When these Mountain West frontrunners met three weeks ago in Logan, Utah State came out on top—but both teams posted their lowest scores of the season in the process. Since then, each has trended sharply upward. The Aggies have broken 196, and San Jose State has come within a tenth of the mark. With the rematch set in San Jose, this one has all the makings of a nailbiter.
The Spartans are coming off a school-record-tying 49.200 on vault, led by Kaviana Jurries and freshman Sophie Patterson, who each scored 9.875. The pair’s matching 9.835 averages have powered San Jose State to No. 19 nationally on the event. Bars is trending up as well, with a season-high last week highlighted by a career-best 9.850 from freshman Victoria Kisch and a 9.825 from Jurries, who recently earned a permanent lineup spot after strong exhibition showings.
Utah State continues to thrive on floor, scoring 49.000 or higher in six of seven meets this season. Freshman Mara Gruber and junior Isabella Vater each notched career-high 9.900s during last weekend’s doubleheader, while fellow freshmen Anabelle Dewey and Sienna Yelle have added steady 9.800-plus averages. Bars is another strength: the Aggies posted a season-high 49.150 on Monday, showcasing difficulty with a Shushunova from freshman Charley Laufer and a Deltchev from Vater.
Both squads also benefit from key injury returners. Spartan junior Mia Nelson has rejoined the beam and floor lineups, while Aggie junior Nyla Morabito has impressed on vault and added beam to her repertoire this season. With both teams peaking at the right time, the rematch could be even tighter than the first meeting.
The meet will be streamed on the Mountain West Network, and scores can be found here.
Rotation 1: San Jose State VT, Utah State UB
Valuch (San Jose State) – FTY with a small hop back, some piking. 9.700
Jelen (Utah State) – Maloney with some leg sep to shootover to handstand. Good handstands. Double layout with a small hop back. 9.825
Macasu (San Jose State) – FTY with a small hop/slide back. A bit more pike down than Valuch. 9.675
Bibbey (Utah State) – Big Tkatchev, some flexed feet. Clear hip to shootover to handstand, leg separation in that shootover. Double layout with a bounce in place, then a small foot adjustment. 9.800
Johnson (San Jose State) – FTY with a medium hop back and a step. Good body position in the air. 9.775
Orengo (Utah State) – Jaeger to overshoot is good. Double layout is stuck with a bobble to hold it. 9.900
Jurries (San Jose State) – FTY with a small step back. Good body position and form, could take for height. 9.825
VanderToolen (Utah State) – Maloney to Pak with some leg separation in both. Stalder to double back with a small hop back. 9.900
Patterson (San Jose State) – FTY with a medium hop back and some pike in the air. Great distance. 9.750
Laufer (Utah State) – Shootover to handstand with some leg separation. Toe shoot. Shushunova is good. PHEW! Over on her giant full but pulls it back. I thought she was definitely coming off. Has a big step back on the double back after, landed rather stiff-legged. 9.525
Pitts (San Jose State) – FHS front pike half with a controlled step back. Best landing control she’s showed recently. 9.850
Vater (Utah State) – Clear hip to Deltchev – she’s too far and falls. Double layout with a small hop back. 9.175
Reardon (San Jose State) – exhibition – Yurchenko 1/2 with a biiiiig step forward. 9.650
Cato (San Jose State) – exhibition – FTY landed a bit short and to the side, medium hop forward and ends up stepping off the mat. 9.375
Valdez (Utah State) – exhibition – Short first handstand. Ray to shootover is good. Last handstand looks shortish too. Double layout with a medium step back. A good routine, but a fair amount of built-in deductions. 9.525
AFTER ONE: Utah State 48.950, San Jose State 48.900
Utah State was headed for a massive number on bars after the pair of 9.900s from Orengo and VanderToolen, but having to count the low score from Laufer held the total down. That’s a missed opportunity that stings. San Jose State delivered a solid performance on vault but didn’t have the landing control today to hit 49 plus. Both teams started on their strong events, so keeping up the momentum from these opening rotations will be key as we move to the second rotation, especially since there’s only half a tenth separating them right now.
