Aggie gymnasts notch season-best 196.075 in fifth-place finish at Mountain Rim Gymnastics Championships

<div>PROVO, Utah – With the best team performance of the 2014 season, Utah State gymnastics notched a 196.075 to finish fifth at the inaugural Mountain Rim Gymnastics Championships at BYU, Saturday afternoon.</div><div> </div><div>The 196.075 is the fifth-best team score in the history of the USU gymnastics program. The score tops the previous season-best of 196.000, while it is the highest score since 2003.</div><div> </div><div>It was a tight meet all the way around as all five schools finished within .850 of each other. No. 20 Denver finished first with a 196.925, No. 17 Boise State came in second with a 196.900, No. 29 Southern Utah was third with a 196.125 and No. 25 BYU finished fourth with a 196.100.</div><div> </div><div>”We know we’re even better because we still had some mistakes. That just means our potential hasn’t been met yet. I just love that our team knows they’ve got it,” said USU head coach Nadalie Walsh. “I think we’re in one of the strongest conferences there is and that’s outstanding. We’re a fast-growing program and we’re going to keep working hard to get there.”</div><div> </div><div>Utah State notched a 49.150 on vault, a 49.125 on bars, a 48.625 on beam and a 49.175 on floor. </div><div> </div><div>Aggie senior Paige Jones earned all-conference accolades for all three of her performances. She tied for fourth-place on vault with a 9.900 to earn second-team honors. She was named to the first-team on bars and floor, tying for third on both events with a 9.875 and 9.900, respectively. Sophomore Michelle Yasukochi received a second-team nod on beam, tying for fifth-place with a 9.825. Junior Sarah Landes was recognized for her floor and all-around performances, being named to the second-team on both with scores of 9.875 and 39.225, respectively. Freshman Bailey McIntire also received second-team accolades on floor with her 9.875.</div><div> </div><div>BYU head coach Brad Cattermole was named Coach of the Year, while Boise State junior Ciera Perkins earned Gymnast of the Year honors. Southern Utah’s Memory Shettles and Boise State’s Diana Mejia shared Freshmen of the Year honors. </div><div> </div><div>Junior Sarah Landes represented the Aggies in Saturday’s all-around competition. She finished sixth among the nine competitors, notching a 39.225. Boise State’s Kelsey Morris claimed the all-around title with a 39.500. Denver’s Nina McGee and Moriah Martin came in second and third, notching a 39.475 and 39.400, respectively. </div><div> </div><div>Utah State opened the meet on beam, with freshman Katie Brown leading off with a 9.600. Freshman Charly Belliston landed a 9.725, followed by junior Susie Miller who notched a 9.700. Landes began her meet with a 9.775, while Yasukochi wrapped up the first rotation with her 9.825.</div><div> </div><div>With a 48.625 beam score, the Aggies opened the meet in fourth-place. Boise State started with the lead after a 49.300 on vault. BYU was in second with a 49.100 on bars and SUU in third with a 49.025 on floor, while Denver was on a bye. </div><div> </div><div>Moving to floor, Miller notched a 9.600, followed by Landes who matched her career-high with a 9.875. Sophomore Destiny Ezell and Jones followed, also setting new career-bests with a 9.825 and 9.900, respectively. Freshman Bailey Mcintire kept the strong performances going with a 9.875, while sophomore Miranda Kerr concluded the rotation with a 9.600.