LINCOLN, Nebraska – BYU senior Sadie Miner-Van Tassell shone in her season debut for BYU gymnastics and helped lead the Cougars to a 195.750-193.925 win over Nebraska. 

MEET NOTES

The meet marked the first time since January of 2020 that the Cougars and Huskers faced each other for a gymnastics meet. The last time the two met, BYU took home the win with another 195.750.

“Nebraska has an amazing athletic department, and they put on a great meet,” said BYU head coach Guard Young. “They are not on our normal schedule, so it was really cool to come to a school with such a fantastic environment and compete at a high level. I am really proud of the girls. Our performances were awesome, and the girls stuck together and did not shy away from their routines. The girls stayed focused and positive and the state of the program is what I am really excited for."

BYU started the night strong on the uneven bars with a final score of 49.100, putting them ahead of Nebraska (48.525) at the end of the first rotation. Senior Abby Beeston and Anyssa Alvarado led the Cougars on the bars, both registering 9.850 scores. Miner-Van Tassell competed on the apparatus for the first time this season and notched a score of 9.800. 

The Cougars continued to push to new heights on vault in the second rotation. Miner-Van Tassell finished with a 9.825 to lead the Cougars on vault. They finished the round with a 48.775, keeping them in the lead. The Cougars improved upon their vault score from their season opener last week at the Rio Tinto Best of Utah Meet (48.575) by .2.

BYU soared on their floor routines in the third rotation. Freshman Eliza Millar started the rotation for the Cougars and notched a 9.775. She was followed by Lindsey Hunter who also secured a 9.775. Miner-Van Tassell and Adeline Rieder led the scoring for the Cougars with a 9.850 each, which marked a new career high for Rieder. BYU ended the rotation in first place with a 146.950.   

The final rotation of the night for the Cougars was beam. Lauren Ono was first up on the apparatus and notched a 9.775. Miner-Van Tassell continued to shine with the highest beam score for the Cougars with a 9.850. BYU ended the night with a new season high of 195.750, followed by Nebraska with a 193.925.

Miner-Van Tassell won the All-Around with a 39.325, followed by Nebraska’s Emma Spence with a 39.050. Miner-Van Tassell also scored the highest on both vault and beam in the competition.  

“This is the first time Sadie competed in All-Around since high school, and I am so proud of her for taking home the win,” Young said. “I am so excited to see what she can do with the rest of this season.”

BYU will travel to Ceder City, Utah, next week to take on Southern Utah University on Friday, Jan. 21. The meet in the America First Event Center starts at 7 p.m. MST.

PROVO, Utah – No. 16 BYU gymnastics prepares to battle No. 22 University of Nebraska of the Big Ten in Lincoln, Nebraska, this Saturday, Jan. 15, at 5:30 p.m. MST in the Bob Devaney Sports Center. 

MEET NOTES

This will be the first time since January of 2020 that the Cougars and Huskers will face each other for a gymnastics meet. The last time the two met, BYU took home the win with a 195.750, beating Nebraska by .15. 

“Nebraska is a great Big Ten opponent and the fact that we get to go to that part of the country to compete is a real treat,” head coach Guard Young said. “In terms of my team, it looks like we have most of our players back who missed the meet last week."

Meet Information

• When: Saturday, Jan. 15
• Time: 5:30 p.m. MST 
• Location: Bob Devaney Sports Center
• Live Stream: BTN+ with subscription 
• Stats: Sidearmstats 

THE COUGARS. BYU made its season debut at the Rio Tinto Best of Utah NCAA Gymnastics Meet on Friday, Jan. 7, earning third place (195.225) amongst No. 4 University of Utah, Utah State University and Southern Utah University. Despite having several gymnasts out for the meet, BYU's performance brought the Cougars from No. 19 up to No. 16. Brittney Vitkauskas ended the night tied for second on floor with a 9.875. Freshman Eliza Millar also tied for second on the balance beam in her BYU debut, earning a 9.875 and MRGC Beam Specialist of the Week honors.

THE HUSKERS. In the WCGA preseason ranking, UNL earned a No. 32 ranking. The team finished their 2021 season at No. 22. The Huskers faced No. 23 Iowa State on Friday, Jan. 7 in their season opener, winning 194.425-194.350. Senior Kynsee Roby claimed the vault title, after matching her career-high score of 9.800. Amongst the new faces, freshman Emma Spence is one to watch after taking home the all-around title in her collegiate debut.