CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Thunderbirds will wrap up the home stretch on Friday, February 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the America First Event Center. The Flippin' Birds will take on #13 Stanford in front of the home crowd. The meet will be available to stream on Overnght.com, and live stats can be found on virti.us. 

The Thunderbirds shined with standout performances from all-around competitors Brinlee Christensen and Niya Randolph in Monday's meet against Utah State. The two remained neck-and-neck throughout the meet, but Christensen's impressive 9.925 secured her the top spot, while Randolph finished second with a 39.250. The Thunderbirds dominated the vault, sweeping the podium with senior Ellie Cacciola leading the way with a 9.875. Sophomore Maria Ferguson tied for first on bars with a 9.875, while Christensen's floor routine earned the highest score of the event, closely followed by senior Taylor Gull's strong 9.900.

Coach Scotty Bauman Said

"Going up against an incredible team like Stanford is always going to be a challenge, but having our home crowd behind us will make all the difference. The energy in the arena fuels our athletes, pushes them to perform at their absolute best, and reminds them why they love this sport."

MPSF Weekly Awards

Southern Utah University gymnastics continues to dominate the MPSF awards, sweeping the conference's weekly honors for the second straight week. Freshman Mia Hampton earned her fourth Freshman of the Week award with standout performances on the floor (9.875), vault (9.725), and bars (9.800). Rylee Miller was named Specialist of the Week after delivering a clutch 9.875 on the beam, helping SUU post a strong 49.050 rotation. Brinlee Christensen claimed her second Gymnast of the Week honor with a stellar 39.250 all-around score, securing back-to-back all-around victories. 

The Competition 

Stanford

Stanford gymnastics is proving to be a powerhouse this season, holding strong at #13 in the national rankings with top-10 placements on beam (9th) and floor (9th). The Cardinal delivered a statement performance against #7 California, pushing the 2024 NCAA Runner-Up to the wire with a season-best 197.400. Their beam squad stole the show, recording a massive 49.625—the second-best beam rotation in the country this year—led by career-best performances from Claire Dean, Ashley Carter, and Temple Landry, while senior Brenna Neault anchored with a 9.950. Neault continues to be Stanford's go-to competitor, tying for the vault title and finishing second in the all-around with a season-best 39.575. The Cardinal's bars lineup (ranked 13th) made an early statement, led by standout 9.900 routines from freshmen Kendra Chang and Ui Soma. Floor (ranked 9th) kept the momentum rolling, highlighted by Anna Roberts' 9.925. While vault sits at #19 nationally, Neault's career-best 9.900 and Anapaula Gutierrez's 9.875 show signs of a rising rotation. 

Southern Utah Notes

• Southern Utah currently sits at #29 in the Road to Nationals standings following week 6.
• The Flippin' Birds vault and bars teams are #27 nationally, while the beam and floor teams are ranked #35.
• Southern Utah is coming off a season-best 196.475 at home against Utah State. 
• The Thunderbirds have earned season sweeps over both BYU and Utah State. 
• Niya Randolph, Mia Hampton, and Brinlee Christensen are nationally ranked 60th, 68th, and 71st, respectively, in the all-around.
• The Flippin' Birds earned their second straight MPSF Weekly award sweep, with Rylee Miller (Specialist), Mia Hampton (Freshman,) and Brinlee Christensen (Gymnast) being recognized for their outstanding performance.  
• The Thunderbirds have earned 13 total Weekly Awards from the MPSF conference, including Hampton (4), Randolph (2), Bringhurst (1), Cacciola (1), Christensen (2), Gull (1), Miller (1), and Neff (1). 
• The Flippin' Birds have won consecutive Conference Championships in two separate conferences. Winning the Final MRGC Championship before transitioning to the MPSF and securing their first title in their new conference.
• The T-Birds finished the 2024 season ranked #27 in the country.
• Sophomore Niya Randolph was named the MPSF conference Gymnast of the Year for her outstanding consistency in the all-around in the 2024 season. Randolph set a new school and conference record for the all-around with a 39.600 in the home meet against BYU last season. 
• Sophomore Brinlee Christensen was named the MPSF Freshman of the Year for her outstanding debut last year.
• The Flippin' Birds swept the first-team All-MPSF honors with the top four bar workers in the conference. Randolph and Junior Trista Goodman each scored a 9.950 on the bars last year, setting a high standard for the team. The Thunderbirds set a new School and Conference record on the bars against Penn State last season, scoring 49.475. 
• The Thunderbirds are coached by Scott Bauman, who was named the MRGC Coach of the Year in 2023. 
• Associate Head Coach Jamie Wysong and Assistant Coach Jeff Richards were named the 2024 MPSF conference Assistant Coaches of the Year.   

Tickets On Sale Now

Help us pack the America First Event Center by buying your season tickets today! Visit tbirdtickets.com to reserve your seats!

Follow Us

For all the latest on Southern Utah gymnastics, follow @SUUGym on Twitter, @SUUGymastics on Instagram, and like the Southern Utah Gymnastics Facebook page.

Donate

To help support Thunderbird athletics, consider making a donation today! To learn more about how you can support, click here.