SALT LAKE CITY – Traveling up I-15 to finish a three-meet road swing, the Southern Utah gymnastics team fell to No. 13 Utah, 197.425-195.825.
Berlin Hall set a new career mark on the floor with a 9.925, while Kendall McGuire and Emma Nipper set new career bests on bars and beam with scores of 9.850 and 9.900, respectively.
“Bars weren’t the start we wanted, but we didn’t let that define the meet. We settled in, trusted our gymnastics, and put together three straight strong rotations. To go 49-plus on vault, floor, and beam in this environment says a lot about the grit and growth of this team,” SUU head coach Scotty Bauman said post-meet per a school release.
“Niya had a tremendous all-around performance, and we had a few gymnasts pushing their career highs. Now it’s about taking this momentum back home. We’ve got three big meets in Cedar City, and we’re preparing to host the conference championship. This is exactly when you want to be building confidence and consistency,” he added.
First rotation – bars
Southern Utah began the evening on bars, struggling through a pair of falls to score a 48.375. Alex Routsis started with a 9.775, but both Mia Hampton and Ariel Collum followed with 9.125 scores after falling. Niya Randolph then picked up her teammates with a 9.850, before Rylee Miller added a 9.775. Kendall McGuire then notched a career-best 9.850 to wrap up the first rotation.
Second rotation – vault
The vault was next for the Flippin’ Birds, where they earned a 49.025 score. Mackenzie Kelly started with a 9.800, which Elliot Bringhurst then matched. Kayla Pardue was next with a 9.825, and Randolph followed with a solid 9.800. Hall then worked through a fall for a 9.125 before Vinciane Le Pen finished off the vault round with a 9.800.
Third rotation – floor
Southern Utah shone bright on the floor next, totaling a 49.325 score. Hampton started with a 9.825, which Miller followed with a 9.875. Alyssa Fernandez was next with a score of 9.850, and Carilia Martinez was next in the order with a 9.700. SUU finished out the floor strong, as Hall recorded a new career-best 9.925 before Randolph ended the rotation with a 9.850.
Final rotation – beam
The Thunderbirds ended the night on beam, notching a score of 49.100. Randolph was first, earning a 9.650 before Hampton added a solid 9.825. Next up was Emma Nipper, totaling a career-high 9.900, which Miller followed with a 9.825. Bringhurst then added a season-high 9.900 before Marisa de Groot (9.225) rounded out the rotation to end the meet.
In the end, the early struggles on bars were too much to overcome, as the T-birds were unable to pull off an upset of the Red Rocks, falling 197.425-195.825.
Up next
The Flippin’ Birds return to Cedar City for three straight meets, first hosting MPSF foe UC Davis on Friday, Feb. 27.
First touch is set for 6:30 p.m. MT and can be seen via the Overnght streaming service.
Photo courtesy of SUU Athletics.