</div><div> </div><div>The Aggies notched a 49.075 on floor, while Denver opened their competition with a 48.850 on bars, BYU hit a 48.825 on beam and SUU notched a 49.025 on vault. </div><div> </div><div>On vault for the third event, sophomore Jillian Chappel opened with a 9.675, followed by McIntire with a 9.775. Brown hit a 9.775, while Landes landed a 9.825. Jones continued her strong performances with her second 9.900 of the day, while Kerr finished the event with a 9.875. </div><div> </div><div>USU earned a 49.150 on vault, as BYU hit a 49.150 on floor, Denver landed a 49.200 on beam and Boise State notched a 49.425 on bars. </div><div> </div><div>While the Aggies sat out the fourth rotation on a bye, the Cougars earned a 49.025 on vault, the Pioneers notched a 49.400 on floor, the Broncos secured a 48.850 on beam and the Thunderbirds earned a 49.050 on bars.</div><div> </div><div>Utah State moved to bars to finish up the competition, with McIntire leading off with a 9.800. Sophomore JoAnna Cuba landed a 9.850, matching her career-high, while Landes hit a 9.750. Jones finished her afternoon with a 9.875, followed by Belliston with a 9.725. Junior Kaitlyn Betts concluded the meet with a season-high 9.850. </div><div> </div><div>While the Aggies notched a 49.125 on bars, Denver finished with a 49.475 on vault, Boise State landed a 49.325 on floor and Southern Utah notched a 49.025 on beam. </div><div> </div><div>Fans can follow the USU Gymnastics’ Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages – Twitter:@USUGymanstics, Facebook: Utah State Gymnastics and Instagram: @USUGymnastics. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at <a href=”http://twitter.com/USUAthletics”>twitter.com/USUAthletics</a> or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.</div><div> </div><div>-USU-</div><div> </div><div>2014 Mountain Rim Gymanstics Championships</div><div>March 22, 2014</div><div>Provo, Utah </div><div> </div><div><strong>Team Results</strong></div><div>1. Denver – 196.925</div><div>2. Boise State – 196.900</div><div>3. Southern Utah – 196.125</div><div>4. BYU – 196.100</div><div>5. Utah State – 196.075</div><div> </div><div><strong>All-Around</strong></div><div>1. Kelsey Morris, Boise State – 39.500</div><div>2. Nina McGee, Denver – 39.475</div><div>3. Moriah Martin, Denver – 39.400</div><div>4. Raquel Willman-Hatch, BYU – 39.300</div><div>5. Makenzie Johnson, BYU – 39.275</div><div>6. Sarah Landes, Utah State – 39.225</div><div> </div><div><strong>Vault</strong></div><div>1. Moriah Martin, Denver – 9.950</div><div>2. Rachel Fielitz, Denver – 9.925</div><div>2. Ciera Perkins, Boise State – 9.925</div><div>4. KayCee Gassaway, BYU – 9.900</div><div>4. Katlin Moorhead, Denver – 9.900</div><div>4. Paige Jones, Utah State – 9.900</div><div> </div><div><strong>Bars</strong></div><div>1. Kelsey Morris, Boise State – 9.925</div><div>1. Ciera Perkins, Boise State – 9.925</div><div>3. KayCee Gassaway, BYU – 9.875</div><div>3. Paige Jones, Utah State – 9.875</div><div>3. Krystine Jacobsen, Boise State – 9.875</div><div>3. Diana Mejia, Boise State – 9.875</div><div> </div><div><strong>Beam</strong></div><div>1. Jorie Hall, Denver – 9.925</div><div>1. Nina McGee, Denver – 9.925</div><div>3. Tyly Bozzuto, Southern Utah – 9.900</div><div>4. Natalie Trejo, Southern Utah – 9.850</div><div>5. Michelle Yasukochi, Utah State – 9.825</div><div>5. Kelsey Morris, Boise State – 9.825</div><div><strong> </strong></div><div><strong>Floor Exercise</strong></div><div>1. Nina McGee, Denver – 9.925</div><div>1. Ciera Perkins, Boise State – 9.925</div><div>3. Makenzie Johnson, BYU – 9.900</div><div>3. Paige Jones, Utah State – 9.900</div><div>3. Kelsey Morris, Boise State – 9.900</div><div>6. Eliane Kulczyk, BYU – 9.875</div><div>6. Ellese Sakai-Hart, Denver – 9.875</div><div>6. Jorie Hall, Denver – 9.875</div><div>6. Kaitlin Moorhead, Denver – 9.875 </div><div>6. Sarah Landes, Utah State – 9.875</div><div>6. Bailey McIntire, Utah State – 9.875</div><div>6. Amanda Otuafi, Boise State – 9.875</div><div> </div><div>Gymnast of the Year: Ciera Perkins, Boise State</div><div>Co-Freshmen of the Year: Diana Mejia, Boise State &amp; Memory Shettles, Southern Utah</div><div>Coach of the Year: Brad Cattermole, BYU</div>

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