Aggies fall to Boise State
It was senior night and the last chance to earn a place in the regional rankings, but the Utah State gymnastics team fell to No. 23 Boise State with a final score of 195.300-194.125.
“I was a little bit nervous,” said head coach Jeff Richards. “We had a week off. Sometimes when you had that week off you’re just never sure, but we had a decent meet. I was very happy. The scores on floor were very nice. We’ll take them. It was a good meet.”
Sophomore Sarah Landes came in second for the all-around competition with a career-best score of 39.225 and Paige Jones was fourth with a 39.100. Caitlin Mann, a sophomore from BSU, received the all-around award with a score of 39.325.
The Aggies kicked off the event with vault. Kaitlyn Betts achieved a career-best score of 9.875 – tied with Landes for the top score – and USU totaled 48.425.
The second rotation moved USU to bars where the Aggies scored a career-best 48.725 at their last meet against BYU.
The Aggies performed exceptionally well, landing them a score of 48.700, just a quarter of a hundredth point behind their career-high. Jones and Landes tied for first with a 9.800. Michelle Yasukochi and Kaitlyn Betts fell shortly behind with a 9.725, tying for second.
Richards said USU’s biggest struggle this season has been beam and it was again against BSU. USU earned a score 47.675, with Jones earning a season-high of 9.725, Stefanie Daley a 9.700 and Landes a 9.675.
The Aggies excelled in the floor exercise, their final event. Landes had the high score of 9.875, matching her career-best score. Susie Miller followed closely behind with 9.825, a new high score for her. Jones and Joanna Cuba tied for third with a 9.775, Amelia Montoya got a 9.725 and Destiny Ezell got a 9.675.
“We performed well for having a week off and I was pleased,” Richards said. “I think they’ll catch some momentum from this. Those scores on floor really boosted their confidence. I think that’ll be good going into their conference meet.”
USU ended their season on a good night. Though they suffered a loss, the girls still came out with one of their highest scores of the season.
“We still got one of our highest all around scores for this year, so that was good knowing that we can have that score with those two falls,” senior Amelia Montoya said.
The challenge for the Aggie gymnast going into the WAC championships will be team confidence. Montoya said the team needs to believe in their abilities and know they can execute their routines.
The Aggies will head to Southern Utah University in Cedar City for the WAC championships on March 22.
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