Aggie gymnasts prep for season with inter-squad meet

This past Friday the Utah State gymnastics team participated in an inter-squad meet at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum to show fans what the 2019 team is bringing to the table this season. The night included full routines from the gymnasts in front of judges, who awarded the team a score of 193.075.

Sophomore Leighton Varnadore was the single Aggie gymnast to take part in the all-around, with markings of 9.850 on her floor routine, 9.750 on both the beam and bars, and a 9.700 on the vault. Varnadore’s composite score came out to be 39.050.

On the bars, senior Madison Ward-Sessions held up with a 9.850, followed by junior MaKayla Bullitt with a 9.775.

The Aggies performed best on the floor with a straight 49.000. Even though Varnadore had the top score in this event, three other gymnasts scored close behind with 9.800’s. DeHarde, Ward-Sessions, and freshman Maddie Straker all tied with the same 9.800 score.

Taking on the beam portion of the night, sophomore Taylor Dittmar put up the best score of the meet with her 9.825, while fellow sophomore teammate Autumn DeHarde followed close behind with her own 9.800. Overall, the team finished with a 48.375.

In the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) preseason polls, Utah State is ranked at 39th in the country. Four of the Aggie’s opponents are slated within the preseason top 25, which include UCLA at No. 1, Washington at No. 15, Boise at No. 16, and BYU at No. 24.

The team will be opening their 2019 season on Saturday, Jan. 12 at Pittsburg. The next weekend USU will face off against BYU in Logan for their home opener at 7 p.m.