Season Review: The 2022 season highlights and accolades

PROVO, Utah – In the 2022 season, BYU gymnastics finished as the No. 24 team in the nation and made a run to the NCAA Regionals tournament. The Cougars racked up new accolades and high scores for a season full of highlights.

The 2022 team finished the season with a 196.640 average and a 393.265 National Qualifying Score (NQS) to hold them among the top 25 programs in the nation.

The nation took notice of the Cougars as the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference awarded coach Guard Young as the MRGC Coach of the Year and senior standout Sadie Miner-Van Tassell as MRGC Gymnast of the Year.

The Cougars finished their 2022 season at the top of the MRGC standings, going 6-3 in conference meets and 12-7-1 overall. They finished ranked No. 17 on beam, No. 18 on floor, No. 23 on bars and No. 25 on vault.

BYU said goodbye to seven seniors after the 2022 season: Abby Beeston, Haley Pitou, Rachel Bain Heaton, Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, Adeline Rieder, Lexi Griffith and Brittney Vitkauskas.

SEASON HONORS

BYU dominated the MRGC, trailing closely behind Utah State who finished ranked No. 23. Boise State finished the season ranked No. 27 and Southern Utah finished at No. 28. The Cougars ranked higher on every apparatus besides vault where USU ranked No. 13.

A BYU standout athlete included Miner-Van Tassell who was awarded MRGC Gymnast of the Year and a Regular Season All-America award winner. She finished the season ranked No. 15 for the all-around after competing in every event for 11 out of 12 meets this season. She notched her career-high all around score of 39.525 three separate times this season, which ties as the 10th highest score in program history.

BYU's 2022 All-MRGC Athletes

The following Cougars received the All-Conference accolades, according to their NQS score for the season.

Sadie Miner-Van Tassell: 2022 MRGC Gymnast of the Year, Vault Specialist of the Year, First Team Bars, First Team Floor, First Team All-Around
Haley Pitou: Second Team Bars
Anyssa Alvarado: First Team Bars
Elease Rollins: 2022 Beam Specialist of the Year
Abby Beeston: Second Team Floor
Addy Rieder: Second Team Floor
Brittney Vitkauskas: First Team Floor

BYU gymnasts also received 29 different weekly MRGC awards as the Cougars proved consistently strong throughout the season. Alvarado, Miner-Van Tassell, Millar, Griffith, Rollins, Pitou, Benson and Vitkauskas were each honorees during the season. Miner-Van Tassell was honored 15 times in all, followed by Rollins with four accolades.

BYU's 2022 MRGC Weekly Award Winners

Week 1:

Beam Specialist of the Week: Eliza Millar, BYU (9.875)

Week 2:

Gymnast of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (39.325)

Week 3:

Gymnast of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (39.100)
Vault Specialist of the Week: Lexi Griffith & Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (9.875)

Week 4:

Gymnast of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (39.425)
Beam Specialist of the Week: Elease Rollins, BYU (9.925)

Week 5:

Gymnast of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (39.475)
Bars Specialist of the Week: Haley Pitou, BYU (9.925)
Beam Specialist of the Week: Elease Rollins, BYU (9.950)
Floor Specialist of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (9.925)

Week 6:

Gymnast of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (39.425)

Week 7:

Gymnast of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (39.525)
Vault Specialist of the Week: Sydney Benson, BYU (9.900)
Beam Specialist of the Week: Elease Rollins, BYU (9.950)
Floor Specialist of the Week: Brittney Vitkauskas, BYU (9.975)

Week 8:

Gymnast of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (39.500)
Vault Specialist of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell (9.925)
Beam Specialist of the Week: Elease Rollins, BYU (9.975)
Floor Specialist of the Week: Brittney Vitkauskas, BYU (9.950)

Week 9:

Gymnast of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (39.525)
Vault Specialist of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (9.900)
Bars Specialist of the Week: Haley Pitou, BYU (9.975)
Floor Specialist of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (9.925), Brittney Vitkauskas, BYU (9.925)

Week 10:

Gymnast of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (39.525)
Vault Specialist of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (9.925)
Bars Specialist of the Week: Anyssa Alvarado, BYU (9.925)
Floor Specialist of the Week: Sadie Miner-Van Tassell, BYU (9.925), Brittney Vitkauskas, BYU (9.925)

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

BYU started its season at the third-annual Rio Tinto Best of Utah meet, where it took home bronze with a final score of 195.225. BYU’s overall score would only go up from there.

On February 18, the Cougars broke 197.000 for the first and only time this season, notching a 197.225 against MRGC rival Southern Utah. In the same competition, BYU posted its highest vault score of the season at 49.300 and highest floor score of 49.625.

BYU’s bar swingers found their groove on the apparatus, racking up several scores above 49.200 and recording a 49.450 against Illinois State in March. This score marks the second-highest bars score in school history.

Known for their crowd-pleasing floor routines, the gymnasts scored above 49.300 five times this season, including a 49.625 score to tie the fourth-highest score on the apparatus in school history.

Bringing the season to a close, BYU accepted an invitation to the NCAA Seattle Regionals in Washington. On March 31, the team competed for its final meet, earning fourth place with a new regionals record-high score of 196.625.

For the season as a whole individually, Miner-Van Tassell earned the highest score on vault with a 9.950. Pitou led the team on bars with a 9.975 to tie the school record on the apparatus with past gymnast and current coach, Brogan Evanson. On beam, Rollins earned a 9.975 to tie the second-highest score on record for the program. Brittney Vitkauskas shined with her 9.975 floor routine to tie for another second-highest score in program history.