Photo by Clint Allen
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State’s gymnastics team made sure the largest home crowd in a decade did not leave the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum disappointed – despite falling short in its dual meet against BYU on Friday.
The Aggies notched two individual event titles and the all-around crown, but the Cougars led wire-to-wire in a 196.650-195.900 victory over Utah State in front of 2,817 fans on Spectrum Magic night.
“The atmosphere was absolutely incredible tonight,” said first-year Utah State head coach Kristin White. “To have all these fans come out and support us was amazing. I got to go to the men’s basketball game last week when our team was passing out T-shirts and I could feel (the energy). Since then, I have been so excited to get in this arena and compete in front of our fans.”
It was the largest home crowd for a gymnastics meet since Jan. 24, 2014, when 3,286 fans witnessed the Aggies defeat these same Cougars 193.200-192.900.
“The atmosphere was great,” said sophomore Dani Kirstine, who tied for second on bars and placed fourth on beam with identical career-high scores of 9.875. “We had a lot of people here, the crowd was great and the team had tons of energy. Let’s get them all back here next time.”
Sofi Sullivan tied for first on beam with a season-high 9.925, which is tied for ninth all-time in school history. The senior from Manhattan Beach, California, now has 11 career titles, including six on beam, which is tied for 11th all-time in school history on the event.
Fellow senior Ariel Toomey notched her first-career title by tying for first on floor with a personal-best 9.875. Junior Brianna Brooks won the all-round with a 38.350.
Even though they did not get the win, the Aggies (1-4, 1-3 Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference) bounced back from a disappointing outing at No. 21 Southern Utah a week ago. In that dual meet, Utah State notched just a 193.425 – its lowest team score since recording a 192.975 in the 2018 season opener at Ball State.
“I am so proud of our student-athletes,” White said. “We had a rough week last weekend, but they responded really well. I’m excited for the rest of the season looking forward.”
Utah State began the meet on vault, where sophomore Amari Evans led the way with a career-best 9.750 to tie for fourth on the event. Senior Alivia Ostendorf, junior Angel Stuart and sophomore Payton Gatzlaff all scored a 9.725 to tie for sixth.
The Aggies finished with a season-high-tying 48.625 on vault, while the Cougars opened with a 49.150 on bars.
In the second rotation, Kirstine was one of five different Utah State gymnasts to score a 9.800 or higher on bars. Brooks tied Kirstine for second with a 9.875, while fifth-year senior Grace Rojas placed fourth with a 9.850. Senior Jessica Gutierrez and freshman Avery Bibbey each had a 9.800 to tie for eighth.
Utah State finished with a season-high 49.200 on bars, but trailed BYU at the midway point of the meet, 98.075-97.825.
Sullivan and Kirstine led the way for the Aggies on beam in the third rotation with their respective scores of 9.925 and 9.875. Senior Lexi Aragon matched her career high on the event with a 9.800 to tie for eighth and help Utah State finish with a team score of 49.000.
“It feels great,” Kirstine said of her performance. “I had surgery this summer and it was really hard to come back, but I put the days in the gym and now we’re here, so it feels great to be back. My biggest mentality is just to be better than I was yesterday, and we are very big on being 1 percent better. As a team, I felt like we did that tonight.”
In the final rotation, four Aggies either set or tied their career-best score. Toomey paced Utah State on floor with her 9.875, but Ostendorf had a career-high-tying 9.850 to tie for fourth, freshman Marley Peterson tied for seventh with a career-high-tying 9.800 and Gatzlaff placed 11th with a personal-best 9.750.
Utah State closed the meet with a 49.075 on floor.
NEXT MEET
The Aggies head back out on the road for the third time this season when they head to the Gem State to take on Boise State on Friday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m., at ExtraMile Arena in Boise, Idaho.
NEXT HOME MEET
Utah State opens a two-meet homestand on Friday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. when it welcomes Boise State to the Spectrum. Tickets can be purchased here.
BYU at Utah State | Logan, Utah | Dee Glen Smith Spectrum | January 27, 2023
Team Results: 1. BYU – (vault: 48.925, bars: 49.150, beam: 49.350, floor: 49.225); 2. Utah State – (vault: 48.625, bars: 49.200, beam: 49.00, floor: 49.075).
Vault: T1. Allix Mason – BYU, 9.850; T1. Kylie Eaquinto – BYU, 9.850; 3. Sydney Benson – BYU, 9.775; T4. Amari Evans – USU, 9.750; T4. Sophie Dudley – BYU, 9.750; T6. Angel Stuart – USU, 9.725; T6. Payton Gatzlaff – USU, 9.725; T6. Alivia Ostendorf – USU, 9.725; T9. Brianna Brooks – USU, 9.700; T9. Jenna Eagles – USU, 9.700; T9. Rebekah Bean Ripley– BYU, 9.700; 12. Madison Raesly-Patton – BYU, 9.625;.
Bars: 1. Lindsey Hunter – BYU, 9.900; T2. Brianna Brooks – USU, 9.875; T2. Dani Kristine – USU, 9.875; 4. Grace Rojas – USU, 9.850; T5. Anna Bramblett – BYU, 9.825; T5. Kylie Eaquinto – BYU, 9.825; T5. Anyssa Alvarado – BYU, 9.825; T8. Jessica Gutierrez – USU, 9.800; T8. Avery Bibbey – USU, 9.800; 10. Allix Mason – BYU, 9.775; 11. Sydney Benson – BYU, 9.750; 12. Lexi Aragon – USU, 9.700.
Beam: T1. Sofi Sullivan – USU, 9.925; T1. Elease Rollins – BYU, 9.925; 3. Lauren Ono – BYU, 9.900; 4. Dani Kirstine – USU, 9.875; T5. Madison Raesly-Patton – BYU, 9.850; T5. Mina Margraf – BYU, 9.850; 7. Sophie Dudley – BYU, 9.825; 8. Lexi Aragon – USU, 9.800; 9. Allix Mason – BYU, 9.775; 10. Brianna Brooks – USU, 9.750; 11. Grace Rojas – USU, 9.650; 12. Jenna Eagles – USU, 9.625.
Floor: T1. Ariel Toomey – USU, 9.875; T1. Sophie Dudley – BYU, 9.875; T1. Rebekah Bean Ripley – BYU, 9.875; T4. Alivia Ostendorf – USU, 9.850; T4. Sydney Benson – BYU, 9.850; 6. Eliza Millar – BYU,9.825; T7. Marley Peterson – USU, 9.800; T7. Amari Evans – USU, 9.800; T7. Heidi Schooley – BYU, 9.800; T7. Elease Rollins – BYU, 9.800; 11. Payton Gatzlaff – USU, 9.750; 12. Brianna Brooks – USU, 9.025.
All-Around: 1. Brianna Brooks – USU, 38.350.
