Gymnasts drop heartbreaker to Boise State
Boise State University is a difficult place to compete for the Utah State University gymnastics team.
“They have no natural rivalries, so we are it,” Aggie Head Coach Ray Corn said. “We have BYU, Utah and Southern Utah as rivals. [Boise’s crowd] is always very rude and hostile. We handled them well.”
Handling the crowd well was not enough, though, as the Aggies dropped their closest meet of the season 192.775-192.550 to the Broncos Friday night in Idaho.
Despite holding a .775 lead (144.525-143.750) after three rotations, the Broncos made a late comeback on the floor exercise to outscore the Aggies, 49.025-48.025.
Corn said his team did not lose the floor exercise in tumbling or dancing, but because they stumbled too much.
USU junior Jessenia Abrego competed in the all-around for only the second time of her career. She won the event with a career-high 39.175. Teammate Mika Love Houston finished fifth overall in the all-around with a 37.700.
Abrego’s all-around score ties her with Kristen Bloom for the 18th best score in school history.
“She is inspiring to watch,” Corn said. “Here is a young lady who has taken her four years in training, and she has had some setbacks.”
Redshirting the 2000 season recovering from a torn ACL she suffered in fall training, Abrego came back last season to earn all-Big West honors on vault for the second time in here career. She began this season coming off a knee surgery.
“There is no doubt about it, there is more to come from her,” Corn said.
Abrego finished second overall in both the vault and floor with scores of 9.825 on each event. She also tied for first on the beam routine with fellow Aggie Kirra Seeley. Both girls recorded a 9.775 mark.
The 9.825 vault mark for the senior ties for the eighth best score in Utah State history and is the seventh time she has recorded the score on the event.
The only event Abrego did not dominate, finishing sixth with a respectable 9.750, freshman Katie Rutherford took charge.
Leading the team for the second time this season, Rutherford recorded a 9.800 on the uneven bars, tying for second overall on the event.
Having to count two falls on beam put the nail in the coffin, Corn said.
In the teams three-meet road trip, the Aggies suffered five falls overall, two at Arizona, one at San Jose State and two in Boise. When away from the confines of home, it just isn’t good enough.
“The road has been good for us,” Corn said. “But when you are on the road, you have to be perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
Even though Corn said he is disappointed in the outcome in the meet against the Broncos, it is something he cannot necessarily control.
“We have no control in what other teams score,” Corn said. “A 192.550 is not a bad road score, and now we just need to improve on it.”