.05% better: Utah State Gymnastics looks to build off 2025 Mountain West Championship

The 2025 season was one for the record books for Utah State University Women’s Gymnastics. The team won its first-ever Mountain West conference championship and secured a spot in the NCAA tournament. The team’s story is one of perseverance, hard work and shaping a new identity in the process. 

The story began at the 2024 Mountain West championship, where the team fell short to Boise State by .05 points. That moment became a new foundation and mindset to build on as they entered the 2025 season. 

“Going into 2025, we focused a lot on the PZF [preparation, being zealous in practice and finishing strong] mentality, which represented .05, which is the smallest deduction in gymnastics that you can have,” said head coach Kristin White. “In 2024, when we hosted the Mountain West championship, that’s what we lost the meet by. That was really the motivation. What can we do every single day to be .05% better? We decided it was through preparation, being zealous, having fun and finishing.” 

This idea became central to every aspect of the team’s identity. PZF is painted across the wall of the team’s practice gym as a reminder of their identity and goals going forward. 

“It goes into our practices, preparation and everything about our team. No matter what, there’s always something you can do better, whether it’s gymnastics-wise, mentality-wise or just being there for your teammates. It goes into all of that,” said junior Nyla Morabito. “It’s the same with our mindset. It was really hard losing that championship my freshman year. We remember how that felt and continue to move forward so we don’t have to feel that again. PZF has helped us stay focused on those goals.” 

Nyla Morabito is seen on the balance beam during the USU Gymnastics Blue and White meet in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Dec. 15, 2025. (Dane Johnson/The Utah Statesman)

A focus on unity within the team also helped create their foundation for success. Every member of the team plays a role in leading and motivating one another to be better every day.  

“We don’t believe in captains. We believe in giving everyone an opportunity to lead. We’ve got some phenomenal personalities in our freshman class that are already natural leaders, and so I think that’s been very helpful, but we also have a senior class that’s been with our coaching staff the entire time,” White said. “The goals and visions are the same, and to have them be able to lead the team and, you know, educate the freshmen on what to expect, what comes next and this is how we do it.” 

The team sees each individual effort every day through practices and into the meets. 

“Everyone on the team has their own role. Some people are more vocal or good at cheering you on. Others can be really good one-on-one and super motivational,” said sophomore Olivia Orengo. “We have a lot of people who lead by example and come to the gym every day, work hard and finish their assignments. People really follow after them and look up to them.” 

The members of the team viewed the “no captain” strategy as a major strength of the team, helping everyone to feel united and focused. 

“I feel like, as a team, we were super connected and together. Throughout all the practices and 6 a.m.s, everybody was there for each other,” Orengo said. “Everyone had each other’s back, and that really carried us to the Mountain West championship. And then just even through, like, injuries and stuff, we felt their support from back home and everything.” 

Changes in mentality, structure and focus helped the Aggies achieve the goals they had set for themselves since leaving the 2024 tournament. 

“We all knew where our goals were, which were to obviously win a Mountain West championship, qualify back to NCAA regionals and then do a 3.6 GPA in the classroom. We were able to accomplish all those goals,” White said. “Last year, we won our first Mountain West championship. We made it back to NCAA regionals and then we had a record 3.78 yearly GPA for our team. So, we were just really locked in all season, and it paid off.” 

USU Gymnastics coach Kristen White cheers on the team during their practice on Thursday, Nov. 10. (Photo/Bailey Rigby)

Last season’s success helped set the precedent for the team, which is looking to build off its championship season. 

“I feel like we’ve gotten stronger, but we’ve also been able to incorporate the endurance side for gymnastics, and so, been really excited about the growth of this team this season,” White said. “I feel like we are the strongest physically we’ve ever been, and mentally, we’re in a great spot too. Very much like last year, our whole team has bought in, and it’s just really fun to get into the gym every single day and have the same goals as all the people in the building and know our hard work is going to pay off.” 

Strength has been the focus of the off season for the team. The Aggies hired a new strength and conditioning coach, Richard Burney Jr., who has helped bring them to the next level in terms of their conditioning. 

“We’ve been really paying attention to detail. We’ve been getting stronger. We just started in the weight room with a new strength coach, and that’s been really good for us because we’ve been able to handle more landings, and we’ve become much stronger overall,” said freshman Brylea Johnson. “That’s been a good focus for us, as well as just coming in with a good mindset every day, good intentions. If we feel practice dipping, we can pick it up really well.” 

In addition to their physical preparation, the team is continuing to focus on the PZF mentality and helping instill the idea into the newcomers to the team. 

“I say our main focus is PZF — just really focusing in on that and keeping that as like part of our team. That’s become our mantra,” Morabito said. “We are always trying to find that .05 that we can be better.”  

The freshman class has also been a bright spot for the team, bringing in new talent that helps push the upperclassmen as well. 

“We had such a big freshman class this year, and they came in working super hard in the summer already. They helped us start off the summer as a super hardworking team. I think that they have helped us really stay focused,” Orengo said. “They’ve helped bring us together. Going through hard things together brings teams together. So, I think that’s really going to carry all the way through the season.”  

With a new standard of success being established, the Aggies look to continue their championship mentality and bring home another Mountain West title in 2026. Their path will begin on Jan. 12, where the Aggies will take on Brigham Young University, the University of Utah and Southern Utah University in the Les Olson IT Best of Utah Gymnastics Meet.