UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY -- Led by sophomore Kelly Parkinson, the BYU women's gymnastics team finished second in the team competition of the Rocky Mountain Open held Saturday at the Air Force Academy.
Parkinson scored a 39.175 in the all-around competition, finishing just .025 points behind winner Jennifer Ebdon from the University of Denver. The University of Denver won the team competition with a score of 194.300. BYU came in second with a score of 193.475 and Air Force and CS-Sacramento finished with scores of 189.800 and 188.725, respectively.
Finishing behind Ebdon and Parkinson in the all-around were Jennifer White (38.925) and Melanie Schiff (38.625) both from the University of Denver.
Besides her impressive showing in the all-around, Parkinson also won the floor exercise with a 9.800. She was in the top five in every event except the balance beam.
Junior Kim Little and senior Denice Pauga also finished sixth and seventh in the all-around with scores of 38.425 and 38.250, respectively. Pauga also tied for the win on the uneven bars with a score of 9.925.
The Cougars will next compete at Iowa State on Friday.
Men's Gymnastics
The BYU men's gymnastics team will begin its season Friday with the the Rocky Mountain Open at the Air Force Academy Friday and Saturday.
The meet starts Friday with the all-around competition as well as the preliminary competition on each event. Saturday will be the event finals.
The Cougars will compete against Air Force, Arizona St., Oklahoma and Nebraska.
BYU returns two national champions to its lineup, led by Guard Young.
Young, who won the NCAA vault title last season, is a candidate for the Nissen Award. The Nissen Award is given annually to the outstanding collegiate gymnast in the country.
Cortney Bramwell also returns as the defending NCAA still rings champion. Bramwell scored a perfect 10.0 on the rings last season in a meet with California.
Women's Gymnastics
The BYU women's gymnastics team will compete in the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs, Colo., Saturday.
The Rocky Mountain Open will showcase teams from California, Utah and Colorado. The women's competition will start after the men's competition is completed.
The Cougars are coming off a loss last week to Oregon State in a dual meet held at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
Despite the team loss, Cougar senior Denice Pauga won the all-around title with a score of 38.900. Junior Kim Little finished third in the all-around with a score of 38.225.
The Cougars' next home meet will be Feb. 24 when they host Utah State in the Smith Fieldhouse at 7 p.m.
