CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah gymnastics team set a new program record Friday night, posting a 197.275 inside the America First Event Center on what was Senior Night for five Thunderbirds.
"We've been telling the girls all year long that they were that level, and we knew that they could move up another level as long as they worked on the little things in practice," head coach Scotty Bauman said. "Their best gymnastics was right there tonight, and all week long. I can't even tell you how good that felt."
The Flippin' Birds scored no lower than a 49.275 on all four events and won every event title except for beam. Rachel Smith won the vault title with a 9.900, Hannah Nipp won the bars title with a 9.925, and Karley McClain and Nipp shared the floor title as they both scored a 9.925. McClain also won the all-around title with a combined score of 39.425.
Southern Utah started the night on vault where they scored a 49.275, tied for the second-highest score in program history on the event. Smith had the high score with her 9.900 followed by three scores of 9.850 from Stephanie Tervort, Morgan Alfaro, and Molly Jozwiakowski. McClain scored a 9.825 to round out the scoring.
The Flippin' Birds also scored a 49.275 on bars, tied for the third-highest score in program history on the event. Hannah Nipp set a new career-high with her 9.925 and Shylen Murakami scored a 9.875. Aubri Schwartze and Mayson Bentley both scored a 9.850, a new career-high for Schwartze. McClain rounded out the scoring with a 9.775.
"Honestly I was just doing my thing," Nipp said. "It was senior night, and I just wanted to go up and do well for my team."
The Thunderbirds set a new season-high on beam, scoring a 49.300 which is tied for the third-highest score in program history. Nipp, McClain, and Schwartze all hit a 9.900 on the event, which was another new career-high for Schwartze. Murakami and Emma Wissman both scored a 9.800 to close out the big team score.
The Flippin' Birds saved the best score of the night for floor where they scored a season-high 49.425 to close out the meet. McClain and Nipp both hit a 9.925 and Jozwiakowski and Schwartze both scored a 9.875. Smith and Kayla Horton each hit a 9.825, tying a career-high for Horton.
McClain scored a 9.825 on vault, 9.775 on bars, 9.900 on beam, and a 9.925 on floor for her combined season-high of 39.425.
The Flippin' Birds will be on the road the rest of the way, starting with a dual meet against Boise State next Saturday in Idaho.
Follow Us
Stay up to date during the 2021 Southern Utah Gymnastics season by following @SUUGym on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Gymnastics page on Facebook.
