BOISE, Idaho - March 14 - Southern Utah got out to a rocky start,
falling behind early and eventually falling 195.225-196.225 to Boise
State on Saturday night. The loss was overshadowed by Elise Wheeler's
mark of 39.525 in the all-around, breaking the school record of 39.425
that the junior had tied earlier this year.
"We had some great performances tonight," head coach Scott Bauman said after the meet. "Our team did a great job of getting the job done on floor and bars after we had falls on each event. We still just need to put an entire meet together and I know we have it in us."
The Thunderbirds began the night with a 48.150 on bars as freshman Lauren Jeffrey (8.700) and sophomore Jenna Vogt (9.225) suffered mishaps to pull the team score down. Wheeler finished with a team-best 9.825, placing second overall on the event. The Broncos started with a 49.325 to capture a lead that they would not relinquish during the night.
Southern Utah bounced back during the second rotation to score the second highest team score on vault this season with a 49.200 performance. Wheeler and junior Lindsey Schultz paced the Thunderbirds with matching 9.925's to finish second on the apparatus to BSU's Hannah Redmon with a 9.950. Melissa Johnson (9.875), Shannon Coughlin (9.775) and Jenna Vogt (9.700) rounded out the team score as the T-Birds only fielded five gymnasts during the rotation.
SUU's 48.950 on the floor exercise made up a little of gap between the two teams during the third rotation as Boise State finished with a 48.875 on beam. Wheeler, once again, led the Thunderbirds with a 9.900 and was followed by a pair of 9.825's from freshman Gaby Grey and senior Kellie Dangerfield. Another pair of 9.700's from Vogt and Johnson rounded out the team score for the Thunderbirds.
Southern Utah finished the night with a 48.925 on the beam, led by Wheeler's 9.875, but didn't get any help from Boise as the Broncos finished with a 49.175 on floor to wrap up the victory. The Thunderbirds wrapped up their final rotation by counting 9.825's from Grey and Shannon Coughlin and 9.700's from Johnson and Vogt towards the team score.
Wheeler's mark of 39.525 in the all-around broke the school record that the junior had already tied earlier this year and also was the third time this year she has scored in the top five all-time with her performance.
"Wheeler is just a tough competitor," Bauman said. "She was very savvy tonight and did what she needed to do on each event."
Southern Utah will conclude the regular season on Monday night in Logan when the Thunderbirds face the Utah State Aggies. The meet is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. with live stats and video available through www.utahstateaggies.com.
