SUU Gymnastics Scores Highest Mark; Bests Utah State

CEDAR CITY, Utah — The Flippin' Birds continued the home stretch of their season with a tough battle against Utah State Monday night. The Thunderbirds came away with a new season-high and the win, 196.475-195.725. The victory improves the Flippin' Birds' overall record to 9-3 on the year and sets them up for a big-time showdown with #13 Stanford on Valentine's Day.

Southern Utah was led by standout performances from both all-around competitors Brinlee Christensen and Niya Randolph. The two stayed close the entire meet, but an incredible 9.925 by Christensen pushed her score to the top spot. Randolph placed second in the all-around with a 39.250. The Thunderbirds dominated the vault, sweeping the podium with Senior Ellie Cacciola (9.875) leading the way. Sophomore Maria Ferguson tied for first on the bars with a 9.875. Christensen's floor routine was the best score of the event, but Senior Taylor Gull was not far behind, scoring a 9.900.

Meet Recap

Vault (49.125) 

Southern Utah opened the competition on vault, with senior Ellie Cacciola setting the tone with a season-best 9.875. Sophomore Mackenzie Kelly followed, earning a 9.825, while freshman Mia Hampton started her meet with a 9.775. Junior Trista Goodman matched that mark with another 9.750. Sophomore Niya Randolph contributed a solid 9.800, and sophomore Brinlee Christensen closed out the rotation with a 9.850. The team total of 49.125 is the best vault rotation the T-Birds have had all season.

Bars (49.025)

The Thunderbirds moved to bars for their second rotation trailing the Aggies by .050. Christensen led off with a confident 9.750. Senior Isabella Neff followed with a 9.725, while Hampton delivered a poised 9.750. Goodman executed a steady routine, scoring 9.825. Randolph put together an excellent set, finishing with a 9.825. Sophomore Maria Ferguson posted an incredible routine, scoring  9.875. The strong performances elevated the team's overall score to 98.150 after two rotations.

Beam (49.000)

The Thunderbirds transitioned to beam for their third rotation. Randolph opened the lineup with a 9.800. Next, Christensen delivered a composed 9.800, followed by Sophomore Elliot Bringhurst, who secured a 9.700. Cacciola once again delivered a standout performance with a 9.850. Sophomore Rylee Miller tied Cacciola for the team's highest score of the event with a 9.850 before sophomore Maria Ferguson wrapped up the rotation with a 9.350.

Floor (49.325)

The Flippin' Birds took to the floor to close out the meet. Holding a slight lead over the Aggies, Hampton kicked off the rotation with a dynamic 9.875. Sophomore Alyssa Fernandez followed with a polished 9.800, while Christensen maintained the energy with an energetic team-high of 9.925. Randolph added to the team's strong showing with a 9.825. The two seniors rose to the occasion, as Cacciola delivered a stellar 9.800, and Taylor Gull capped it off with an impressive 9.900. The T-Birds concluded their team performance with a final score of 196.475.

Next Up

The Flippin' Birds will return to the AFEC on Friday, February 14, at 6:30 p.m. to take on #13 Stanford. The meet will be streamed on Overnght.com, and live stats will be available on virti.us.