LOGAN, Utah – Wrapping up a three-meet in eight-day stretch to open the season, the SUU gymnastics teams dropped a tight contest at Utah State Saturday afternoon, 195.700-195.550.
Niya Randolph was a top performer in the meet for Southern Utah, totaling a first-place all-around score of 39.275.
“Warm-ups were very off for a couple of the girls, but I loved the way they kept themselves in the meet,” Flippin’ Birds head coach Scotty Bauman said.
“The last two rotations, we almost dug ourselves out of the hole we put ourselves in. You can tell they are figuring out the small things, and honestly, that’s what they need to be doing at this point.
“I was very pleased with how some of them did. Again, Niya was a rockstar.”
First rotation – bars
The T-birds began the afternoon on bars, recording a score of 48.875. Randolph started with a 9.825, followed by Mia Hampton with a 9.750. Ariel Collum made her debut by notching a 9.700, and Alex Routsis stepped up after a Maria Ferguson fall to record a 9.825. Kendall McGuire ended the rotation with a solid 9.775.
Second rotation – vault
The vault was next for Southern Utah, scoring a 48.700. Elliot Bringhurst opened with a 9.750 before Randolph added a score of 9.825. Kayla Pardue was next, notching a 9.700 before Berlin Hall tallied a 9.600. Mackenzie Kelly then scored a 9.775 before Vinciane Le Pen wrapped up the vault scores with a 9.650.
Third rotation – floor
The Flippin’ Birds moved to the floor exercise for the third rotation, scoring a 48.875. Hampton delivered a 9.800 to start, before Sage Paladino earned a 9.775. Carilia Martinez was next with a 9.725, and Hall followed with a 9.775. Randolph (9.750) and Alyssa Fernandez (9.775) finished with strong scores as the team moved into the final rotation.
Final rotation – beam
SUU capped the meet on the balance beam, recording a 49.100 score. Randolph notched a 9.875 that Hampton countered with a 9.850. Rylee Miller and Ferguson both scored a 9.775, and Bringhurst worked through a fall for a 9.250. Marissa de Groot ended the day with a 9.825, as the Thunderbirds finished the meet with a score of 195.550.
Conference awards sweep
Announced earlier in the week, three T-bird gymnasts swept the first weekly awards of the season, named by the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
Niya Randolph earned the Gymnast of the Week title, while Kayla Pardue was named Specialist of the Week. Additionally, Berlin Hall was tabbed as the Freshman of the Week.
Randolph’s honor is the 11th of her career, while Pardue took home her second all-time honor.
Up next
The Flippin’ Birds have two weeks off before heading to the Bay Area for a quad meet at San Jose State on Sunday, Feb. 1.
SUU will battle the host Spartans, as well as the Air Force Academy and Texas Woman’s University.
The meet is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. MT and can be streamed on the Mountain West Network.
Photo courtesy of SUU Athletics.
