PROVO, Utah - After two weeks on the road, BYU will host No. 10 Denver and Southern Utah on Friday night at 7 p.m. in the Smith Fieldhouse to start a full weekend of gymnastics.
“I’m excited for the gymnastics that will be performed by all three teams on Friday,” head coach Guard Young said. “All three teams will bring great energy to the arena. It’s going to be a battle, and we’re going to fight to the very end.”
The Cougars are coming off a strong performance last Friday night when they set the highest score on beam in 13 years, earning a 49.325 at Southern Utah. BYU also matched the season-high overall score with a 196.450 while setting a new season record on vault, 49.025.
Shannon Hortman Evans was named one of the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference Bars Specialists of the Week for the second time this season after matching her career-high 9.875 on the event. Evans also set a new career high score with a 39.400 in the all-around.
The Thunderbirds beat the Cougars in Cedar City last Friday night 196.800 to 196.450. However, Utah State came out on top in Southern Utah’s second meet in four days on Monday night 195.275 to 195.200. No. 10 Denver won at home with a 196.725 against No. 21 George Washington and West Virginia last Saturday. The Pioneers hold top-10 rankings on vault, beam and floor this season.
On Saturday, more than 500 young gymnasts will compete in the Cougar Classic Junior Olympic meet. Gymnasts participating are invited to attend the NCAA meet the night before.
“I’ve been thrilled with how many people have come out to help us put this on,” Young said. “I love when gymnastics is being done on the campus of BYU.”
The Cougar Classic Junior Olympic meet begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday and is scheduled to conclude at 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online.
The rotations for Friday's meet with No. 10 Denver and SUU will follow Olympic order, with BYU starting on vault, Southern Utah on bars and Denver on floor. Live stats and live streaming will be available through the schedule page.