Cougar Gymnasts Win Tough Early Season Meet at Oregon State

PROVO -- The BYU gymnastics team scored a key victory on the road at Oregon State, defeating the Beavers 194.400-192.950. The Cougars performed with consistency throughout the meet, winning each event en route to the commanding victory over the Beavers.

"It was a very good early season meet for us," head coach Brad Cattermole said. "The icing on the cake is to beat Oregon State at Oregon State. Winning here is incredibly difficult to do and we're just real excited to have done it."

The Cougars were led by Kelly Parkinson-Evanson, who won the all-around at the meet with a score of 39.250. Parkinson-Evanson scored her highest of the night on the floor with a 9.900, leading the rest of the Cougars to a team score of 49.150 on the event. BYU scored its best on the floor, with four gymnasts scoring 9.800 or better.

Jeni Lopez was the other Cougar to compete in all four events, scoring a solid 38.475 to complement Parkinson-Evanson's performance. Freshman Jaime Mabray continued her strong start of her collegiate career by competing in every event but the bars, and Cattermole was extremely pleased with Mabray's performance on the balance beam.

"Jaime did an outstanding beam routine (9.800) and probably should have gotten a better score," Cattermole said.

Cattermole knows that gymnastics is all about scoring, and the 194.400 is a good score this early in the season. Oergon State is a very tough gym for visiting teams to score well in and the Cougars hope the early victory is something they can build on.

"We understand that whether you win or lose isn't what it's all about," Cattermole said. "But people don't understand how hard it is for visting teams to win here at Oregon State. They are just a very good team."

Oregon State took second at the NCAA Regional meet last year and knocked third-place BYU out of the NCAA National Championships. Tonight's win provides a measuring stick for the Cougars, knowing where they stand in the region this early in the season.

BYU travels to Missouri next weekend for the Cat Classic in Missouri. The Cougars won the Cat Classic last year and are hoping for the same success this year.