CEDAR CITY, Utah -- Each week through the offseason the Leavitt Group will highlight a student-athlete from Southern Utah University that has made a positive impact on their program and the institution. This week's Student-Athlete Spotlight is focused on gymnast Shylen Murakami.
Murakami competed as a sophomore for the Flippin' Birds this season, hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada, where she attended Cimarron Memorial High School and competed in club for the Gymcats.
She had a massive sophomore campaign for the Thunderbirds, setting a new career high on bars of 9.950. Murakami hit that mark twice during the season, putting her in a tie for the event record at SUU with Kirsten Yee. Yee hit a 9.950 during the 2015 season.
Murakami was so solid on bars this year, the lowest score she posted was a 9.825.
She also found a lot of success on beam for SUU. She scored a 9.800 or higher on nine different occasions.
Following the season, she was named to the All-MRGC Bars First Team and Beam Second Team.
The night the Flippin' Birds broke the school record, scoring a 197.225 as a team, Murakami hit a 9.950 on bars and a 9.800 on beam to help propel the T-Birds to that record setting performance.
Her continued success as a sophomore wasn't much of a surprise after her freshman campaign, where she had an immediate impact on the program. She competed in every meet and earned All-Conference Second Team honors on both bars and beam for the Flippin' Birds.
Murakami is part of an impressive class for the Thunderbirds that features Mayson Bentley, Caitlin Kho, Karley McClain, Rachel Smith, Stephanie Tervort and Emma Wissman.
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