CEDAR CITY, Utah – Southern Utah gymnastics and head coach Scotty Bauman have released the 2027 schedule, the program's first season as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. The 11-meet regular season includes five home meets inside the America First Event Center, home-and-away series with all three Pac-12 opponents, and visits to Cedar City from West Virginia and Stanford.
The Flippin' Birds enter the Pac-12 with four straight conference titles across two leagues, winning the final Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference championship in 2023 before claiming three consecutive MPSF crowns from 2024 to 2026. SUU has reached 14 straight NCAA Regionals and finished No. 30 nationally in 2026 after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Regional.
"There's a lot to be excited about with this group. We're bringing back a strong core of athletes who have competed at a high level, and that experience gives us a great foundation heading into the season. We're also excited about the opportunity to compete in the Pac-12, take on new challenges, and continue building on what this program has accomplished. Our schedule gives us a great mix of competition, and having five opportunities to compete in front of our home crowd at the America First Event Center makes it even more special. We're looking forward to getting back in the AFEC for another great season."
A Deep Returning Core
Southern Utah returns 22 of the 24 routines it competed at the 2026 NCAA Regional in Tempe, including all six from a floor lineup that scored 49.225.
Senior Niya Randolph leads the group. A three-time MPSF Gymnast of the Year, Randolph finished 2026 ranked No. 19 nationally in the all-around after posting a season-high 39.575 and a program-record 9.975 on floor. She placed second in the all-around at the NCAA Regional with a 39.525 and tied for second on both bars and beam.
Graduate student Kayla Pardue is back for a fifth season to anchor the vault lineup. SUU's top vaulter by NQS in 2026, Pardue owns a career-high 9.950 on the event. Seniors Mackenzie Kelly and Elliot Harper, who competed as Elliot Bringhurst in 2026, each vaulted a 9.800 at the regional, and junior Sage Paladino added a 9.750.
The floor lineup returns intact. Sophomore Berlin Hall, the 2026 MPSF Freshman of the Year, collected six weekly conference honors as a rookie and scored a 9.850 at the regional. Senior Carilia Martinez anchored that rotation with a 9.900, with Paladino (9.800), junior Mia Hampton (9.775) and senior Rylee Miller (9.725) also back.
Hampton and Miller also return as regulars on bars and beam. Junior Emma Nipper scored a 9.825 on beam at the regional, where SUU posted the top beam total of the session at 49.125. Senior Kendall McGuire stuck her dismount to anchor bars with a 9.800, and senior Alex Routsis returns to lead off that lineup.
The Flippin' Birds also welcome freshman Sienna Fretwell, the program's first four-star recruit since Randolph, who brings lineup potential on all four events.
The success carries into the classroom. Twenty-two Flippin' Birds earned WCGA Scholastic All-America honors for 2025-26, and SUU ranked eighth nationally in team GPA.
Here's a look at the 2027 season schedule:
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