Cougar Gymnasts Host Utes Friday in Deseret Dual

PROVO -- Coming off an impressive victory at Utah State, the BYU women’s gymnastics team will take on in-state rival No. 9 Utah in the Deseret Duel on Friday, Feb. 26 in the Marriott Center. The meet will begin at 7 p.m. and will be televised live on BYU-TV. Live stats can also be viewed at www.byucougars.com.

“We feel good coming into this meet,” BYU head coach Brad Cattermole said early Wednesday. “Our team continues to get better and improve. We do not have a lot of injuries this time around so we are looking forward to the meet Friday.”

The Cougars faced the Utah State Aggies last Friday and turned in their most impressive scores thus far this season finishing with a team total of 195.350. The score was BYU’s highest score since March 10, 2008 when they posted a 196.300 against Utah State.

The Cougars have been led throughout the season by their veteran gymnasts who have shown the benefits of experience. Seniors Megan Donehue and Danielle Goldman have been particularly consistent in competition for BYU. Donehue is currently 8th in the region on bars and 12th on balance beam while Goldman is ranked 12th and 13th respectively on floor exercise and vault.

“Megan and Danielle have both done a great job for us this season,” said Cattermole. “They both struggled with injuries last season but they have come back and they have improved on each event. On top of that they are both great team leaders so they have really been great for our team this year.”

Three Deseret Duel points will be rewarded to the winner of the meet. BYU currently leads in the contest 27-7.