LOGAN, Utah - Week 7 of the 2023 Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference season saw just the third perfect 10.000 in league history and the first on the uneven bars, as the MRGC announced its weekly award winners.
Boise State junior Emily Lopez produced the flawless routine on bars en route to earning the 10.000 and her fourth MRGC Uneven Bars Specialist of the Week award. The mark broke the previous conference record of 9.975 and was just the third perfect score in league history, matching the 10.000 on vault by former BSU gymnast Ciera Perkins and 10.000 on beam by former Southern Utah gymnast Stacie Webb.
Lopez wasn't done with her weekly honors as she also earned MRGC Vault Specialist of the Week, sharing the award with teammate Courtney Blackson with 9.900s on the event. The Broncos used the performances to post a 196.500-194.925 victory over BYU in Boise.
Blackson also doubled up her weekly honors as she scored a 9.925 on floor to share MRGC Floor Specialist of the Week accolades with Utah State senior Ariel Toomey. Toomey recorded her 9.925 on the event as the Aggies recorded a season-high 196.175 against Southern Utah in Logan.
The Thunderbirds remained perfect in MRGC competition during the meet by posting a 197.125 to go to 7-0 against MRGC foes. SUU senior Karley McClain garnered a pair of weekly honors with her performances during the meet, as she finished with a season-high-tying 39.475 in the all-around to pick up her seventh-straight MRGC Gymnast of the Week award. McClain also scored a 9.925 on beam to share MRGC Beam Specialist of the Week accolades with teammate Hailey Vultaggio and BYU senior Elease Rollins.
Members of the MRGC close out the conference portion of their schedules this week with Boise State at Southern Utah on Wednesday, Feb. 22, while Utah State travels to BYU on Friday, Feb. 24.
The 2023 MRGC Championships will be hosted by Southern Utah on Saturday, March 18. Fans can purchase tickets by calling the Southern Utah ticket office at 435-586-7872 or by visiting the Southern Utah ticket office online at www.suutbirds.com. The meet will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference is one of only two NCAA Division I gymnastics-only conferences in the nation and is made up of member institutions: Boise State University (Boise, Idaho), Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah), Southern Utah University (Cedar City, Utah) and Utah State University (Logan, Utah).
Vault Specialist of the Week
WK1 - Kayla Pardue, SUU (9.850)
WK2 - Emily Lopez, BSU (9.850)
WK3 - Ellie Cacciola, SUU (9.850)
Kayla Pardue, SUU (9.850)
Emily Lopez, BSU (9.850)
WK4 - Allix Mason, BYU (9.850)
Kylie Eaquinto, BYU (9.850)
Emily Lopez, BSU (9.850)
WK5 - Adriana Popp, BSU (9.950)
WK6 - Sydney Benson, BYU (9.900)
WK7 - Emily Lopez, BSU (9.900)
Courtney Blackson, BSU (9.900)
Bar Specialist of the Week
WK1 - Trista Goodman, SUU (9.900)
Anyssa Alvarado, BYU (9.900)
WK2 - Emily Lopez, BSU (9.950)
WK3 - Anyssa Alvarado, BYU (9.925)
Shylen Murakami, SUU (9.925)
WK4 - Emily Lopez, BSU (9.925)
Courtney Blackson, BSU (9.925)
WK5 - Courtney Blackson, BSU (9.925)
Lindsey Hunter, BYU (9.925)
WK6 - Anna Bramblett, BYU (9.950)
Emily Lopez, BSU (9.950)
WK7 - Emily Lopez, BSU (10.000)
Beam Specialist of the Week
WK1 - Elease Rollins, BYU (9.900)
WK2 - Emily Lopez, BSU (9.900)
Sofi Sullivan, USU (9.900)
WK3 - Emily Lopez, BSU (9.925)
Ellie Cacciola, SUU (9.925)
WK4 - Emma Loyim, BSU (9.925)
Adriana Popp, BSU (9.925)
Sofi Sullivan, USU (9.925)
Elease Rollins, BYU (9.925)
WK5 - Mina Margraf, BYU (9.925)
WK6 - Elease Rollins, BYU (9.950)
WK7 - Elease Rollins, BYU (9.925)
Karley McClain, SUU (9.925)
Hailey Vultaggio, SUU (9.925)
Floor Specialist of the Week
WK1 - Hailey Vultaggio, SUU (9.875)
WK2 - Karley McClain, SUU (9.925)
WK3 - Rebekah Bean Ripley, BYU (9.925)
Rachel Smith, SUU (9.925)
Karley McClain, SUU (9.925)
WK4 - Karley McClain, SUU (9.900)
WK5 - Karley McClain, SUU (9.950)
WK6 - Karley McClain, SUU (9.925)
Aubri Schwartze, SUU (9.925)
WK7 - Ariel Toomey, USU (9.925)
Courtney Blackson, BSU (9.925)
Gymnast of the Week
WK1 - Karley McClain, SUU (39.175)
WK2 - Karley McClain, SUU (39.475)
WK3 - Karley McClain, SUU (39.475)
WK4 - Karley McClain, SUU (39.100)
WK5 - Karley McClain, SUU (39.475)
WK6 - Karley McClain, SUU (39.425)
WK7 - Karley McClain, SUU (39.475)
NEXT UP
The Flippin' Birds will continue conference play next Wednesday when they host Boise State for the final conference meet of the season.  The meet will start at 7:00 p.m. MT at the Spectrum.
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