Clean meet not enough
Despite putting together a clean meet, the Utah State University gymnastics team fell to Southern Utah University 196.000-194.850 on the road Wednesday.
The Aggies scored their second-best team score of the season, falling shy of their 195.425 against Arizona State University and SUU home meet March 8. SUU’s score was its best this season.
Head Coach Ray Corn said the meet was similar to Friday’s meet in the Spectrum, where both teams did well.
“This was a repeat of what happened in Logan,” Corn said. “Both teams didn’t have to count falls.
“I’m extremely pleased with the team; they looked good. We can’t control what the other team does or what score they got,” he said.
SUU won every event, but the Aggies scored seven top-three finishes.
Senior co-captain Kirra Seeley marked two personal records as she tied for first in the uneven bars and took third on the beam, both with scores of 9.850.
All-arounder Jessenia Abrego finished first in the vault (9.825), tied for third on the floor (9.850) and earned third in the all-around competition (39.125).
Abrego was named the Western Gymnastics Conference Gymnast of the Week Wednesday.
It is the second time she has been honored by the conference this season, and the only Aggie to earn the award.
Abrego set a career-best in the all-around (39.225) and vault (9.875) against Arizona State and Southern Utah.
Freshman Nalani Chung earned third on the bars, tying her career high of 9.800 in only her third competition of the season.
Corn said she may have earned a permanent spot in the rotation, especially since all-arounder Mika Love Houston has been out of competition due to anemia.
“In light of Houston being held up, it looks like Nalani may have gotten that spot,” he said.
All of the Aggies competed well, Corn said.
“When a team does as well as we have done, the whole team gets the credit,” he said. “I am extremely pleased with the level of performance our team gave.”
Corn said he doesn’t know when Houston will be able to compete again, but hopes it will be Friday. He said he had thought she could compete Wednesday, but doctors hadn’t cleared her to compete, only to practice.
“I wasn’t under the impression that she required another blood test to compete,” he said. “We are doing whatever we can to get her ready for Friday.”
Houston has been out of competition since she was diagnosed with anemia earlier this month.
USU had to compete with only five Aggies on the vault after losing Jessica Rands to a rolled ankle in warm-ups.
“We had to water-down all our vaults to make sure we didn’t count a fall,” Corn said.
Corn said he still thinks USU has a chance at making the NCAA Regionals because they pulled off another clean meet.
“This definitely gave us a fight for regionals,” he said.
The Aggies face the Cal State Fullerton Titans Friday in Fullerton.
“We’ve had two near-perfect marks at our last two meets,” Corn said. “We’ll try to make it three at Cal State.”
The Aggies first saw the Titans on Jan. 4 in the Spectrum.
Utah State came away with the 192.75-191.375 victory.
Since then, Fullerton has racked up a 7-9 overall record and a 2-1 conference record. The Titans are only one spot out of first place behind Denver University.
Kelly Mathiasen, who was named WGC Gymnast of the Week in January, leads the Titans.
She recorded a 39.375 in the all-around March 8 at San Jose State.