SUU Gymnastics Places Third in Washington Quad-Meet

CEDAR CITY, Utah—The Flippin' Birds placed third on the road at the Washington quad-meet Friday night, scoring 196.525. First place in the meet went to the host Washington Huskies, who scored 197.175; next came BYU, who scored a solid 196.750; and finally, the Hornets of Sacramento State scored 195.350.

Freshman Niya Randolph placed second in the all-around, scoring an outstanding 39.275. Freshman Brinlee Christensen took home the top spot on the vault with an incredible 9.925. Sophomore Trista Goodman placed second on the bars with a 9.900. The Flippin' Birds tied with host Washington for the best bars rotation with a 49.150.

Head Coach Scotty Bauman Said

"This team stepped up and showed how they respond when things are tough. We struggled in our warm-up, but our athletes battled the entire meet to score very well on the road. As a staff, we are very proud of the effort they put into each event tonight."

Meet Recap

Beam (48.900) 

Freshman Alyssa Fernandez set the tone for the opening rotation of the T-Birds' performance with an exceptional score of 9.850. Sophomore Kennedi McClain delivered a solid performance, earning a score of 9.850. Junior Ellie Cacciolastumbled on the dismount, earning a 9.200. Randolph returned the team's momentum with a strong performance, achieving a score of 9.800. Senior Aly Coutu contributed to the team's score with a routine that was scored 9.600. Finally, Senior Anna Hartley concluded the rotation for the Flippin' Birds by scoring 9.800 to bring the team total to 48.900.

Floor (49.275) 

Transitioning to the floor for the second rotation, the Thunderbirds needed to bring the heat. Fernandez ignited the momentum with a routine, earning her a score of 9.825. Junior Taylor Gull added to the team score with a solid routine, securing a 9.800. Christensen contributed a great routine, earning a noteworthy 9.825. Cacciola followed that up to score 9.875 with her incredible performance. Sophomore Kayla Pardue was next, scoring a 9.825. The energy soared even higher, with Randolph delivering an exceptional routine, garnering an outstanding score of 9.925.

Vault (49.200) 

The Flippin' Birds moved on to the vault for rotation three, spearheaded by Cacciola, who set the pace with an impressive 9.825. Randolph followed suit, notching a 9.825 of her own. McClain was next and contributed with a score of 9.800. Sophomore Kayla Pardue added to the team total with a vault, earning her 9.825. Next up was Christensen, who soared to a career-high, earning a 9.925 with an incredible vault. Concluding the rotation for the Thunderbirds was sophomore Trista Goodman, who wrapped up the scoring with a 9.800.

Bars (49.150) 

The Flippin' Birds kicked off the final rotation with an impressive display on the bars. Freshman Brinlee Christensen started strong with a score of 9.850. Freshman Alex Routsis came next, scoring 9.200. Sophomore Trista Goodman flew to an incredible 9.900, leading the team on the bars and increasing her season average. Randolph contributed a 9.725 to the team score. Junior Isabella Neff added an impressive 9.825, further bolstering the team's performance. Senior Aubri Schwartze concluded the meet for the Flippin' Birds with a routine that earned her a score of 9.850, bringing the team total to 196.525.

Next Up

The Flippin' Birds will head to California next Saturday, March 23, for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference Championship. Sacramento State is hosting the meet in The Nest, and the other teams competing include UC Davis and Alaska Anchorage. The meet will begin at 4:00 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on overnght.com.