BYU gymnastics comes up short in Big 12 home-opener against No. 5 Utah

The BYU gymnastics team performed well against its rival, and No. 5 ranked, Utah Friday night at the Marriott Center, scoring an overall 195.325 in its Big 12 home opener.

While the Cougars kept it close in all the events, Utah won the meet with a score of 196.975.

BYU and Utah also competed against one another Monday at the Best of Utah meet Monday evening at the Maverick Center, where Utah took the first place trophy for an impressive sixth year in a row.

BYU took fourth place overall with a season-high score of 195.750.

All eyes were on BYU’s Brynlee Andersen Friday night as she competed for the first time since her title of Big 12 Event Specialist.

Andersen dazzled the stands with her grace on the beam and won the crowd when she stuck her dismount. She scored a strong 9.900 on beam.

Andersen left the competition with a second overall title on beam and a tie for third overall on floor.

Utah’s team looked solid as ever with solid performances from each competitor.

Best of Utah’s All-Around title winner Makenna Smith scored a 9.900 on vault and a 9.875 on beam, grabbing the audiences attention with her impressive performances. Smith took the overall best score on vault of the night.

BYU’s Marriott Center was a buzzing sea of red and blue, crowded with fans eager to watch these athletes go head-to-head.

The space felt electric as teammates cheered on fellow athletes while they competed in each category, creating a memorable feeling of energy and support.

The Cougar gymnasts compete again next Friday at the BYU Tri Meet on Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. against Southern Utah and University of California, Davis.