USU gymnast trio goes to Regionals
In a uniquely emotional experience, one Aggie gymnast saw her career come to a close Saturday, while two of her teammates were busy building toward what they hope to be a very promising future.
Senior Heather Heinrich and junior teammates Lyndsie Boone and Jackie Dillon competed as individual performers in Saturday night’s NCAA North Central Regional Championships, hosted by the University of Utah at the Huntsman Center.
Heinrich and Boone competed in the all-around, posting scores of 38.675 and 38.550, while Dillon competed on bars, notching a 9.525. The University of Florida won the competition with a score of 197.675 and advanced to the National Championships along with Utah, which finished second with 196.900.
“It was a lot of fun to come in here and compete,” head coach Jeff Richards said. “It’s always a good crowd. The Utah crowd really supports all the Utah schools. So when they first marched out, the clapping they got and the recognition they got from the Utah fans was awesome. “
Heinrich, who rotated with Florida, posted a career-high 9.850 on vault, 9.750 on beam and floor, but a disappointing 9.325 on bars kept her from eclipsing the 39.000 mark.
While she admitted the final score was not what she had hoped for, the senior was happy to finish her USU career in regional competition, particularly in Salt Lake City.
“It was such a great experience,” she said. “All the girls from Florida, they were so accepting. They’re really a great group of girls, obviously very talented, so it was great to rotate with them. Obviously I wish it could have ended a little better, but I’m satisfied with how it ended.”
“I love competing here,” she said of the Huntsman Center. “This was, I think, the third time I’ve gotten to compete here. I love the fans, even the Utah fans. They know gymnastics.”
Richards was also pleased to see his senior leader end her career on such a grand stage.
“It’s been a real pleasure to coach her,” Richards said, noting Heinrich’s perseverance during a regular season that saw many of her teammates struggle with injuries. “She just kept pushing and did a great job. It was really great to coach her this year and get to know her better. It was just a really good time. I’m proud of her, and it was a great way to finish.”
Even shortly after the meet, Heinrich said she was already coming to terms with this being the end of her Aggie career.
“It’s kind of set in, honestly,” she said. “I found one of my old teammates. She’s a sophomore this year, and I told her, ‘Have fun because it goes fast.’ And it hit me that I’m … I’m done. It went really fast, but it was a great experience. I’ve loved being here, and I will miss it a lot.”
Boone, who rotated with Auburn, was stellar through her first three events. She opened by posting a 9.750 on vault, and after following with a pair 9.725 on bars and beam, was on pace to eclipse her career-high all-around score of 38.850. However, a slipup during her floor routine, typically one of her strongest events, resulted in a 9.350, bringing the co-captain back down to Earth.
“I was very, very happy for three events,” she said. “The fourth one didn’t go so well.”
Saturday’s competition was Boone’s third appearance at regionals, having competed on beam as a freshman and in the all-around as a sophomore last season. She smashed last year’s all-around score of 36.725 and was very pleased with her performance on bars, though she wasn’t aware until after the meet that she had posted a season-high in the event.
“One of the best routines of the season, for sure,” she said. “I stuck my dismount. I’ve been working on that all week at practice, so (it’s) exciting that it paid off.”
Dillon, who posted a 9.800 on beam at last year’s regionals, said she didn’t do as well as she had hoped Saturday but believes the experience will help build toward the ultimate goal of getting the entire Aggie squad to next year’s competition.
“It sets the standard pretty high,” she said. “I think our whole goal next year is to make it as a team, not any more individuals – (it’s) definitely not as fun to make it individually.”
Boone and Richards agreed with Dillon, with both believing the stage has been set for greater team accomplishments next season.
“I think this gives us just a lot more experience,” Boone said of her and Dillon. “Next year, coming here, we’re hoping to come as a team. Me and Jackie will be ready. We know what to expect, we know the competition, we know what the atmosphere is going to be like competing at the regionals.”
“I think next year they’re our leaders,” Richards said of Boone and Dillon. “Jackie, she’ll be a senior, Boone will be a senior, and they’ve been here now two years in a row, so we’ve got a lot of leadership in that sense with them being there. We had a great finish at the conference. We’ve got some great recruits coming in, and I think it’s going to be a great year next year.”
– dan.fawson@aggiemail.usu.edu