BOISE, Idaho — BYU gymnastics came up short against Boise State 196.400 to 193.525 at the Gem State Invitational Friday night. 

“The girls didn't deliver,” BYU head coach Guard Young said. “It wasn’t just one person—it was a group effort. If you had a good set and a good dismount, you were going to get a good score.” 

Jill van Mierlo earned a season-high 9.900 on beam while two freshmen added career highs on the same event. Hannah Miller posted a 9.800 and Briana Pearson scored a 9.750.

BYU began on the night on uneven bars, earning a 48.850. Team captain Brittni Hawes led the team with a 9.850 while Jessie Westergard scored a 9.775. Natasha Trejo and Mackenzie Douglas both posted a 9.750. Boise State ended the rotation on top with a score of 49.050.

In the second rotation, the Cougars moved to vault and recorded a 48.550. Douglas earned a team-high 9.825 and freshmen Shannon Hortman and Lauren Love added a 9.750 and 9.700, respectively. The Broncos maintained their lead, 98.525 to 97.375.

Three BYU gymnasts tied for the team’s highest floor score en route to a 47.600 on the event. Douglas, Pearson and Trejo earned a 9.750. Falls on floor proved costly for the Cougars as Boise State extended its lead, 147.700 to 144.975.

BYU ended the night on a higher note in the final rotation on beam with a 48.550. In addition to van Mierlo’s season high and Miller and Pearson’s career highs, Hortman also posted a 9.750 on beam. Boise State took home the victory with a final score of 196.400 to 193.525.

The Cougars continue their four-game road trip with a stop in Logan to compete against Utah State Friday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. MST. 

PROVO, Utah — BYU gymnastics travels to Boise, Idaho, Friday night to take on No. 14 Boise State in the Gem State Invitational at the CenturyLink Arena.

“Boise State is a very good team. They won the conference last year and have a lot of talent,” BYU head coach Guard Young said. “Last year, we started off pretty slow against them. We’re working hard to start a little bit faster and doing some things differently to help us get used to competing on bars first.”

The Cougars opened conference competition with their highest team score of the season (195.200) but fell to Utah’s State’s 195.300. Several BYU gymnasts recorded career-high performances, including freshman Briana Pearson, who set career highs on beam and floor with scores of 9.725 and 9.850, respectively. Freshman Shannon Hortman earned the all-around title with a 38.425 performance. 

Boise State (196.225) picked up a victory over Illinois-Chicago (193.250), but fell to No. 5 Utah (197.625) and No. 7 Denver (196.875) in Salt Lake City last week. Courtney McGregor earned the Broncos' highest score of the night with a 9.900 on bars.

The meet begins at 7:30 p.m. MST and live stats will be available online.