LOGAN — Utah State gymnastics is headed back to the NCAA postseason with momentum, confidence and a belief it can compete with some of the nation’s top programs.
The Aggies were selected Monday to compete in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, where they will face No. 7 Stanford, No. 10 Michigan and No. 22 North Carolina on Thursday, April 2, at noon Mountain Time.
The regional, hosted by LSU at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, will run April 1-4, with the top two teams from each session advancing to the regional final and ultimately competing for a spot at nationals in Fort Worth, Texas.
For Utah State, the appearance marks its 29th trip to NCAA regionals and comes on the heels of one of the most successful seasons in program history.
The Aggies, ranked No. 26 nationally with a National Qualifying Score of 195.905, recently captured their second straight Mountain West Conference championship and also claimed the regular-season title — giving the program nine conference championships overall.
After the team learned their fate while watching the bracket reveal show on ESPN Monday morning, head coach Kristin White said the postseason berth reflects both the team’s performance and the culture built throughout the year.
“Winning back-to-back conference championships is a huge accomplishment for them,” White said. “Being in an automatic bye and going to round two is just another great accomplishment and a testament to all the hard work that our women had put in this year.”
White said competing in Baton Rouge presents a unique opportunity for the Aggies to test themselves in a high-level environment.
“There’s a lot of historic programs that get tremendous fan support,” she said. “Being able to go compete in that environment will be a great opportunity for our women.”
Utah State enters the regional riding a wave of consistency, including a school-record stretch of six consecutive meets scoring 196.000 or better. The Aggies have reached that mark seven times this season and hold a 19-5 record — their most wins since 1986.
White credited the team’s connection and trust as a key difference this season.
“They’re just really connected this year,” she said. “They had trust, joy. They were together in every moment of the year, and I think that’s what’s given us a lot of our success.”
Junior Isabella Vater, one of six Aggies named first-team All-Mountain West, echoed that sentiment, pointing to confidence and chemistry as driving factors.
“I really can feel that this team knows that they’re good,” Vater said. “I feel like everyone trusts each other too, which has been definitely a huge help with each meet that we’ve gone into.”
Vater, who ranks among the conference leaders on floor exercise, said recent high scores have reinforced the team’s belief heading into the postseason.
“Those are scores that we know we can achieve,” she said. “Getting them makes you feel good and then it makes you feel confident going into the next meet.”
Despite facing nationally ranked opponents, both White and Vater emphasized that Utah State is focused on its own performance.
White said the team’s preparation will remain unchanged.
“Our teams are fully prepared, they’re ready, they’re hungry,” she said. “The details are going to be what matters from us going from round two to round three.”
Vater added that the Aggies believe they can advance if they perform at their best.
“If we really do put our best meet together, I think that we can advance,” she said. “I believe this team knows that they can do that too.”
