Aggies take down No. 24 SUU
Utah State’s first meeting with Southern Utah University didn’t exactly go as planned. Despite the Aggies earning their best score of the season, a few costly mental mistakes allowed the Thunderbirds to edge out a victory by .375 of a point.
Fortunately for head coach Nadalie Walsh and the USU gymnastics team, retribution was only a week away.
Once again Utah State set a new high score for the season, this time downing the 24th-ranked Thunderbirds 195.425-195.250 Friday at home in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
“We worked a lot this week on floor with a lot of sticks and a lot more technique stuff, so that helped us a lot,” said junior Hayley Sanzotti. “Our landings were a lot sharper and it was our best team score on floor this year, so it was exciting and we had so much energy. We knew it was going to be close, but we just focused on us and we came out with the win.”
Trailing SUU with three events already in the books, Sanzotti tied her career-best floor routine with a score of 9.875, aiding in the Aggies’ strong finish. The junior also set a new personal record on beam with a 9.900.
“I’ve been saying this for most of the year, but Hayley doesn’t get the spotlight and I’m so proud of her that she gets it today, because she deserves it,” Walsh said. “She works hard, she’s a great student, a great teammate and a great gymnast.”
The Thunderbirds put together a strong outing, scoring 49.025 on vault, 48.975 on bars and 48.875 on floor, but faltered on the beam with a score of 48.375. Aggie seniors Jillian Chappel and Destiny Ezell joined Sanzotti in setting or exceeding career-highs on floor, and together with all-around title winner Bailey McIntire pushed USU to a season high 49.050 in the event.
“It felt like a come-from-behind win,” Walsh said. “It wasn’t hard to figure out that we had to do really well on floor in order to take the lead. To be honest, I just wanted the girls to go out there and give 110 percent and do their routines like I know they can. I’m really proud of them and when you give it all, sometimes you get a blessing in return. They got rewarded for their hard work.”
The win moves USU’s record to 3-1 on the season and 1-1 in the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference. The Aggies next face a road test in Denver on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 5 p.m.
– logantjones@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @logantj