BATON ROUGE – The No. 17 BYU gymnastics team scored a 195.550 to take fourth place in session one of the Second Round of NCAA Regionals Friday.
“I am super proud of these girls and it was a great fight today as we hung with some of the best teams in the country,” BYU head coach Guard Young said. “We look at this as a stepping stone for the program. The girls need to remember the feeling and to be proud of the season and the effort given today, but we are not done. The hard part begins as we need to stay motivated through the summer.”
No. 6 Utah (196.800) and No. 11 Minnesota (196.300) will be advancing to the final round of the NCAA Regionals which will take place Apr. 6. Arkansas took third place with a 196.175.
Junior Shannon Evans earned a 39.225 in the all-around to lead the team, placing fifth in the first session. Evans took third place on floor with a 9.875. Helody Cyrenne tied for first place on the uneven bars as she scored a 9.900.
The Cougars started the meet on floor, tallying a 49.075 as four gymnasts scored a 9.800 or better. Evans led the way with a 9.875 and Abbey Miner followed closely with a 9.850. Briana Pearson and Sadie Miner scored 9.825 and 9.800, respectively. Brittney Vitkauskas and Abby Boden each scored a 9.725. After one rotation, Utah led with a 49.200 with BYU in second.
On vault, Evans once again led the way with a 9.850 and Abbey Miner added a 9.800 as the Cougars scored a 48.750. Avery Bennett received a 9.725 and Cheyenne Hill earned a 9.700. Angel Zhong scored a 9.675 while Haley Pitou rounded it out with an 8.325. After two rotations, the Utes continued to lead with a 98.525, Arkansas followed with a 97.950 while BYU and Minnesota had 97.825 each.
In the third rotation, the Cougars scored a 49.000 with Cyrenne earning an impressive 9.900. Boden received a 9.825, Abby Beeston recorded a 9.800 and Zhong scored a 9.750. Evans and Natasha Marsh closed out the scoring with a 9.725 apiece. Utah continued to stay on top with a 147.600 and was followed by Arkansas (147.125), Minnesota (147.050) and BYU (146.825).
The Cougars ended the meet on beam, earning a 48.725 as a team. Abbey Miner led the squad with a 9.800 while Evans earned a 9.775. Boden scored a 9.750, Hill received a 9.725, Marsh tallied a 9.675 and Cyrenne rounded out the scoring with a 9.075.