Cougars to compete in MRGC Championship

PROVO, Utah – BYU gymnastics travels to Boise, Idaho for the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference Championship Saturday night.

"We're really excited about conference," BYU head coach Guard Young said. "It's going to be a quad meet so every team will have an event to start on. We drew balance beam and I think that's a good event for us to start on because we can really prepare for it. I think our gymnastics is as good as any team. The squad with the most hits and sticks is going to win, so that is our goal to have the most hits and sticks."

The Cougars will take on No. 15 Boise State, Southern Utah and Utah State in its third conference championship since the NCAA officially recognized the MRGC in 2014. Last year BYU faced these teams along with Denver and finished in fifth place with a 194.225.

Boise State leads the conference with the highest RQS of 196.425, followed by the Thunderbirds’ 195.840. The Cougars have a 195.430 and the Aggies trail with a 195.350.

BYU recorded its highest score of the season with a 195.750 against Southern Utah in its last home meet. The Cougars also tied the eighth best all-time score in program history on bars in the same meet with a 49.300. BYU met with Boise State twice this season and finished in second each time. At these meets the Cougars set season-high scores of 49.050 on vault and beam. The team also set its highest score on floor against Utah State with a 49.325.

Makenzie Johnson Halliday leads the conference on beam and floor with high marks of 9.925 and 9.950, respectively. Emily Vidmar is tied for second in the conference on floor with a 9.900 and third on beam with a 9.875. Mackenzie Douglas and Sin To also tied Halliday for third overall on vault with scores of 9.875.

The meet will begin at 6 p.m. MST at the Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho. Live stats and video can be found on the  BYU gymnastics schedule page.