CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah Gymnastics team is heading to Las Vegas for the Mean Girls Super 16 on Saturday, January 6, at 1:00 p.m. MT. The event marks the opening weekend for the NCAA Gymnastics season, and the session, which is the third of the event, will include some of the top teams in the country.   

The Flippin' Birds will enter the season ranked #24 by the WCGA. The T-Birds will compete with one familiar foe and some top-ranked competition at the meet. BYU, the former Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference opponent, will be in the same session as the T-Birds. Also joining in the session are Oregon State University and the University of Minnesota.

Meet Information

Mean Girls Super 16 Gymnastics Championships

Date: Saturday, January 6, 2024

March In: 1:00 PM MT

Venue: The Orleans Arena

Event Website: super16gymnastics.com 

Tickets: 2024-january-mean-girls-super16-gymnastics-championships

Coach Scotty Bauman Said 

"Each of our athletes has been working hard to prepare for the season, and this is a great event to kick off the year. We get to compete at a high level right out of the gate, and for a young team like ours, it is an outstanding opportunity to get some experience on this stage this early in the season." 

The Competition

The second annual event heralded as the most significant in collegiate gymnastics history, showcases 16 NCAA teams and welcomes over 300 gymnasts, boasting Olympic, World, and National Champions among its participants.

Spanning two days, the competition unfolds across four sessions, crowning champions in team, all-around, and individual events for each session. The Mean Girls Super 16 Gymnastics Championships stand as the prestigious inauguration of the collegiate competition season.

The Thunderbirds will compete against some well-known teams in their session, including in-state foe BYU. The Flippin' Birds took down the Cougars head-to-head in each of their four meetings last season. The other two teams in the third session are Oregon State University and the University of Minnesota. 

BYU will enter the event as the lowest-ranked team in session three, sitting at #31. Minnesota is ranked at #18, while the coaches picked Oregon State as the #13 team in the country. 

Southern Utah Notes

• The Thunderbirds finished the 2023 season ranked #22 in the country, while the preseason WCGA poll puts them at #24 to begin the 24' campaign.

• The Flippin' Birds had 13 athletes from last year's team move on but have recruited a stellar first-year class.

• Southern Utah has three returning gymnasts who finished the season ranked in the top 100 nationally, including Kayla Pardue (#83 Vault), Aubri Schwartze (#96 Floor), and Ellie Cacciola (#51 Beam).

• The T-Birds boasted a top-25 average score in all four events throughout last season. The vault team finished the year at #22, the bars team was #25, the beam team at #18, and the floor team was ranked #22.

• The Thunderbirds are coached by Scott Bauman, who was named the MRGC Coach of the Year in 2023. Associate Head Coach Jamie Wysong was also named the Assistant Coach of the Year for the conference.   

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