching her career-high score of 9.900. This score would be the highest of the night. Alder followed her stunning performance, improving her season high to a 9.875. In the end, the Cougars would trail by just .075, earning a 196.250 final tally.

"Hats off to Boise State," Young said. "They’re five-time MRGC champions and they are mad that we took those wins from them last year. We’re in a great conference and everyone is doing gymnastics at a very high level right now. It’s so much fun and it’s a special thing. We have quality gymnastics, week in and week out."

Coming up, the Cougars will face local rival, Utah State, on Friday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. MST at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan, Utah.

PROVO, Utah - Traveling for the second week in a row, the No. 14 BYU Cougars head to the ExtraMile Arena in Boise, Idaho, to face MRGC rival No. 25 Boise State on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 6 p.m. MST.

MEET NOTES

Currently, BYU holds a three-meet winning streak over the five-time MRGC champions. Last season on Jan. 31, the teams faced off on Boise’s turf, where BYU walked away with a major win of 196.100-194.450. 

Later that season on Feb. 15, the Broncos visited Provo, Utah, losing again to the Cougars, 196.350-196.150.

Meet Information

• When: Saturday, Jan. 23
• Time: 6 p.m. MST 
• Location: ExtraMile Arena
• Live Stream: Mountain West
• Stats: Stat Broadcast

THE COUGARS. Last week, ASU hosted BYU in Tempe, Arizona, where the Sun Devils snagged a narrow win of 196.275-196.250. Only losing by a small margin of .025, the Cougars notched a new season-high total. Additionally, BYU earned its highest uneven bars score since 2019, a 49.350. On Monday, the MRGC honored senior Abbey Miner-Alder as the Vault Specialist of the Week for the second week in a row, earning a 9.825.

THE BRONCOS. Making their season debut, the Broncos faced Oregon State on Friday, Jan. 15, at Gill Coliseum. On the road, Boise State won by a large margin of 194.300-191.950. The team pulled off an impressive uneven bars score of 49.250, featuring a 9.925 by freshman Emily Lopez and a 9.950 by senior Emily Muhlenhaupt. Muhlenhaupt boasts first-team All-American on bars and 2020 MRGC Bars Specialist of the Year.