Cougars lose to No. 21 SUU in home meet
BYU gymnastics (196.150) lose to No. 21 Southern Utah (197.125) Friday evening at the Marriott Center.
“There’s fight in this team,” said head coach Guard Young. “We can’t have those mistakes and that’s what the next couple of meets is going to be about. We’re going to go back to the gym and eliminate distractions and we’re going to go out to the next meet and go in ahead.”
To start the night off, sophomore from Plano, Texas Sophie Dudley started the first rotation on vault with a score of 9.850. Following on the apparatus was Madison Raesly-Patton with a 9.825. Sydney Benson had the highest score at the meet with a 9.900. Kylie Eaquinto, the freshman, closed out the first rotation with a 9.850, with a team score of 49.175.
Going into the second rotation, SUU had the lead over the Cougars with a 49.250.
The next apparatus was the uneven bars, where the Cougars were flying. The freshman Jayda Lealaogata, from Chino Valley, Arizona started off strong with a 9.725. Following Lealaogata was Sydney Benson who also earned the same score. Anna Bramblett had a beautiful bars routine and scored a career high of 9.950, earning her first overall at the meet. Captain Anyssa Alvarado closed off the uneven bars with a rounded score of 9.900. The Cougars had their highest team bar score of the season with a 49.225.
Despite the BYU gymnasts flawless run on the uneven bars, the Cougars were trailing 98.400 to the Flipping T-Birds 98.475.
The third rotation was beam, where BYU had two falls. It’s no secret that the Cougars have struggled with this apparatus in past meets. However, the “beam queen” Elease Rollins ended the third rotation strong with a season-high 9.950. Madison Raesly-Patton scored a 9.850, and Mina Margraf rounded a 9.800 on the apparatus.
“It’s kind of hard because there’s more pressure on the back of the lineup, but I just remember I can’t control the situation except for myself,” Rollins said after her performance on beam.
The Cougars’ final rotation was floor, where they posted their highest floor score of the year with a 49.350.
Eliza Millar rounded her score on the apparatus with a 9.800. Sophie Dudley and Heidi Schooley (career high) both scored a 9.875. Senior Rebekah Ripley from St. George, Utah closed the night with her viral barbie routine, earning a 9.900.
“All of us need to be consistent, have fun, don’t stress or worry about the future or outcome. That can hold us back in so many ways,” Dudley said about what can help them in their next meet.
It was not the night BYU gymnastics was hoping for, but the Cougars look ahead and prepare for Boise State on Friday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m atExtraMile Arena.
