<p dir="ltr"><strong>CEDAR CITY, Utah</strong> - The Flippin' Birds returned to the nest to compete against former conference foe Boise State Friday night. The Thunderbirds trailed for the majority of the meet but pulled off a comeback to win 196.275-196.150. </p> <p>All of the gymnasts competed well, but the star of the meet was Freshman Niya Randolph, who posted the highest score of the night for the Thunderbirds and tied her all-around career-high score with 39.325. The floor team for SUU scored a season-high 49.225 when it mattered most, leading the team to a narrow victory. Sophomore Kennedi McClain and Junior Ellie Cacciola tied for the top spot on the beam, and Randolph placed first on the floor. </p> <hr /> <p><strong>Head Coach Scotty Bauman Said</strong></p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GB4WaN2TrbY" title="Post-Meet Interview vs. Boise State" width="100%"></iframe></p> <hr /> <p><strong>Meet Recap</strong></p> <p><strong>Vault (48.950)</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">The Flippin' Birds began the meet on the vault, where junior Ellie Cacciola led the team with a score of 9.875. Randolph was next with a 9.750 before sophomore Kennedi McClain posted a 9.775. True freshman Mackenzie Kelly followed up with a 9.750. Sophomore Kayla Pardue scored well, with her vault earning 9.800. Wrapping up the rotation for the Thunderbirds was junior Taylor Gull, who scored 9.725.</p> <pre class="prettyprint"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That's how you start off a meet, ladies and gents 😎 <br><br>A season-high 🔥9️⃣.8️⃣7️⃣5️⃣🔥 for Ellie on Vault <a href="https://t.co/S7UXvTKLvQ">pic.twitter.com/S7UXvTKLvQ</a></p>&mdash; SUU Gymnastics (@SUUGym) <a href="https://twitter.com/SUUGym/status/1756141516123517414?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></pre> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Bars (48.875)</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">The Flippin' Birds would next move to the bars, with freshman Brinlee Christensen scoring a 9.750 to start the rotation. Freshman Alex Routsis followed her with a 9.700 of her own. Randolph moved the needle with an impressive 9.850, and junior Isabella Neff scored 9.850 as well. Sophomore Trista Goodman was next with a 9.725, and Senior Aubri Schwartze wrapped up the second rotation with a 9.300.  </p> <pre class="prettyprint"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Niya is setting the bar high 🙌<br><br>👏9️⃣.8️⃣5️⃣0️⃣👏 <a href="https://t.co/Ww9pxTnrwY">pic.twitter.com/Ww9pxTnrwY</a></p>&mdash; SUU Gymnastics (@SUUGym) <a href="https://twitter.com/SUUGym/status/1756147403517018196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></pre> <p dir="ltr"><strong> Beam (49.225)</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Fernandez led off rotation number three for the T-Birds with a 9.825. McClain was next and scored a very impressive 9.875. Cacciola then matched the energy, scoring an outstanding 9.875 of her own. Randolph picked up a 9.825 to match her career-high set last week. Senior Aly Coutu added a solid routine, scoring 9.825, and Anna Hartley wrapped up the rotation, scoring a career-high 9.825 to give the Birds a 49.225 as a team.  </p> <pre class="prettyprint"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The ✨finesse✨ on this routine by Kennedi 🤌<br><br>⚡️9️⃣.8️⃣7️⃣5️⃣⚡️ <a href="https://t.co/p3MqQwBAQL">pic.twitter.com/p3MqQwBAQL</a></p>&mdash; SUU Gymnastics (@SUUGym) <a href="https://twitter.com/SUUGym/status/1756153511438610649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></pre> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Floor (49.225)</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">The Thunderbirds moved to the floor for the final rotation. Freshman Alyssa Fernandez got things started with a 9.800. Pardue was next with a 9.125 before Cacciola added a big-time 9.825. Gull stepped to the floor next with an impressive 9.875. Christensen would show off as well, putting up a 9.825. Down to the last routine, the Thunderbirds were sitting just behind, but a career-high 9.900 for Randolph sealed the win for the T-Birds.</p> <pre class="prettyprint"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Niya continues to FLOOR us 😉<br><br>💥9️⃣.9️⃣0️⃣0️⃣💥 <a href="https://t.co/zFCvsi00h3">pic.twitter.com/zFCvsi00h3</a></p>&mdash; SUU Gymnastics (@SUUGym) <a href="https://twitter.com/SUUGym/status/1756161663798264254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></pre> <pre class="prettyprint"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Go off Taylor 💃<br><br>She earns a 9️⃣.8️⃣7️⃣5️⃣ on this Floor routine 🥳 <a href="https://t.co/gkhtVy0sU3">pic.twitter.com/gkhtVy0sU3</a></p>&mdash; SUU Gymnastics (@SUUGym) <a href="https://twitter.com/SUUGym/status/1756160264029016261?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></pre> <hr /> <p><strong>Next Up</strong></p> <p>The Flippin' Birds will follow the Broncos to Boise for a Tri-meet against Boise State and Sacramento State. The Teams will square off on Friday, February 16, at ExtraMile Arena. The meet will begin at 7:00 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on Mountain West Network. </p> <hr /> <p><strong>Tickets On Sale Now</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Help us pack the America First Event Center by buying your tickets today! Visit <a href="http://tbirdtickets.com/">tbirdtickets.com</a> to reserve your seats! </p> <hr /> <p><strong>Follow Us</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">For all the latest on Southern Utah gymnastics, follow @SUUGym on Twitter, @SUUGymastics on Instagram, and like the Southern Utah Gymnastics Facebook page.</p> <hr /> <p><strong>Donate</strong></p> <p>To help support Thunderbird athletics, consider making a donation today! To learn more about how you can support, click <a href="https://gift.suu.edu/campaigns/36015/donations/new?designation=thunderbirdathleticfoundation">here</a>.</p>