BYU gymnastics prepares for Rio Tinto Best of Utah Meet to kick off the 2022 season

PROVO, Utah ‒ The BYU gymnastics team will make its 2022 season debut at the third annual Rio Tinto Best of Utah NCAA Gymnastics Meet this Friday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. MST at the Maverik Center in West Valley City. 

Meet Notes

This meet marks the third of a multi-year partnership between Rio Tinto and the Maverik Center. The two are contracted to host this meet for a minimum of five seasons. This yearly meet brings together all four local universities: BYU, University of Utah, Utah State University and Southern Utah University. 

Featuring a raised podium floor, the meet will be televised live on BYUtv.

Ticket Information

Tickets are still available to the public for the Best of Utah Gymnastics Meet on Friday, Jan. 7. Please use the link provided to access the ticketing page. Rio Tinto Best of Utah

Last season, the University of Utah came out on top to defend their title with a solid score of 196.900. BYU followed, earning a 195.700. Utah state placed third with a 194.350, followed by SUU with a 194.325. 

The Cougars walked away with many accomplishments at last year’s event. BYU’s Abbey Miner-Alder placed third in All-Around, earning a 39.275, in addition to MVP for the Cougars. With Alder graduating last year, Coach Guard Young is excited to see other gymnasts step up during the competition this Friday. 

“On Saturday, we ran a full scrimmage and the girls looked amazing. Since then, we have had to make a few changes due to sickness or injury, but I am super excited to see our young players step-up this Friday,” said Young. “The resilience of this team is amazing.”

“I am looking forward to the great senior leadership we will have competing this week. Both Haley Pitou and Abby Beeston will be competing in three events”, Young said. “These girls have worked extremely hard through the course of their college careers, so it should be great to watch.”

Meet Information

• When: Friday, Jan. 7
• Time: 7 PM MST
• Where: Maverik Center
• TV: BYUtv

THE COUGARS. BYU received a preseason WCGA ranking of No. 19. The Cougars finished 2021 as the No. 19 team in the nation and won the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference title. The team pushed to new heights with a 196.656 average to improve upon its 196.228 average from the previous season. This season, the Cougars will be led by event captains Elease Rollins, Brittany Vitkauskas, Haley Pitou and Sadie Miner-Van Tassell.  

THE THUNDERBIRDS. SUU received a preseason WCGA ranking of No. 25. The Thunderbirds ended the 2021 season at No. 23 with an average team score of 196.048 and an NQS score of 196.675. 

THE UTES. The University of Utah received a preseason WCGA ranking of No. 4, which marks the fifth-straight season the Utes have landed in the top five. Coming into the 2022 season, the Utes will bring 23 of 24 routines from last year's third-place NCAA Championship finishers. 

THE AGGIES. The Aggies received a preseason WCGA ranking of No. 26, jumping six spots from their previous ranking. Last season, Utah State finished its season with a No. 25 ranking and an NQS of 196.025. The Aggies ended the 2021 season with a team average of 195.943.