CEDAR CITY, Utah – No. 21 BYU continued to set records despite a loss of 196.450 to 196.800 against Southern Utah Friday night at Centrum Arena.
“It was a battle tonight,” BYU head coach Guard Young said. “SUU is a formidable team. It’s going to be fun having them at our place next Friday and going at it again.”
The Cougars matched their season-high overall score with a 196.450 and set a new season record on vault with a 49.025. They beat Southern Utah on beam, earning the highest beam score since 2005 with a season-high 49.325. Shannon Hortman Evans set another career high with a 39.400 in the all-around after tying her career-high 9.875 on bars.
BYU started the meet on bars. Behind Evan's matched career high on bars, Haley Pitou received a 9.850 while Brittni Hawes continued to show the Cougars’ strength with a 9.825. BYU led at the end of the rotation 49.075 to 49.025.
The second rotation on vault brought a season record of 49.025. Freshman Avery Bennett again matched her career-high 9.875, earning the second highest score on the event for the meet.
"Avery Bennett has just been awesome for us on the vault team," Young said. "It’s not a vault you traditionally see, but I'm delighted that the judges have liked it."
Angel Zhong and Jill van Mierlo also kept the Cougars on track with a 9.850 and 9.825 on vault, respectively. Southern Utah ended the rotation in the lead 98.200 to 98.100.
BYU moved to floor for the third rotation. Abbey Miner set a new career record with her 9.875 on the event. Evans also earned a 9.875 while Briana Pearson received a 9.825, bringing the Cougars event score to 49.025 and overall score to 147.125. The Thunderbirds led at the end of the rotation 147.425 to 147.125.
The Cougars ended the meet with incredible performances on beam, posting a season record of 49.325, the highest event score since 2005. Abby Boden and Natasha Trejo Marsh both set career highs after each earning a 9.900 on their routines. Cheyenne Hill set a personal record with her 9.875, and Evans anchored the Cougars’ victory on the event with a 9.850.
BYU hosts Southern Utah and Denver in a tri meet next Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Smith Fieldhouse. Live streaming and stats will be available.