DENTON -- The No. 25 BYU gymnastics team shook off a slow start on bars to record season-best scores on vault, beam and floor in route to a 194.550 performance Saturday night in Texas.
The Cougars won the triangular meet, while host Texas Woman's finished second with a season-high 191.525. Ball State rounded off the three teams at 188.875.
"We are happy with how we did," BYU assistant coach Dawn Cattermole said. "We started off slow on bars and then came back with a lot of confidence and did really well on the other three events."
Things looked rocky for BYU in the early going as it counted a fall on bars. The Cougars did take home the top two spots on the event behind Senior Kacie Capra-Callens' 9.700 and Lisa Willis' 9.675.
The young BYU team bounced right back from its struggles on bars with a strong 48.825 score on beam in the second rotation. Smart showed why she is among the best beam workers in the country with a first-place 9.850 to lead the way for the Cougars. A close pack of BYU gymnasts were close behind. Alethea Boon recorded a 9.775, while freshman Jenna Kerbis and Willis each notched identical 9.750s.
Capra-Callens tumbled her way to a career-best 9.900 mark on floor to lead the Cougars in their third rotation. The Kingwood, Texas, native helped BYU to a strong 48.875, their highest score of the season on the event. Smart and Boon each chipped in solid 9.800 scores, while freshman Heidi Poulson tied a career-high 9.725 for the Cougars.
Boon sparked BYU to its highest score of the season on vault to end the evening. The Auckland, New Zealand, native nailed a career-high 9.950, just a hair off of a perfect score. Smart was right behind with a career-best 9.900. Cougar freshmen Kiki Berrett and Kerbis also contributed good marks at 9.700 and 9.725, respectively.
BYU's Smart picked up her third all-around victory of the season with a 39.150 performance. Ball State's Kelly Watson came in second place at 38.450.
The Cougars will be on the road yet again next weekend when they travel to Cape Girardeau, Mo. for a showdown with Southeast Missouri State on Saturday Feb. 17.
VaultPlace Ave Score AA Total Name Num Level Age Team
1 9.950 29.525 Alethea Boon 202 BYU
2 9.900 39.150 Dayna Smart 216 BYU
3 9.750 19.500 Jenna Kerbis 211 BYU
4 9.700 19.325 Kiki Berrett 201 BYU
5 9.675 19.175 Jenna Tarkington 108 Ball St.
6 9.650 28.375 Brittany Parker 309 TWU PIONEERS
6 9.650 28.075 TIE - Nicole Poling 311 TWU PIONEERS
8 9.600 37.925 Kelly Watson 114 Ball St.
8 9.600 9.600 TIE - Megan Donehue 204 BYU
8 9.600 9.600 Brittany Fischer 206 BYU
Uneven Parallel Bars
Place Ave Score AA Total Name Num Level Age Team
1 9.700 29.300 Kacie Capra-Callens 203 BYU
2 9.675 29.075 Lisa Willis 217 BYU
3 9.625 9.625 Bibiana Rodr.-Lockwood 113 Ball St.
4 9.600 39.150 Dayna Smart 216 BYU
4 9.600 19.225 TIE - Brista Michael 307 TWU PIONEERS
4 9.600 9.600 TIE - Aimee Walker-Pond 213 BYU
7 9.550 18.950 Cobie Zuk 110 Ball St.
8 9.500 28.875 Courtney Arno 301 TWU PIONEERS
9 9.475 28.200 Brittani Ricks 103 Ball St.
10 9.450 28.750 Rachel Zimmerman 314 TWU PIONEERS
Balance Beam
Place Ave Score AA Total Name Num Level Age Team
1 9.850 39.150 Dayna Smart 216 BYU
2 9.775 29.525 Alethea Boon 202 BYU
3 9.750 29.075 Lisa Willis 217 BYU
3 9.750 19.500 TIE - Jenna Kerbis 211 BYU
5 9.725 9.725 Leslie Pladson 315 TWU PIONEERS
5 9.725 9.725 Alex Tuthill 106 Ball St.
7 9.700 29.300 Kacie Capra-Callens 203 BYU
7 9.700 28.750 TIE - Rachel Zimmerman 314 TWU PIONEERS
9 9.675 28.875 Courtney Arno 301 TWU PIONEERS
10 9.650 37.925 Kelly Watson 114 Ball St.
Floor Exercise
Place Ave Score AA Total Name Num Level Age Team
1 9.900 29.300 Kacie Capra-Callens 203 BYU
2 9.800 39.150 Dayna Smart 216 BYU
2 9.800 29.525 TIE - Alethea Boon 202 BYU
4 9.725 37.925 Kelly Watson 114 Ball St.
4 9.725 9.725 TIE - Heidi Poulson 215 BYU
6 9.700 28.875 Courtney Arno 301 TWU PIONEERS
7 9.650 29.075 Lisa Willis 217 BYU
8 9.625 28.800 Amy Hulbert 305 TWU PIONEERS
8 9.625 19.325 TIE - Kiki Berrett 201 BYU
8 9.625 19.225 TIE - Brista Michael 307 TWU PIONEERS
All Around
Place AA Total Hi Sc Name Num Level Age Team V UB BB FX
1 39.150 9.900 Dayna Smart 216 BYU 9.900 9.600 9.850 9.800
2 37.925 9.725 Kelly Watson 114 Ball St. 9.600 8.950 9.650 9.725
PROVO -- Coming off its toughest meets of the season last weekend, the No. 25 BYU gymnastics team will be back in action in a triangular meet with Texas Woman's and Ball State Saturday night in Denton, Texas.
Saturday's meet will mark the midseason point for BYU. The Cougars have participated in six meets to this point and will compete in a total of thirteen meets on the year.
"The girls are coming along well," BYU coach Brad Cattermole said. "This is the time of the year when we need to turn things around and go perform better. We are looking forward to this meet."
Last weekend the Cougars competed twice in 24 hours. They faced No. 4 Utah, No. 16 Arkansas and Southern Utah in a quadrangular meet Friday night and then squared off with perennial-foe Boise State the next afternoon. Despite the short turnaround, several gymnasts recorded strong routines. Four freshmen tied or recorded career highs, including a career-best 9.775 from Jenna Kerbis on vault. Senior Kacie Capra-Callens tied season-high marks on beam with a 9.825 and on floor at 9.850. Alethea Boon notched a season-best mark on floor, and Dayna Smart recorded the second-best bars score of her career.
This weekend's meet with TWU will be the second of two meets between the two teams this season. In the first meet, both BYU and TWU counted some costly falls, but he Cougars prevailed 193.325-185.675.
The Pioneers come into Saturday's meet with a win in their last meet against Centenary and Illionois State. TWU's highest score of the season is a 191.275 against No. 9 Oklahoma. The Pioneers are led by Courtney Arno, Nicole Poling and Tonya Pipkorn.
This weekend will also mark the first time that BYU and Ball State have faced off in women's gymnastics. BSU is coming into its sixth meet of the season with a season-best score of 189.350 against No. 27 Kent State. The Cardinals' top performers are Megan Howard, Erica Gilkerson and Kelly Watson.
Start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. (MST) in the Kitty Magee Arena. Live stats will not be available.