Despite season-best performance, Cougars fall to Aggies at home

PROVO, Utah – While earning the highest team score of the 2017 season, BYU gymnastics fell to Utah State by a score of 195.300 to 195.200 on Friday night at the Smith Fieldhouse.

“We really held our own tonight; our performances were great and we’ll take the score and we’ll move forward,” BYU head coach Guard Young said. “I love that we were able to bring in a lot of different players, give them experience and let them compete.”

The Cougars recorded season-high scores in three of the four rotations, scoring a 48.725 on vault, 48.825 on beam and 48.800 on floor.

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.

Cougar freshman Shannon Hortman was named the all-around winner with a 38.425 performance.

BYU began with an impressive start in the first rotation as three Cougars recorded career-best performances on vault. Sophomore Cheyenne Hill scored highest with a 9.825 and freshman Angel Zhong followed with a 9.800 showing. Freshman Lauren Love also scored a career-best with a 9.750. The Aggies responded with a strong performance on the bars to take a 48.950 to 48.750 lead at the conclusion of the first rotation.

Next, the Cougars moved to uneven bars. Hortman and junior Jill van Mierlo both scored a 9.825, a season-high for van Mierlo and a repeat of Hortman’s career-best. Sophomore Natasha Trejo also tied her career-best with a 9.800 score. Meanwhile on vault, Utah State scored a 48.725 to hold on to a narrow 97.675 to 97.575 advantage.

The third rotation featured BYU on beam with the Aggies on the floor. Three Cougars recorded career-best performances to help BYU to a 48.575 score. Freshman Hannah Miller scored highest with a 9.775 followed by sophomore Savanna Maradiga’s 9.750 scoring and Pearson’s debut performance of 9.725. Going into the fourth rotation, Utah State held a 146.475 to 146.150 lead after scoring a 48.800.

BYU’s fourth and final rotation came on the floor with the Cougars earning a score of 49.050. Pearson set her second career-high score of the night with a 9.850 while both van Mierlo and Hortman earned scores of 9.825, also a career high for Hortman. Freshman Erin Hilton added her own career-high score with a 9.775 routine. The Aggies scored a 48.825 on beam to edge out the Cougars setting the final tally at 195.300 to 195.200

BYU will travel next to Boise to compete in the Gem State Invitational hosted by Boise State on Friday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. MST at Century Link Arena.