Do or Die for Aggie gymnasts
On March 12 Utah State University students were willing to fork out the necessary $4 to watch the Aggie basketball team take on Montana State University in the opening-round NIT game.
USU gymnastics Head Coach Ray Corn hopes students are willing to do the same to support his team for half the price as the Aggies host the inaugural Western Conference Gymnastics Championships Friday at 7 p.m.
Similar to the basketball postseason game, entrance to the meet will cost students with a college ID $2 because it is a championship competition, Corn said.
“The financial responsibility of this conference meet, since we really don’t have a conference office, is of the university hosting it,” Corn said. “The one thing you don’t want to do is go financially south and make it where athletics directors say it is costing too much money and they want to drop the conference meet.”
Corn said it is crucial fans come out to this meet.
Following a season of inconsistency, the Aggies finally got on a roll toward the end of the season, despite not winning any meets. The team only had one fall in the last three meets.
If Utah State does not hit its routines Friday it could be the first time the Aggies have not made it to the regionals since 1985 and only the second time in school history.
“We need their [the fans] support,” Corn said. “More than ever this year we need everyone’s support to try and keep this string of post-season play.”
Like the basketball team, the women’s gymnastics team dropped two meets on its final road swing. Corn said traveling to California to close out the season was probably poor planning on his part.
The USU gymnastics team has a regional qualifying score of 193.505 going into the Western Gymnastics Conference meet.
Not exactly a place the team wants to be, or is even accustomed to.
To move on to the regionals in Denver on April 5, the Aggies would need to move into one of the top six places in the North Central Region.
Places in the NCR are determined by regional qualifying scores. The Aggies have a 193.505 RQS.
Utah State is currently in ninth place, behind No. 8 Air Force (193.745 RQS) and No. 7 Southern Utah (194.735 RQS).
Denver, the top team in the Western Gymnastics Conference, is ranked fourth in the region with a 195.770 RQS.
“I’m looking forward to [the championship meet],” DU gymnastics Head Coach Melissa Kutcher said.
She described it as a great championship meet and a strong competition.
Although the Pioneers have the best record in the conference, their only meet against a WGC member was a 195.675-191.650 victory over Utah State on March 2 in Missouri.
Corn said because of the rankings he feels Denver is the team to beat.
Southern Utah University, a team that posted a 195.275 or better in its final three meets of the regular season, is looking to change things up a little for the championship meet, said Thunderbirds Head Coach Scott Bauman.
He said his team must upgrade the difficulty of routines if they want to go on to regionals. Bauman said he isn’t sure if trying new things Friday will help the team or cause inconsistencies.
“[We] must be prepared for the regional meet,” Bauman said.
Although extending their season is the Thunderbirds’ ultimate goal, Bauman said the team doesn’t feel any pressure.
Going into the season SUU was picked to finish last in the Western Gymnastics Conference preseason poll.
“We love going in being the underdogs,” Bauman said.
Southern Utah will start the meet on vault, Denver on beam, Boise State on floor and Utah State on bars. Cal State Fullerton will have a bye during the first rotation.
Corn said he doesn’t think the rankings will play a large part in the meet Friday and there will be five solid teams competing.
“It’s going to be an outstanding meet, in my opinion,” Corn said.