RECAP | Thunderbirds Post Two Career Highs and Defeat Aggies at Home
CEDAR CITY, Utah -- In a sea of red the Southern Utah gymnastics team topped the Utah State Aggies for their second home victory in a row. The Thunderbirds were awarded a 195.875, their second highest team score of the season, while USU posted a 195.175.
"Our gymnastics is beautiful and we have some of the most talented gymnasts in the country," said head coach Scotty Bauman. "It was so great to see Hannah Nipp and Rachel Smith be awarded those scores as they've been working so hard in the gym. But, we have some fixes to be made. I made some lineup changes tonight and I can't guarantee that's the reason for some of the out of character falls but it may have thrown the girls off and we will be heading back to our more usual lineup next week for the very talented Central Michigan."
Taking a sweep of the individual event awards, with the exception of all-around title, SUU's Rachel Smith was crowned vault champion, Becky Rozsa-Thompson earned the bars title, Shylen Murakami took home the beam award and Hannah Nipp tied the school record on floor giving her the floor title.
The Thunderbirds best and first rotation of the night was vault as Smith set a career-high and tied for third in the school record book with her 9.900 routine. Stephanie Tervort followed Smith in scoring with a 9.850, which is a new season high for her. Morgan Alfaro also posted a 9.850. Madison McBride anchored the lineup, posting a 9.825. SUU totaled 49.225.
On floor the Thunderbirds saw a stand-out performance from Nipp as she scored a 9.950 - a career high which tied her for first in the school record book. Madison McBride earned a 9.875 followed by Karley McClain who posted a 9.850. Caitlin Kho fell in the middle of the pack for the T-Birds with a 9.800 while Madison Loomis scored a 9.450. All together the T-Birds posted a 48.925.
SUU was also awarded a 48.925 on bars as Rozsa-Thompson topped the scoreboard with a 9.875. Both Kho and Murakami hit a 9.850 routine. Hannah Nipp stuck a 9.825 and Karley McClain saved a 9.525.
Murakami had the best beam routine of the evening, earning a 9.875. Smith was next with a 9.825 followed by Autumn Jorgensen's 9.725. Nipp was awarded a 9.700 and McClain posted a 9.675. As a team, the T-Birds posted a 48.800.
Next Meet
The Southern Utah Gymnastics team is set to host Central Michigan next Friday, February 7, inside the America First Event Center.
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Tickets
Tickets for the Flippin' Birds' next home meet on February 7 against CMU are available at tbirdtickets.com or the America First Event Center Ticket Office. Fans can also purchase a Women's Sports Pass for access to all 2020 regular season home meets.
