Gymnastics beats SUU in Spectrum
The Utah State gymnastics team set eight career best scores and the fifth all-time best overall team score beating Southern Utah University 196.000-195.700 Friday night.
“They decided at this meet that the season would begin,” said Head Coach Ray Corn about the team. “It was a great thing to watch.”
The meet ran in Olympic order, with the vault opening the meet, followed by the bars, the beam and the floor routine.
The team had their second best vault score of the season, their first being against Boise State at the Beauty and the Beast meet.
For the first time this year, Jessica Kettle did not compete on the vault but Freshman Liesel Kohler took her place as the first competitor on the vault.
Kohler said that she got a message on her phone the night before the meet from Corn saying she would start on the vault. She also said that she was nervous about who was going to hold the mat for the other girls.
“We’ve worked so hard,” she said about the meet. “[And] it wasn’t perfect.”
Utah State beat SUU on the vault with a score of 48.675 to 48.325. The top three competitors for Utah State were co-captain Rachel Ropelato, Gretchen Goerlitz and Rachael Mandy.
SUU rebounded and beat the Aggies on the bars with a score of 49.050-48.850.
It was Gretchen Goerlitz’s first time competing on the bars. Freshman Alex Martin also scored a career high 9.925. Other high scorers for the Aggies were co-captain Katie Rutherford and Ashley Barr.
Kohler led the Aggies on the beam with a career-best score of 9.900. The Ags had a season high score of 49.100 and tied for the sixth best all-time score..
The team suffered a bit on the beam as Barr had a fall. Demonstrating perseverance, she pulled herself back onto the beam and finished her routine. Stacy Stewart also helped out with her career best on the beam.
The Aggies beat SUU with in the floor competions by a score of 49.375-49.125. Ropelato, Martin (9.900), Barr (9.900) and Kohler all recieved career high scores.
Martin, an all-arounder, finally got over the 39 mark with her all-around score of 39.350, good enough for first place in Friday night’s competition.
The teams next meet will be on the road against Brigham Young University on Friday, Feb. 13.
-vramirez@cc.usu.edu