Makenzie Johnson won the all-around and put on a show, recording the high scores in two events during No. 28 BYU’s loss to No. 29 Southern Utah.
Johnson, a sophomore from Allen, Texas, led the Cougars by individually winning vault with a score of 9.800, and floor exercises with a 9.875. Even with the team’s overall loss, head coach Brad Cattermole was pleased with the performance.
“I thought there were areas where we could have been better, but I was happy with the overall result,” Cattermole said. “At least it’s 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.”
The Thunderbirds beat the Cougars 195.500-195.375 overall, winning the balance beam and uneven bars as a team.
Between Johnson and Kaycee Gassaway, a junior from Vancouver, Wash., BYU occupied first place in three of the four events. Gassaway posted the high score in uneven bars, scoring 9.875, and matched her career high.
The Thunderbirds’ Memory Shettles, a freshman from Snellville, Ga., scored a 9.900 on the balance beam, taking first in the event.
Johnson scored 39.150 for the all-around win. Her teammate Raquel Willman Hatch, a senior from Phoenix, Ariz., took second place, scoring 38.925, and Shettles represented the Thunderbirds by finishing third with a score of 38.525.
The Cougars and Thunderbirds will play each other again next Monday, Feb. 24, in Cedar City.
