PROVO, Utah – The BYU gymnastics team held its first official practice of the 2019 season on Friday in the newly renovated training facility in the Smith Fieldhouse.
"We did a group warmup so that was a big difference," said BYU head coach Guard Young. "We did a group warmup and we also did some things on the balance beam that we haven't done before. It was great to get back into doing our normal routine. It wasn't a big difference in terms of the workload or schedule today."
The training facility features new updates to the pit, pit landings, podium beam, uphill vault station, balcony for cardio and rehab, tumble track, training bar location, camera system, lights, carpet and vault runway.
"To have a gym that we can turn on the lights and actually have a team meeting and announcements without the constant hum of the lights has been really beneficial," Young said. "We have a very large team and the fact that we can use all of the square footage for warmup, stretching and conditioning is helpful. I feel like we have one of the best runways in the entire country to train on so that we don't beat their legs into the ground and they can withstand the numbers that are required of a high-level gymnastics team."
The Cougars welcome 11 new freshmen to the roster this season: Rachel Bain, Sarah Barron, Rebekah Bean, Lexi Griffith, Kelly Higginson, Gabrielle Hubbard, Ashley Kernan, Lexi Mather, Sadie Miner, Adeline Rieder and Brittney Vitkauskas. Miner joins her sister Abbey Miner, who is a sophomore on the team.
Junior Shannon Evans and senior Natasha Marsh have been picked as the team captains for this season. Evans was the first All-American in 14 years at BYU after she was named Second Team All-America for her performance on bars at the 2018 NCAA National Championships. Marsh is one of two seniors on the roster and recorded career-high scores on bars and beam in 2018.
BYU will kickoff the season with its annual Blue and White Meet on December 14.