CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Flippin' Birds have one more regular-season meet at the America First Event Center on Friday, March 6, at 6:30 p.m. Southern Utah will take on the University of Washington in a dual meet. The meet will be available for streaming on overnght.com, and live stats can be found on virti.us. Following the fourth rotation and before the final scores are announced, the Flippin' Birds will pause to honor their senior class in a special Senior Night recognition, thanking them for their dedication, leadership, and lasting impact on the program.
Southern Utah enters the meet after squaring off with Utah State on Monday, falling 196.875-195.725. Junior Rylee Miller tied for first on bars with a career-high 9.875 and also placed second on beam with a personal-best 9.900. Sophomore Emma Nipper earned a first-place finish and a career-high 9.925 on beam, while freshman Berlin Hall captured first on floor with a 9.900. Mia Hampton and Carilia Martinez added a tie for second on floor, each scoring 9.875.
Coach Scotty Bauman Said
"Friday night is a great opportunity for us to compete in front of our home crowd again and build momentum heading into the last stretch of the season. We had a few really strong individual performances on Monday, but now it's about putting four complete rotations together. Washington is a talented team, especially on beam and floor, so we'll need to be sharp and confident in the back half of the meet. Our goal is to compete with high energy and show our crowd what we're capable of."
The CompetitionÂ
Washington
The Washington Huskies are currently ranked No. 36 nationally, led by a No. 30 ranking on floor and No. 33 on beam, while vault and bars both sit at No. 39. Washington most recently competed at the Big Four Quad Meet, finishing fourth with a 194.425 against a strong field that included Penn State, Michigan, and Nebraska. The meet followed a tight loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in which the Huskies posted a 196.300, their second-highest team score of the season. Beam and floor continue to pace the GymDawgs nationally, and the lineup has shown the ability to produce big scores, highlighted recently by standout individual performances and season-best marks. As the postseason approaches, Washington will look to regain the potential that led to earlier 196-level performances while leaning on its strengths on beam and floor.
Southern Utah Notes
Week 8 National, Regional, and Conference Rankings:
- No. 26 National Ranking
- Vault: Ranked 33rd nationally (48.907 Ave).
- Floor: Ranked 23rd nationally (49.154 Ave).
- Bars: Ranked 27th nationally (48.943 Ave).
- Beam: Ranked 25th nationally (48.946 Ave).
- SUU continues to lead the MPSF on vault, bars, beam, and floor so far this season.
MPSF Awards:
- Southern Utah swept the MPSF Weekly awards in five out of eight weeks so far.Â
- The Flippin' Birds have tallied 18 Conference Weekly awards so far: Randolph (5), Hall (5), Hampton (3), Pardue (2), Bringhurst (1), Collum (1), and Routsis (1).Â
- In 2025, Southern Utah became the first program in MPSF history to sweep all five major end-of-year awards.
- 2025 MPSF Gymnast of the Year: Niya Randolph (Sophomore) — Second consecutive year receiving the award.
- 2025 MPSF Freshman of the Year: Mia Hampton (Freshman) — Earned eight Freshman of the Week awards.
- 2025 MPSF Head Coach of the Year: Scotty Bauman — Guided SUU to a No. 21 national ranking and conference-best NQS of 196.315.
- 2025 MPSF Assistant Coaches of the Year: Jamie Wysong and Jeff Richards — Recognized for leading top-ranked vault, floor, and bars squads.
- The Flippin' Birds have won three consecutive Conference Championships in two separate conferences. Winning the Final MRGC Championship before transitioning to the MPSF and securing their first two titles in their new conference.
Top Performances of 2026 so far:
- The team's high score this season is 196.925.
- Niya Randolph: Scored a 2026 season-high 39.500 in the all-around and a season-best 9.925 on floor in the road meet against Oregon State.
- Kayla Pardue holds the team's top vault score with a 9.925.
- Mia Hampton, Ariel Collum, and Niya Randolph are tied with the team's top mark on the bars with a 9.900.
- Freshman Berlin Hall and Randolph are tied for the top score on floor with a 9.925.
- Hampton is also tied with Emma Nipper for the team's top beam mark this season with 9.925.
- The Flippin' Birds recorded a season-high and top-five program score of 49.450 on the floor at Oregon State, and four gymnasts scored over a 9.900 at the meet.
MPSF Championship Tickets On Sale Now
Don't miss a moment as the Flippin' Birds pursue a fourth straight conference title! Help us pack the America First Event Center by buying your tickets today! Visit tbirdtickets.com to reserve your seats!Â
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