Rotation 2: Utah State VT, San Jose State UB
Witte (Utah State) – FTY with a medium hop back, some piking in the air. 9.725
Patterson (San Jose State) – Maloney to Pak with some leg separation in both skills. Giant full to double back with a medium step back. 9.775
VanderToolen (Utah State) – FTY with a controlled hop back, some piking and leg separation. 9.750
Valuch (San Jose State) – Piked Jaeger to overshoot is hit. Double layout is stuck. Strong work from her. 9.850
Dewey (Utah State) – FTY with a small hop forward, lower chest on landing. She’s also off direction and over the line. 9.700
PeBenito (San Jose State) – First handstand is shortish. Maloney to Pak with some minor leg separation in the first skill. Double layout with some leg separation and piking in the second salto to get it around. Medium step back. 9.825
Valdez (Utah State) – FTY with a big hop back, but best body position and dynamics from them so far. 9.725
Kisch (San Jose State) – Maloney with leg separation to shootover to handstand. Double layout doesn’t get a lot of height, some leg separation, but STUCK with an arm circle. 9.900
Southam (Utah State) – Yurchenko 1/2 with piking in the air and a small step back. 9.625
Macasu (San Jose State) – Maloney with leg separation to shootover to handstand. Full-in with flexed feet and a medium step forward. 9.775
Morabito (Utah State) – FTY looks great in the air, controlled hop back. 9.825
Jurries (San Jose State) – Clear hip to Gienger to overshoot. She’s improved her form on the release, keeping her feet together better on the catch. She’s a little off standing on the bar, breaks her rhythm a bit stabilizing herself. Double layout, tries to stick but is up on her toes and has to hop forward. 9.825
Vater (Utah State) – exhibition – Yurchenko full on pike off is good, medium hop back. 9.725
Reardon (San Jose State) – exhibition – Maloney with leg separation on the back swing to overshoot to handstand. Double layout with a small step back. 9.725
Cato (San Jose State) – exhibition – Maloney to Pak with big leg separation. Over on her 1/2 pirouette on low and does a switch kip. Gets stuck in her half turn on the high bar and comes off. Resumes with the half turn to front giant to half turn to double back. 9.025
AFTER TWO: San Jose State 98.075, Utah State 97.675
The Spartans capitalized on friendly bars scoring where the Aggies couldn’t, posting a season-high 49.175. Valuch and Kisch stood out with stuck landings. Utah State vaulted well enough, but landing errors kept it stuck in the 9.7s and allowed San Jose State to pull ahead. The Aggies move to floor next, however, which is their strongest and most consistent event. Meanwhile, San Jose State has to face beam, where it has a season high above 49. Can they stay on the apparatus to keep up their lead?
Rotation 3: San Jose State BB, Utah State FX
Ashton (San Jose State) – BHS layout stepout is right on. Switch leap to switch 1/2 is smooth. BHS gainer full is stuck. Great leadoff. 9.875
Orengo (Utah State) – Front through to double back with a good landing, tiny slide back. Switch half to wolf 1.5 looks rotated. 1.5 to front layout. 9.800
Macasu (San Jose State) – BHS layout stepout with a small balance check. Switch leap to switch half with a tiny hesitation in between. Switch half looked under split. 1.5 twist dismount with a step but we couldn’t see her feet so hard to know how big. 9.750
Yelle (Utah State) – Front 2/1, didn’t have full control on the step forward and out of bounds. Switch side 1/2 to straddle jump. 1.5 to front layout is good. Judges taking their time with the score. Overall they’ve been super quick throughout the meet. Finally up as 9.575.
