CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Flippin' Birds have once again swept the weekly conference awards from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Freshman Niya Randolph was named the Gymnast of the Week, while fellow newcomer Alyssa Fernandez earned the title Freshman of the Week, and Sophomore Kennedi McClain grabbed the Specialist of the Week award.
Coach Scotty Bauman Said
"This team is working week in and week out to prove how good they are, and this is a testament to their effort. These three athletes helped our team to a great program win on the road against a team that had an outstanding meet. I am excited to see their success recognized by the conference."
Sensational Sophomore
Sophomore Kennedi McClain had the best meet of her career on the road at Utah State Friday night. McClain won two individual titles and set career highs in both events. She scored a very impressive 9.875 on the vault, helping the Thunderbirds to a season-high 49.100. The Flippin' Birds really put on a show in the final rotation on the beam, where McClain scored an outstanding 9.950, tying her for the best score in MPSF history and the second-best score in program history. The team score of 49.375 is the new MPSF record and the fourth-highest in program history.
Fantastic Freshman
Southern Utah Freshman Niya Randolph performed spectacularly on the road at Utah State. Randolph put together a career-high bars routine that took first place, scoring 9.925. She added a season-high 9.825 beam routine en route to a 39.275 all-around score. Randolph has strung together back-to-back complete meets and is quickly becoming a force for the Thunderbirds. This is the third time that Randolph has earned the MPSF Gymnast of the Week award.
Freshman Alyssa Fernandez sparkled in the Thunderbirds road victory at Utah State. Fernandez put on a solid floor routine that scored 9.775, but it was the beam where she shone the brightest, scoring 9.875. The Freshman was a major part of a beam team that scored 49.375. Fernandez contributed significantly to the team, scoring 196.800, a season-high, which is the second-highest score in MPSF conference history and tied for the ninth-best in program history.
Next Up
The Flippin' Birds will return home to take on former conference foe Boise State. The Thunderbirds will square off with the Broncos on Friday, February 9, at the America First Event Center. The meet will begin at 7:00 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on Overnght.
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