SACRAMENTO, California - The Flippin' Birds stayed in California to compete in a dual meet Sunday vs. San Jose State University. The Thunderbirds fell in the meet 196.175-195.250 as the fourth rotation on the beam caused a dramatic shift in the team scores. 

Graduate Student Karley McClain took second in the All-Around with a 39.200. The Flippin Birds still managed to score top marks in both the bars and beam. Sophomore Ellie Cacciola tied for the top spot on the beam with a 9.900, and the bars once again belonged to graduate student Shylen Murakami who posted a 9.900 as well. 

The T-Birds edged the Spartans in the vault but San Jose State walked away with the other three events despite an impressive 49.325 score by the floor team from Southern Utah. The T-Birds fell behind early in the first two rotations but made a comeback in the third rotation with some beautiful floor routines. The Spartans would put the meet away in the final rotation however with some outstanding floor work of their own. 

BARS (48.975)

The Flippin' Birds started the meet with the bars and for the second consecutive meet scored a 48.975 as a team. The top score came from graduate student Shylen Murakami who led with 9.900. Sophomore Isabella Neff had the second-best mark with a 9.825 and not far behind her was graduate student Caitlin Kho who picked up a 9.800. Both graduate students Mayson Bentley and McClain added 9.725 scores to finish the team marks.  

VAULT (49.025)

The Thunderbirds moved on to the vault for the second rotation. Freshman Kayla Pardue showcased a stunning vault scoring a 9.850 due to being offline. Sophomore Ellie Cacciola added a 9.825 and Kho picked up a 9.800 to set up a good team score. Junior Hailey Vultaggio and graduate student Rachel Smith wrapped up the team score by scoring 9.775 each.

FLOOR (49.325)

In the third rotation, the T-Birds moved on to the floor and showed why they are ranked in the top 20 nationally. McClain and Smith put up huge 9.900 scores to lead the Southern Utah squad. Junior Emma Ingrassia picked up a 9.850 as did sophomore Taylor Gull. The final score for the Flippin' Birds was 9.825 from Cacciola. 

BEAM (47.925)

Going to the final rotation the Thunderbirds were in the lead but as with the last two weeks, the beam has been a struggle. The top score came from Cacciola who notched a 9.900. This was followed by a pair of 9.850 scores by Murakami and McClain. Three falls on the beam meant that two of them would count against the T-Birds score as Smith and junior Aubri Schwartze picked up a 9.175 and 9.150 respectively. 

NEXT UP

The Flippin' Birds will finish off the regular season with a tri-meet at home next week. The Thunderbirds will square off once again with San Jose State but add a tough University of Iowa squad to the mix. The meet will be broadcast on ESPN+ from the America First Event Center on Friday, March, 10th, and starts at 7:00 p.m. MT.

TOP MOMENTS

Too easy for @shylen_murakami 😏

9️⃣.9️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ 🔥#TBirdNation pic.twitter.com/EbFFUkvHf0
— SUU Gymnastics (@SUUGym) March 5, 2023
 

Kayla leads us with a 9️⃣.8️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ on vault ⚡️#TBirdNation pic.twitter.com/ZtToQ34wl0
— SUU Gymnastics (@SUUGym) March 5, 2023
 

Style points >>>> Regular points @karleymcclain with a 9️⃣.9️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ on the floor 🤌#TBirdNation pic.twitter.com/qyXn8TZwQd
— SUU Gymnastics (@SUUGym) March 5, 2023
 

.@r_achelerin continues to FLOOR us 😱

✨9️⃣.9️⃣0️⃣0️⃣✨#TBirdNation pic.twitter.com/xWlRiSstUW
— SUU Gymnastics (@SUUGym) March 5, 2023
 

.@ellie_cacciola is the BEAM QUEEN 👸

🔥9️⃣.9️⃣0️⃣0️⃣🔥#TBirdNation pic.twitter.com/kkOPQsZrK1
— SUU Gymnastics (@SUUGym) March 5, 2023
 

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