The Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference (MRGC) consists of some of the fastest-rising dark horse teams outside the Big Four conferences: Boise State, BYU, Southern Utah and Utah State. Since the departure of founding conference member team Denver, Boise State has won the title every year, but the parity is constantly increasing. All four teams in the MRGC draw high-profile recruits, from international elites like Courtney McGregor (Boise State, New Zealand) and Helody Cyrenne (BYU, Canada) to J.O. national team members like MaKayla Bullitt (Utah State) and Karley McClain (Southern Utah commit). In 2018, expect to see Southern Utah and Utah State surge forward to challenge Boise State.
Boise State
- 2017 national ranking: 13th
- MRGC championship placement: 1st
- Missed qualifying to nationals by less than 0.5
Notable Returners
- Shani Remme, junior
- Ranked No. 17 in AA
- Career highs: VT 9.85 | UB 9.925 | BB 9.925 | FX 9.9 | AA 39.525
- MRGC Gymnast of the Year
- Qualified individually to nationals, posting Boise’s highest-ever nationals score
- Courtney McGregor, sophomore
- Ranked No. 18 on UB
- Career highs: VT 9.9 | UB 9.95 | BB 9.875 | FX 9.775 | AA 39.275
- Continues to represent New Zealand internationally, including at 2017 worlds in Montreal
- Trains a variety of 10.0 vaults but has competed a Yurchenko 1.5
- Ann Stockwell, senior
- 9.845 RQS on both VT and UB
- Career highs: VT 9.925 | UB 9.9 | FX 9.925
- Competes a Yurchenko 1.5 for a 10.0 start value
- Sarah Means, junior
- Ranked No. 28 on BB
- Career highs: VT 9.9 | UB 9.725 | BB 9.9 | FX 9.85
- Competes a Yurchenko 1.5 for a 10.0 start value
Newcomers
- Gabriela Bouza
- One-time J.O. national qualifier
- Tatum Bruden
- Four-time J.O. national qualifier
- 2017 Region 1 Senior F AA champion
- Emily Muhlenhaupt
- Former US elite
- Two-time J.O. national qualifier
- 2017 Colorado state bars champion
- Tessa Otuafi
- Three-time regional qualifier
- Career high AA score of 36.825
- Rachel Obmann
- Three-time regional qualifier
- 2016 NorCal state AA champion
- Training a very viable Yurchenko 1.5 for a 10.0 start value
BYU
- 2017 national ranking: 33rd
- MRGC championship placement: 4th
Notable Returners
- Shannon Hortman Evans, sophomore
- Ranked No. 42 AA
- Career highs: VT 9.875 | UB 9.875 | BB 9.875 | FX 9.9 | AA 39.275
- MRGC Freshman of the Year
- Mackenzie Douglas, senior
- 9.865 RQS on FX
- Career highs: VT 9.875 | UB 9.875 | FX 9.9
- 2017 MRGC Vault Co-Champion
- Brittni (Wilde) Hawes, senior
- Ranked No. 38 on UB
- Career high UB: 9.95 (second-best in program history)
- Three-time MRGC Bars Specialist of the Week
Newcomers
- Abby Beeston
- One-time regional qualifier
- 2016 Region 1 Senior B bars champion
- Avery Bennett
- Four-time regional qualifier
- AA career high of 37.775
- Abby Boden
- Two-time J.O. national qualifier
- 9th AA in Senior D at 2017 J.O. nationals with a 38.250 (career high)
- Allegra Clarkson
- One-time regional qualifier
- AA career high of 37.050
- Helody Cyrenne
- Represented Canada in international competition
- 2015 Elite Canada floor champion
- Jordan Danbury
- One-time J.O. national qualifier
- 2015 Texas state vault champion
- Melanie Lockhart
- One-time J.O. national qualifier
- 2016 Region 1 Senior C beam champion
- Did not compete 2017 club season
- Abbey Miner
- Two-time J.O. national qualifier
