BYU gymnastics hosted Arizona in Provo Friday night for the Cougars’ Big 12 home opener and secured the win 196.300 to 195.250 behind a new season- high from BYU’s Alilah Alvarado.
The Cougars sailed past the Wildcats by winning in every event, moving the crew in Provo to 4-3 on the season and 1-1 in the Big 12. The Junior gymnast Alilah Alvarado led the Cougars while scoring a new season-high on the bars event at 9.875.
“Honestly it feels so good, we put so much work into our training and just working on all the small things,” Alvarado said after being told about her new personal record for 2026.
Alvarado’s teammate, Kylie Eaquinto, also scored a 9.875 on the bars event to continue putting pressure on the Wildcats.
“They just want me to do my best and they’re so good at knowing what works for me … and knowing what you have to hear in order to do well," Alvarado said. "I think that’s so important because it shows your teammates are more than just your teammates. They’re there for you and they will always have your back no matter what.”
Alvarado also competed in the beam event and scored a 9.750, the seventh highest overall between the two teams.
“I think I’m just going to trust my training more and do all the small things I know I have to do in order to get the smaller tenths off,” Alvarado about how she’ll keep moving forward with high scoring for the rest of the season.
BYU gymnastics will head to Cedar City to take on the Thunderbirds on Feb. 6 and then will travel to Salt Lake City to compete with the Utah Utes again on Feb. 13.
The next home meet is Fri., Feb. 20 as the Cougars host Denver in the Marriott Center at 7 p.m.