Valuch (San Jose State) – BHS layout stepout is very solid. Punch front with no problems. Cat leap to switch half, not a great angle, but maybe a touch under split. 1.5 twist with a medium step forward. 9.850
Southam (Utah State) – Front layout to Rudi, bit of a bounce in place. Switch side 1/2 to straddle jump. High double back with a big step back, front foot comes up. She was close to out of bounds, but doesn’t look like she actually was. 9.775
Nelson (San Jose State) – Jump to handstand mount. Front aerial with a bit of an adjustment into BHS, but she minimizes it. Switch leap to switch half, second element looked under with the back leg. BHS tucked 1.5 twist looks stuck but has to take a step forward at the end. 9.800
Dewey (Utah State) – Front through to double back, chyron was in the way of seeing the landing well, but it was solid. Switch side half to straddle jump. 1.5 twist to front layout. 9.850
Patterson (San Jose State) – Switch leap to straddle jump, straddle was under split. BHS layout stepout x2 is good. BHS 1.5 twist with a medium step forward. 9.875
Vater (Utah State) – Stutter step out of the front 2/1 and out of bounds. Switch leap to switch side 1/2. 1.5 twist to front layout is well done. 9.700
PeBenito (San Jose State) – Spartans already have a season-high beam score. BHS layout stepout is right on. Switch leap to switch leap, they’re using a terrible angle for seeing splits. Side aerial. Split jump 1/2 transverse. 1.5 twist with a medium step forward. 9.825
Gruber (Utah State) – 2.5 twist with a controlled landing. Switch side 1/2 to straddle jump, the Aggies’ favorite leap series. 1.5 twist to front full is hit. 9.800
Jurries (San Jose State) – exhibition – A wobble on her full turn. Cat leap to switch half with a leg up wobble. BHS layout stepout is great. Switch leap to straddle 1/4, splits look under there. BHS gainer full, terrible angle from behind spectators’ heads, so not sure what the landing really looked like. 9.575
Reardon (San Jose State) – exhibition – Standing layout stepout x2 with a small balance adjustment. Switch leap to straddle 1/4. Switch leap that’s under split to gainer full with a good landing. 9.600
Peterson (Utah State) – exhibition – Front layout to Rudi with a hop back. Switch side 1/2 to straddle, supriiiiise. Front layout to front full. 9.800
AFTER THREE: San Jose State 147.300, Utah State 146.600
Stay on the apparatus they did – and post another season-high event score. The Spartans did not let up in that rotation, showing clean and confident beam routines as well as two promising exhibitions. They are riding this momentum in their home arena and putting together a very strong meet. Utah State was plagued by out of bounds and steps on floor, keeping its total down and preventing it from narrowing the gap. While the final result seems it will not be as close as it could’ve been, the final rotation should stay interesting, as floor is San Jose State’s weakest event, and Utah State has a season-high 49.150 on beam.
Rotation 4: Utah State BB, San Jose State FX
Jelen (Utah State) – Side aerial to BHS is smooth. Beat jump to double stag ring, a tiny wobble on the landing. Orphan switch leap. BHS gainer full is stuck. 9.825
Ashton (San Jose State) – Front layout to Rudi. Switch leap full, her feet weren’t in the shot, so can’t say anything about how well it was rotated. Front layout to front full. Switch leap half to Popa. 9.825
Orengo (Utah State) – Cat leap to front toss to BHS is solid. Switch leap to split jump, second element under split. 1.5 twist with a great stick. 9.850
Jurries (San Jose State) – Front through to double back is underrotated, big step forward. FHS front full to front layout is landed well. Popa to wolf full, second element was underrotated. 9.800
Medrano (Utah State) – BHS layout stepout with whisper of a check. Beat jump to side aerial. Split jump to split 3/4. Gainer full is stuck. 9.825
Nelson (San Jose State) – Split ring jump full to straddle jump, lack of control on the second jump. Roundoff directly to double back is good. Switch ring leap to tour jete. 1.5 twist to front layout. 9.700 is posted but judges are conferencing. One had 9.9 SV and one had 9.8.
Valdez (Utah State) – BHS layout stepout is solid. Small check in choreography. Switch leap to switch half with a balance check. Double twist with a big step forward. 9.675
PeBenito (San Jose State) – