DeHarde’s big night not enough as Aggies fall to No. 9 Boise State
The Utah State gymnastics team tied its season-high score of 194.975 Friday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, as the Aggies hosted No. 9 Boise State, falling to the Broncos 196.075-194.975.
Utah State’s night was highlighted by the performance of Autumn DeHarde. The sophomore won her ninth and tenth career individual titles — an outright title on the floor with a score of 9.900, and a title on the beam which she shared with Boise State’s Shani Remme with a score of 9.900.
“This whole week, we talked about doing what we do in practice,” said Utah State second-year head coach Amy Smith. “That’s what we see from Autumn, day in and day out, is flawless routines on beam and floor. She got the job done tonight.”
Still early into her second season as an Aggie, DeHarde has already captured six beam titles and four floor titles. It was also her second beam title and second 9.900 score on beam in the past three meets, the previous one coming on Jan. 25 at BYU.
“The first couple of meets of the season, I wasn’t completely settled in,” DeHarde said. “Tonight, I was more loose and I really had fun with it, and it paid off.”
With the win, Boise State remained unbeaten, a perfect 7-0 on the season. The Broncos’ performance was highlighted by a team score of 49.150, including a 9.925 performance by Remme. Remme, the two-time reigning Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference Gymnast of the Year, also won her 20th career all-around title with a score of 39.525.
Utah State sophomore Leighton Varnadore had a big night as well, taking third in the all-around behind Remme and Boise State’s Courtney McGregor. Varnadore’s personal-best score of 9.875 on the beam helped her to an overall score of 39.225.
“It was super exciting. Getting a 39.200 was my goal and now I have to set a new goal,” Varnadore said. “I feel like tonight was the first time I’ve shown what I’m capable of, which is super exciting. I can’t wait for more.”
USU’s best rotation came on the floor, which has traditionally been the strong point of the Aggies. There, they scored a season-best 48.975 behind several strong individual performances. Along with DeHarde’s title-capturing performance, senior Madison Ward-Sessions earned a 9.875 to take second, and Varnadore earned a 9.850 to tie for third place.
While the Aggies’ score matched their season high which was set exactly one week prior, Smith believes they still have plenty of room to improve.
“We are still building and we keep talking about the team needing to show up and bring their best when their best is needed,” Smith said. “That needs to be everybody, to where they are supporting each other. We saw brilliant performances tonight, and then we saw some not-so brilliant performances. We really need each gymnast, one through six, to show up and get it done for us to do what we are capable of doing.”
The Aggies will be back on the mats on Feb. 17 when they travel to Morgantown, W.V. to participate in a quad team meet against West Virginia, Cornell and Pittsburgh. They then return home to host Alaska Anchorage Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
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