Utah State Gymnastics defeats Air Force in conference matchup
Utah State University Gymnastics defeated the Air Force Falcons at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Feb. 27, 196.025 to 195.825. The Aggies’ win is their sixth win in their last seven meets and moves the team’s record to 13-4 and 5-2 in the conference. The team’s start also ties for the No. 6-best start in team history, and the Aggies’ best start since the 1999 season, along with clinching a share of the Mountain West regular-season championship.
“I’m incredibly proud of our women. We knew that we needed to secure the win tonight at home. They rose to the challenge,” said head coach Kristin White. “We really focused on the details and stayed together the entire meet.”
The Aggies began the meet on vault, where they posted a season-high score of 49.075, as well as five Aggies posting their career highs.
“It was absolutely incredible. Robert has been wanting to get 49 on vault for a while, and they focused on the details, and they did a great job, and they were aggressive,” White said. “To see them do that tonight really made me very proud.”
Despite the Aggies’ win, they only had one individual win from Nyla Morabito, who tied for individual score for the floor with a 9.850, which is also her season high.
“Scoring my season high on the floor for this year was really exciting after coming back from my Achilles injury. It definitely helps my confidence,” Morabito said. “It makes me feel better about how I’m doing, and I’m ready to build off of it and start getting my confidence and consistency back in the event.”
In the other events, the Aggies scored a 49.075 on the beam and 49.050 on the floor. The Aggies struggled on bars, scoring only a 48.825 in what is usually a strength for the team.
“I think that just shows how strong our team is. Having one of our lowest scores of the night on one of our best events and still pulling through speaks volumes to how much more we have to give,” Morabito said. “It shows how much more successful we can be if we can just put it all together in one meet.”
White shared praise for Morabito as well, who, despite tearing her Achilles tendon last season, has been an anchor for the team all season. Her win tonight on the floor is her eighth individual title of the season and her first floor victory of the year.
“Anytime you have a season-ending injury in our sport, it’s incredibly hard to come back from, and to see her put in all the work that she’s been doing, it brings tears to my eyes because I know how hard it is physically, but I know how much harder it is mentally,” White said. “To see her back out there doing what she loves to the level that she can do it, I mean, there’s just really no words for that. She’s incredible, and we’re very lucky to have her here.”
The Aggies will take on Southern Utah on March 2 for their fourth time this season. The Aggies have won all three prior meetings this season and are looking to complete the sweep and take home another victory. Following the meet, they will face off with Oregon State at home on March 6.
“We’ve beaten Southern Utah three times this year, and I know that our team is eager to do it four times. And so, they’re going to be motivated, they’re going to be hungry and they’re going to rise to the occasion,” White said. “I know that they want those wins, and so they’re going to work really hard in the gym over the next couple of weeks and start getting ready for the Mountain West championship and then the postseason at the NCAA tournament.”