Cougars fall to No. 20 Arizona

TUCSON, Ariz. – BYU women’s gymnastics fell 196.850-195.400 to the No. 20 Arizona Wildcats on Friday at the McKale Memorial Center.

"We fought hard tonight," BYU head coach Guard Young said. "We had a rough warm-up with Eli Kulczyk going out on vault, but I'm so proud of the team for pulling it together. We didn't have any falls, so I'm happy to see the girls feeling more comfortable with their routines."

Makenzie Johnson Halliday won the all-around title with a 39.150. Mackenzie Douglas tied for first on vault with a 9.850, and Brittni Wilde placed third on bars overall with a 9.850.

After the first rotation on bars, BYU finished with a 48.900 trailing Arizona’s 49.175. Wilde led the team followed by Douglas with a 9.800. Emily Vidmar, Jill Van Mierlo and Halliday each recorded scores of 9.750 to end the rotation.

On vault, Douglas earned a first-place tie. Mikaela Jones, Cheyenne Hill and Halliday tied with scores of 9.775, setting a career-high for Hill. Van Mierlo also put up a season-high 9.725 to help the Cougars to another 48.900 finish. The Wildcats led the Cougars 98.275-97.800.

Halliday led BYU on floor with a 9.850 performance. Douglas recorded a 9.825 followed by Sin To with a 9.800. Natasha Trejo and Vidmar each clinched 9.775 to help the Cougars to a 49.025 finish on floor, their highest scoring event of the night.

In their last rotation, the Cougars recorded a 48.575 on beam. Sin To finished with a team- and personal-best 9.825 while Halliday clinched a 9.775. Vidmar earned a 9.750 while Van Mierlo recorded a 9.625 on the beam.

The Cougars head to the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference Championship next Saturday, March 19. The meet will begin at 6 p.m. MST at the Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho.