SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The Flippin' Birds took on the Red Rocks in a Beehive State Battle on Friday. Southern Utah competed to the end, falling 195.825-197.425. The Flippin' Birds will return to Cedar City for their next three meets at a critical point in the season as they prepare to host the MPSF conference Championship on March 21.
Despite a rough start from the bars rotation, the Flippin' Birds battled back to a decent road score in Salt Lake. Junior Niya Randolph picked up a second-place finish in the All-Around with a 39.150. Freshman Berlin Hall picked up a tie for second place on the floor. Sophomore Emma Nipper and junior Elliot Bringhurts tied for second place on the beam, each earning a 9.900. In all, the Flippin' Birds tallied three routines that went 9.900 or better in the meet.
Head Coach Scotty Bauman Said
"Bars weren't the start we wanted, but we didn't let that define the meet. We settled in, trusted our gymnastics, and put together three straight strong rotations. To go 49-plus on vault, floor, and beam in this environment says a lot about the grit and growth of this team. Niya had a tremendous all-around performance, and we had a few gymnasts pushing their career highs. Now it's about taking this momentum back home. We've got three big meets in Cedar City, and we're preparing to host the conference championship. This is exactly when you want to be building confidence and consistency."
Meet Recap
Bars (48.375)
Southern Utah opened the meet on uneven bars and battled following a pair of falls. Junior Alex Routsis set the tone with a 9.775 to start the rotation. Sophomore Mia Hampton and Freshman Ariel Collum each battled through falls to score a 9.125. Niya Randolph began her all-around night with a big-time 9.850. Rylee Miller followed that up with a solid 9.775. Kendal McGuire wrapped up the event for the T-Birds with a score of 9.850.
Vault (49.025)
The Thunderbirds moved to the vault, delivering a series of high-flying performances for a 49.025. Mackenzie Kelly led off with a clean vault and controlled landing for a 9.800. Elliot Bringhurst added a good vault to match the score from Kelly with a 9.800. Kayla Pardue added on with a 9.825 of her own. Randolph continued her strong night with another 9.800 for the lineup. Freshman Vinciane Le Pen capped off the meet with a solid 9.800. SUU moved to the third rotation with a 97.400 total.
Floor (49.325)
Southern Utah headed to the floor exercise, a consistent strength all season, and delivered a great team score. Hampton opened with dynamic performance quality and clean tumbling for a 9.825. Miller followed with a beautiful routine, scoring a career high 9.875. Alyssa Fernandez added to the lineup with a high-energy routine that also scored well, earning a 9.850. Carilia Martinez brought her big personality to earn a solid 9.700. Hall kept the momentum building with an extremely powerful routine, setting a new season best with a 9.925. Randolph anchored in commanding fashion, posting a 9.850 to cap the rotation. The Thunderbirds carried a 146.725 total into the final event.
Beam (49.100)
Southern Utah closed the meet on balance beam, scoring a second consecutive 49-plus rotation in the event. Randolph led off with a 9.650. Hampton followed with a beautiful 9.825 routine. Sophomore Emma Nipper was next, adding a new career best 9.900. Miller continued the rotation with a solid set that scored a 9.825. Bringhurst added a 9.900 to set a new season high. The solid beam score brought the Flippin' Birds' score to 195.825 for the meet.
Next Up
The Flippin' Birds will be back in the America First Event Center next Friday, February 27. Southern Utah will take on MPSF foe UC Davis in a meet that begins at 6:30 p.m. MT. The meet will be streamed on overnght.com, and live stats are available on virti.us.
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