Johnson shines as Cougars take second to Thunderbirds

PROVO, Utah— Makenzie Johnson won the all-around and recorded the high score in two of the four events as No. 28 BYU gymnastics team took second to No. 29 Southern Utah Friday night.

"I thought there were areas where we could have been better, but I was happy with the overall result," head coach Brad Cattermole said. "At least its a score that we could count. The win would be nice to have, but in the end it's really about getting high scores to get to the postseason."

Highlights and Interviews

The Thunderbirds won the balance beam and the uneven bars as they outscored the Cougars 195.500-195.375 overall.

BYU posted the high score in three of the four events. KayCee Gassaway matched a career high with a 9.875 on the uneven bars for the high score. SUU’s Jamie Armijo scored a 9.850 for second place in the event.

The Cougars took the top two spots in the vault, with Johnson recording a 9.80 and Gassaway putting up a 9.775. BYU’s Jordan Schult and three SUU gymnasts tied for third with a score of 9.75.

Johnson also put up the top score in the floor exercise with a 9.875. Megan Bain Tidwell tied with two Thunderbirds for second in the event with a score of 9.825.

Johnson posted an overall score of 39.150 to win the all-around, followed closely by teammate Raquel Willman Hatch, who finished second with a score of 38.925. Southern Utah’s Memory Shettles took third, finishing with a score of 38.525.

The Cougars and Thunderbirds will face off again next Monday Feb. 24 in Cedar City, Utah as the teams finish a home-and-home series.