PROVO, Utah – No. 15 BYU took second place with a season-high 195.875 against No. 5 UCLA (197.425) and Utah State (194.750) on Saturday at the Marriott Center.
BYU vs UCLA & Utah State Final Book
“We wanted to hold our own against these teams, which we did and it was a great atmosphere,” BYU head coach Guard Young said. “To see our team with all these other great teams, holding their own, I couldn’t be more proud of our girls that competed tonight and just our program in general.”
BYU consistently remained ahead of Utah State, thanks to a career-high beam by sophomore Sadie Miner and six season-high scores.
BYU started on vault with junior Abbey Miner earning the highest score for the Cougars, matching her season-high score of 9.850. Senior Shannon Evans followed with a score of 9.800 while junior Jordan Danbury Matthews set a season-high score of 9.750. The Cougars ended their vault rotation .175 behind UCLA with a score of 48.800
During the second rotation, junior Abby Boden Stainton earned BYU's highest score on the uneven bars, a 9.850. Junior Helody Cyrenne and Miner both put up 9.775 for the Cougars, a season-best for Cyrenne. A highlight for head coach Guard Young included watching freshman Lindsay Hunter make her debut of the season with an exhibition routine. By the end of the second rotation, BYU stayed in second place, leading Utah State by .075.
In the third rotation, the Cougars started off with a few missteps on the balance beam. However, the team rallied together, earning BYU's highest beam score of the season, a 49.025. Cyrenne led the team with a season-best score of 9.900, placing second amongst the three teams. Miner and Stainton also earned season-highs of 9.875. Sophomore Sadie Miner shined on the apparatus as she set a career-high score of 9.825. Closing out the third rotation, UCLA led BYU by 1.225 points.
In the final event of the night, the Cougars took the floor and earned a 49.150, their highest score of the night. Five of the six gymnasts scored a 9.800 or above. For the third meet in a row, Abbey scored a 9.875, leading the team. Sophomore Brittney Vitkauskas added a 9.850, tying her career-high score. To finish off the night, Stainton matched her career-best of 9.825, her highest of the season.
UCLA's team features two USA Olympians, seniors Kyla Ross and Madison Kocian. Ross won the all-around competition with a 39.750 and stunned the crowd by earning a perfect 10.000 on her vault. UCLA's Margzetta Frazier came in second with a 39.400, followed by Miner with her career high total of 39.375.
Coming up, BYU heads south to face Southern Utah University on Friday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. MST.