Van Mierlo wins all-around but BYU falls short at home

Van Mierlo wins all-around but BYU falls short at homeVan Mierlo wins all-around but BYU falls short at home

PROVO, Utah – Jill Van Mierlo tied for first place in the all-around tallying a score of 39.325 but BYU women’s gymnastics’ overall team score of 195.450 fell short against Boise State and Denver at the Smith Fieldhouse Saturday.

“It was a good meet for us,” BYU gymnastics head coach Brad Cattermole said. “I was happy with our beam performance. Taylor Harward came in on bars and on beam and hit both routines. She’s been fighting for a long time to get in the lineup and finally she got a shot at it and did well. We just need to do a better job of holding still on vault."

First-place Boise State finished with a 196.625 with Denver finishing in second with a 196.150. 

The Cougars began their first rotation on vault. Makenzie Johnson and Jill Van Mierlo led BYU with scores of 9.800. The Cougars completed the first rotation leading Denver but trailing Boise State with a team score of 48.800.

Jill Van Mierlo recorded a career-high on bars earning a 9.800 score during the second rotation. Johnson and Emily Vidmar followed up with a 9.750 each. 

The Cougars notched three career-highs on the beam led by Van Mierlo’s 9.925. Ashley Robinson’s 9.750 and Harward’s 9.725 were also career bests. Van Mierlo's 9.925 was good for second place overall.

In the final rotation on the floor, Kyleigh Greenlief led off with 9.725. Jordan Schult immediately followed tying a season-high score of 9.775. Johnson concluded the competition for the Cougars recording a team-high 9.900. Johnson's score placed her second overall in the floor event.

Van Mierlo (39.325) and Johnson's (39.300) all-around scores were a career-high and season-high, respectively. 

BYU returns to action hosting Southern Utah University in the Smith Fieldhouse next Friday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. MST. The meet will be televised live on BYUtv with live stats found on the BYU gymnastics page.