- 2017 Utah state vault champion
- Seven-year Level 10 competitor
- Haley Pitou
- Two-time J.O. national qualifier
- Region 1 bars champion two years in a row (Senior C and E)
- 3rd on bars at 2017 J.O. nationals
- Aspen Welch
- Three-time regional qualifier
Southern Utah
- 2017 national ranking: 22nd
- MRGC championship placement: 3rd
- Debuted in the 2017 season ranked No. 9
Notable Returners
- Karen Gonzalez, senior
- RQS of 9.825 on FX
- Career highs: VT 9.8 | UB 9.75 | BB 9.8 | FX 9.9
- Mainstay of floor lineup
- Autumn Jorgensen, sophomore
- Ranked No. 31 on FX
- Career highs: VT 9.825 | BB 9.9 | FX 9.95
- MRGC First Team on floor
- Tied for school record on floor
- Madison McBride, sophomore
- RQS of 9.825 on UB
- Career highs: VT 9.875 | UB 9.925
- Second all-time in program history on UB
- Kirsten Yee, senior
- RQS of 9.845 on UB
- Career highs: UB 9.95 | BB 9.925
- Set school UB record of 9.95 in her second-ever NCAA meet
Newcomers
- Morgan Alfaro
- One-time J.O. national qualifier
- 2014 J.O. National Invitational Tournament VT and UB champion
- Only competed once in 2017 club season
- Jiang Braley
- Two-time regional qualifier
- AA career high of 37.4
- Did not compete 2016 or 2017
- McKenna Burnside
- Three-time J.O. national qualifier
- Julianna Dahlke
- One-time regional qualifier
- Training a Yurchenko full-on tuck off, a 10.0 start value vault
- Mikaela DeFilippo
- One-time J.O. national qualifier
- Competes a front handspring pike half vault for a 10.0 start value
- Molly Jozwiakowski
- Three-time J.O. national qualifier
- Training a Tsuk tucked 1.5, a 10.0 start value vault
- Alyssa LaDieu
- One-time J.O. national qualifier
- 2016 Region 3 Senior C floor champion
- Hannah Nipp
- Two-time J.O. national qualifier
- 2016 Southern California state all around champion
- Mary Packham
- 2017 Oregon state beam champion
- First-year Level 10 competitor
- Amanda Wiltsie
- One-time regional qualifier
- Second-year Level 10 competitor
Utah State
- 2017 national ranking: 32nd
- MRGC championship ranking: 2nd
- New head coach: Amy Smith, formerly assistant coach at North Carolina
Notable Returners
- Madison Ward, junior
- Ranked No. 29 on FX
- Career highs: VT 9.85 | UB 9.875 | FX 9.9
- 2017 MRGC Floor Specialist of the Year
- MaKayla Bullitt, sophomore
- 9.725 FX RQS
- Career highs: VT 9.8 | FX 9.775
- First team All-MRGC on VT
- Elle Golison, sophomore
- 9.840 FX and 9.820 BB RQS
- Career highs: VT 9.825 | BB 9.85 | FX 9.875
- Single-season beam average ranks 8th in program history
Newcomers
- Annie Beck
- Four-time regional qualifier
- AA career high of 36.45
- Autumn DeHarde
- Three-time J.O. national qualifier
- 2017 Region 4 Senior F floor champion
- Taylor Dittmar
- Two-time J.O. national qualifier
- 2016 Region 5 Senior C beam champion
- Faith Leary
- One-time J.O. national qualifier
- 2017 Ohio state beam and floor champion
- Maddie McIntyre
- Two-time regional qualifier
- AA career high of 36.125
- Mikaela Meyer
- Three-time J.O. national qualifier
- Placed 3rd on vault in Senior D at 2017 J.O. Nationals
- 2017 Maryland state vault and bars champion
- Leighton Varnadore
- Two-time J.O. national qualifier
- 2017 South Carolina state all around, vault and bars champion
- Logan Varnadore
- Three-time regional qualifier
- 2017 South Carolina state beam champion
Article by Caroline Medley
