Cougars score 194.075 to end season at NCAA Regionals

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – In its last meet of the 2016 season, BYU gymnastics scored a 194.075 to finish sixth at the NCAA Regionals at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Saturday night.

“We only had 19 hits and five sticks,” head coach Guard Young said. “That’s not good enough if you are going to compete with some of the best teams in the country. I’m looking forward to a good summer with the team.”

Among the highlights for BYU on the night was Makenzie Johnson Halliday placing fourth in the all-around while Mackenzie Douglas and Halliday finished third overall on floor and Brittni Wilde also placed tied for third on bars.

Florida (196.725) and Minnesota (196.175) earned the two best team scores and will both advance to the national championship semifinals in Fort Worth, Texas. Missouri (195.850) finished in third, followed by Denver (195.700) and Ohio State University (194.775).

The Cougars began their first rotation on vault and totaled a 48.825. Douglas and Halliday led with team-high scores of 9.800. Mikaela Jones and Sin To followed with matching scores of 9.750 while Cheyenne Hill scored a 9.725.

After a bye in the second rotation, sophomore Brittni Wilde led the way on bars scoring a 9.850. Douglas and Halliday followed with scores of 9.750, while Vidmar notched a 9.675 to help the Cougars score a 48.525 to end the rotation.

On beam, costly falls led to a 47.650 finish. Sin To notched the top score with a 9.750 while Halliday and Vidmar added scores of 9.700 and 9.625, respectively.

“We need to get better at cold sets on beam," Young said. "Training beam and competing beam are two different events.”

With a bye in the fifth rotation, the Cougars took on floor in their final event and finished with a 49.075, their highest score of the night. Halliday and Douglas each scored a 9.850 to lead the Cougars. Vidmar and Hill followed with scores of 9.800, a personal best for Hill, while To added a 9.775 to end the night.

Halliday placed fourth in the all-around with a score of 39.100 and tied with Douglas on floor for third place with scores of 9.850. Wilde also placed third on bars in a four-way tie with a score of 9.850

This meet marks coach Young’s first NCAA Regional appearance as a head coach and the 25th time the Cougars have made it to regionals in the past 29 years.

BYU returns several gymnasts next year and looks to use its 2016 campaign to build for the future.​