Utah State gymnastics posts third-highest score in school history
USU gymnastics scored the third-highest team score in program history Friday night, totalling 196.500 in a win over SUU.
It was the second time in three meets Utah State was able to set a season high score. The last time coming against BYU at home with USU finishing with a 196.100.
Four Aggies either set or tied career-high marks and the team scored 49 or better in all four events — the first time they’ve done so this season.
“It was fun to finally have the team show what they are capable of doing,” head coach Amy Smith said. “They brought their best when their best was needed. And that’s what we’ve been asking for this week and they knocked it out of the park. I could not be more proud.”
One of the more special moments came when sophomore McKinley Pavicic got up onto the balance beam. Friday was her birthday and she was the final Aggie to take to the beam. And in glorious fashion she tied the school record in the event with a 9.950.
The birthday girl, McKinley Pavicic, set a new career-high on the beam with a 9.950 — shattering her previous career high of 9.875. pic.twitter.com/glPBcTRMo5
— Utah Statesman 📰 (@UtahStatesman) March 17, 2018
“It was just honestly really great to be surrounded by my team, and my family’s here,” Pavicic said. “That was probably the best birthday present I could have asked for.”
Three of the four career scores came on bars. Madison Ward and Mikaela Meyer both tied their career-best marks in bars with a 9.875 and 9.650 respectively. Jazmyn Estrella shattered her previous personal high of 9.875 with a 9.925 — a score that tied for sixth-highest in USU history.
Ward, in addition to her personal best in bars, tied her season high in vault and took first overall in floor with a 9.900. Ward finished with an all-around score of 29.625 in three events, taking home first in two (vault and floor) and tying for second in the other (bars).
Utah State has been steadily improving and are in good shape heading into the postseason. Friday was their final regular season meet of the year, in addition to being the final home meet.
In the Aggies’ first eight meets, they averaged a 194.872 and did not exceed 195.500. But they have exceeded that mark in each of the last three meets and have averaged 196.108.
Despite reaching so high, Smith believes the team has more in them. She said the team hasn’t “gone lights out yet” and she said she’d like to see the team reach even higher next week at the conference championships.