Season-high performance yields second place at Texas triangular

DENTON, Texas — A season-high overall score of 195.450 gave BYU gymnastics a second-place finish against Texas Woman's University and Centenary College on Saturday at the Kitty Magee Arena.

“I’m very pleased with the girls’ performances on three events,” BYU head coach Guard Young said. “We continued to struggle on balance beam. Until we fix the training, we’re going to continue to see those issues in competition.”

TWU took home first with a final score of 195.625, followed by BYU’s 195.450 and Centenary’s 191.300 in third.

In addition to setting a season-high overall score, the Cougars also tied or set new season highs on vault (48.875), bars (49.225) and floor (49.150). Several gymnasts posted career- and season-high scores, including team captain Brittni Hawes’ 9.950 on uneven bars and Mackenzie Douglas’ tied career high of 9.900 on floor.

“Brittni went last on bars and one judge gave her a 10.0, which has been deserved for a long time,” Young said. “Mackenzie ended up going last on floor and got a 9.900. That’s a score she has deserved all season long.”

BYU started the night off on bars, tying its season-high score of 49.225. Hawes led the team with a career-high 9.950. Douglas and Shannon Hortman both tied season highs on the event, earning 9.875 and 9.850, respectively. The Cougars ended the rotation in first, followed by Texas Woman’s in second (48.800) and Centenary in third (48.425). 

In the second rotation, BYU moved to beam and earned a 48.200. Savanna Maradiaga and Briana Pearson both set new career highs of 9.775 while Hannah Miller added a 9.725. The Pioneers moved to first at the end of the rotation with a 97.600, followed by the Cougars’ 97.425 and Centenary’s 96.325.

A strong performance in the third rotation gave BYU back the lead with a season-high score of 49.150. Douglas tied her career-high 9.900 on floor while Hortman earned a career-high 9.850. Three Cougars posted a 9.800 on floor, including Pearson, Cheyenne Hill and Jill van Mierlo. BYU’s overall of score 146.575 held a narrow 0.175 lead over TWU’s 146.400, followed by the Ladies from Louisiana at 143.225 in third.

The Cougars’ fourth and final rotation came on vault as BYU earned a season-high 48.875. Douglas tied a season-high 9.825, while Hill recorded a 9.800 and van Mierlo a 9.775. TWU scored a 49.225 on floor to edge out the Cougars by 0.175, 195.625 to 195.450, followed by Centenary’s 191.300.

BYU concludes the final of four-straight away meets with a stop in Cedar City, to compete against Southern Utah on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. MST.