T-Birds Place Fourth in Semis; Utah Advances to Finals

BERKELEY, California—The Flippin' Birds battled to a 196.475 in the NCAA Regional Semifinal Friday night. Southern Utah finished fourth overall behind #14 Auburn (196.800), #19 Stanford (197.600), and #3 California (197.800). Junior Ellie Cacciola snagged a tie for first place in the vault with an incredible Yurchecko full that landed her a score of 9.900.

Head Coach Scotty Bauman Said

"We as a staff are so proud of our athletes' performance tonight. This team sent our seniors off the right way and showed that we can compete at the highest level."

Meet Recap

Bars (49.100) 

After struggling on bars in round one, the Flippin' Birds kicked off round two with a solid rotation. Freshman Brinlee Christensen started strong with a score of 9.750. Freshman Alex Routsis came next, scoring 9.675. Sophomore Trista Goodman got the Thunderbirds back on track with a 9.800. Freshman Niya Randolph also dug deep to earn a 9.800. Junior Isabella Neff added an impressive 9.850, bolstering the team's performance. Senior Aubri Schwartze concluded the rotation for the Flippin' Birds with a routine that earned a 9.900, the high score of the meet for the team.

Beam (49.075) 

Freshman Alyssa Fernandez started the second rotation for Southern Utah with a 9.450. Sophomore Kennedi McClain returned the momentum with an excellent performance, earning 9.875. Junior Ellie Cacciola was next up, matching McClain, scoring a 9.875 of her own. Randolph earned a 9.750 for her quick routine before senior Aly Coutu contributed to the team's score with a 9.725. Finally, Senior Anna Hartley concluded the rotation for the Flippin' Birds by scoring a 9.850, bringing the team total to 49.075.

Floor (49.175) 

Transitioning to the floor for the third rotation, the Thunderbirds looked ready to show what they could do. Fernandez ignited the momentum with a score of 9.800. Junior Taylor Gull impressed the judges with a solid routine, securing a huge 9.900 of her own. Christensen contributed a great routine, earning a 9.800 before Sophomore Kayla Pardue scored an outstanding 9.850. Cacciola followed that up by scoring 9.825 with a sensational performance. Randolph delivered a fun routine, but a slight misstep led to her scoring a 9.675.

Vault (49.125) 

The Flippin' Birds moved to the vault to wrap up the meet. Cacciola led the team off with an incredible 9.900. Freshman Niya Randolph followed that up with an impressive 9.800 vault. Then came Goodman, who put up a solid 9.775. Pardue added to the team total, with her Yurchenko one-and-a-half earning a 9.775. Next up was Freshman Brinlee Christensen, who also scored a great 9.800. Concluding the rotation and meet for the Thunderbirds was freshman Mackenzie Kelley, who wrapped up the scoring with an excellent 9.850, giving the Thunderbirds a 49.125 for the rotation.

The University of Utah advanced to the field to 8 after participating in the Florida Regional Finals, Sunday.

The NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championship is in Fort Worth, Texas, starting April 20 at 4pm CDT.  The field includes: Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida, Utah, Arkansas, LSU, California, Stanford.