CORALVILLE, Iowa - The Flippin' Birds competed on the road Friday evening at the University of Iowa. The Flippin' Birds finished with an impressive 195.425. The meet was a back-and-forth affair that came down to the very last routine for both teams. The Hawkeyes came away with the win, scoring 195.800.

Southern Utah Freshman Niya Randolph took the all-around title, setting a new career best with a 39.325. Randolph tied for first in the bars and second in the vault. Sophomore Kayla Pardue notched a first-place finish on the vault. The Thunderbirds vault team outscored the Gymhawks, but Iowa would win the other three events in what turned out to be a very evenly matched competition. 

Head Coach Scotty Bauman Said

"I am very proud of the way the team competed tonight. We were in it to the very end and the effort that our athletes put in was outstanding. We had ourselves in a position to win late but couldn't quite close it out. The more we compete, the closer we get to putting together a complete meet, and we will get there soon." 

Meet Recap

Bars (48.950)

The Flippin' Birds would open the meet on the bars with freshman Brinlee Christensen. Christensen scored a 9.750, and senior Aubri Schwartze followed her with a 9.750 of her own. Freshman Alex Routsis was next up and posted a 9.700. Randolph moved the needle with an impressive 9.850, and junior Isabella Neff immediately matched that. Sophomore Trista Goodman wrapped up the first rotation, scoring 9.750. 

Vault (49.025)

The Flippin' Birds next moved to the vault, where junior Ellie Cacciola led the team off with a score of 9.800. Randolph was next, tying her season-high score of 9.825 before sophomore Kennedi McClain posted a 9.750. Junior Taylor Gull followed up with a 9.700. Sophomore Kayla Pardue scored the top marks for the event, placing first with a 9.850. Wrapping up the rotation for the Thunderbirds was freshman Mackenzie Kelly, who made her official collegiate debut with a 9.800.  

Floor (49.125)

The Thunderbirds moved to the floor for the third rotation. Freshman Alyssa Fernandez got things started with a 9.800. Cacciola and Christensen would help the team, scoring 9.725 and 9.825, respectively. Gull posted an impressive 9.800 before Randolph dialed up an outstanding 9.875 routine that was good enough to finish tied for second. Wrapping up the floor rotation was Pardue, who set a new career-high, scoring 9.825. The 49.125 score for the Flippin Birds was their best of the season so far.

Beam (48.325)

Fernandez led off the final rotation for the T-Birds with a 9.775. McClain was next and scored a solid 9.825, with Cacciola immediately matching her, grabbing the same score. Randolph picked up a 9.775 to finish her all-around for the night, and it looked as though the Birds were in position to win. Back-to-back falls led to a team score of 48.325 and allowed Iowa to pull out a victory.    

Next Up

The Flippin' Birds will take on Utah State on the road. The Thunderbirds will square off with the Aggies on Friday, February 2, at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The meet will begin at 7:00 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on Mountain West Network. 

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