MEET NOTES: Utah State Gymnastics Continues Road Swing at BYU Jan. 23
Utah State gymnastics continues its early-season road swing as it travels to Provo to face BYU. (photo from Athletics website)
Utah State University Gymnastics at BYU
George Albert Smith Fieldhouse (5,000)
Provo, Utah
Friday, January 23, 2015 - 6 p.m. (MT)
ON THE ROAD AGAIN — Utah State [University] gymnastics is set for its second road meet of the season Friday, Jan. 23, at BYU. Utah State has seven road meets this year, matching its total from 2014. Utah State also competes at Boise State (Feb. 15), at Southern Utah with Denver (Feb. 27), at Texas Woman's with Maryland and Brown (March 1), at San José State with Seattle Pacific and Sacramento State (March 6) and at Sacramento State (March 15).
TUNING IN — For Aggie fans unable to attend the meet in Provo, there are options to be updated with meet results. The Cougars will have live stats and live stream links available on its website. Links will be posted on UtahStateAggies.com Friday before the meet begins.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION — BYU is coming off a first-place finish at the Ozone Invitational, a four-team meet that also saw Alaska-Anchorage, Bowling Green and Wisconsin-Whitewater compete. The Cougars scored a 193.075, led by MaKenzie Johnson in the all-around, who came in first with a score of 38.975, including 9.850 on the vault and a 9.825 on the uneven bars. Jill van Merlo also competed in the all-around, recording a 37.975, including a 9.775 on uneven bars and a 9.750 on vault. BYU also squared off against No. 4 Utah to start the season, falling to the Utes, 196.900-193.350.
The Cougars are coached by Brad Cattermole, who is in his 27th season at the helm of BYU's gymnastics team. Cattermole has led BYU to eight NCAA National Championship appearances as well as 23 NCAA Regionals berths. Last season, he was named Coach of the Year at the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Championship. Cattermole-coached teams own many school records, including scoring a 198.025 against Utah State in 2004.
HISTORY AGAINST THE COUGARS — BYU is Utah State's oldest gymnastics rival. The two teams have faced each other 112 times, with the Cougars holding a 70-40-1 advantage, including a 30-6-1 series lead in Provo. The Aggies last beat BYU in Provo Feb.19, 1999, by a final score of 193.925-193.200. Last season, Utah State topped the Cougars in Logan, 193.200-192.900. Junior Miranda Kerr claimed the vault title with a 9.825, junior McKinzey Martinez earned the uneven bars title with a 9.825, while sophomore Bailey McIntire tied for first on the floor with a 9.800. BYU's Raquel Willman claimed the all-around title with a 38.825, while McIntire came in second with a 38.300.
The Aggies also faced the Cougars in Provo in 2014, where BYU claimed the 194.900-194.250 win, as Williams claimed the all-around event title for BYU. Senior Sarah Landes came in second in the all-around with a 39.175, as she tied for first on the uneven bars with a 9.825. McIntire paced the Aggies on the floor exercise with a 9.850, while Landes earned USU's top score on the balance beam, 9.775. Junior Jillian Chappel recorded a 9.800 on the vault to lead the Aggies.
LAST TIME OUT — Utah State gymnastics recorded a season-high team score behind seven career-bests from multiple gymnasts, but it wasn't enough as No.17 Denver outlasted the Aggies, 196.025-194.525, Saturday night in Denver's Hamilton Gymnasium.
Denver recorded a 49.250 on vault, a 48.725 on uneven bars, a 48.575 on the balance beam and a 49.475 on the floor to earn its score. Utah State posted a 48.750 on vault, a 48.800 on the uneven bars, a 48.300 on the balance beam and a 48.675 on the floor on the way to its team score.
In the all around, Denver's Nina McGee earned the title with a 39.350, while Utah State junior McKinzey Martinez took second in her first-career all-around attempt with a 39.075 (Vault: 9.800, Bars: 9.850, Beam: 9.650, Floor: 9.775). USU sophomore Bailey McIntire took third in the all-around with a 39.025 (Vault: 9.650, Bars: 9.700, Beam: 9.800, Floor: 9.875), while Aggie senior Sarah Landes recorded a 38.275 (Vault: 9.550, Bars: 9.750, Beam: 9.225, Floor: 9.750).
UTAH STATE IN THE RANKINGS — Utah State is currently ranked No. 25 in the nation on the balance beam event, posting an average of 48.450. Individually, sophomore Bailey McIntire is tied for No. 25 on the floor exercise with an average score of 9.863, while junior McKinzey Martinez is ranked No. 28 in the all-around with a 39.075.
Read much more in the full match notes at the Athletics website.
Additional Aggie sports news is available at the Athletics website.
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