SAN JOSE, Calif. – Traveling to the Bay Area for a Sunday afternoon tri-meet, the Southern Utah gymnastics team recorded a 195.525 score to secure a second-place finish.
Mia Hampton stood out for the Flippin’ Birds on bars, scoring a 9.900. Rylee Miller also dazzled with a 9.875 on beam, while Niya Randolph once again topped the all-around scores with a 38.925.
“We continue to put pieces together but keep missing the target,” Southern Utah head coach Scotty Bauman said of the meet.
“We have quite a few athletes that have settled in and are doing amazing. Unfortunately, we still have a few that haven’t figured it out quite yet. We are going to make a few changes in the lineups and change positions within those lineups.
“That’s part of the fun of coaching: continually trying to get the best out of them. We will figure this out,” he added.
First rotation – floor
SUU began the afternoon on the floor, totaling a score of 49.025. Mia Hampton got things started with a strong 9.850, and Sage Paladino followed with a 9.700. Carilia Martinez was next with a 9.850, before Berlin Hall matched her teammate’s score. Niya Randolph then recorded a 9.575 before Rylee Miller made her season floor debut with a 9.775.
Second rotation – vault
The Thunderbirds moved to the vault next, notching a 48.950 score. Elliot Bringhurst started with a 9.725, and Randolph followed with a 9.800. Kayla Pardue then stepped up and scored a 9.750 before Mackenzie Kelly landed a solid 9.800. Vinciane Le Pen then added a 9.800 of her own before Hall totaled a 9.800 of her own.
Third rotation – bars
The bars were next in the third rotation for Southern Utah, as they scored a 48.850. Randolph began with a 9.800, which Hampton followed with a meet-best 9.900. Ariel Collum then totaled a 9.800 before Maria Ferguson recorded a 9.625. Alex Routsis (9.725) and Kendall McGuire (9.600) finished the rotation as SUU headed to the balance beam.
Final rotation – beam
The Flippin’ Birds wrapped up the meet on the balance beam, scoring a 48.700. Randolph started with a 9.750, before Hampton added a 9.775. Miller then powered to a 9.875, and Ferguson followed with a 9.675. Emma Nipper (9.625) and Marisa de Groot (9.200) finished out the meet, as the T-birds totaled a final score of 195.525.
In the end, Southern Utah placed second, ahead of Texas Woman’s (194.875) but behind host San Jose State (195.900).
Up next
The Flippin’ Birds return to Cedar City to host in-state foe BYU on Friday, Feb. 6.
The meet will commence at 6:30 p.m. MT and can be streamed on Overnght.
Photo courtesy of SUU Athletics.
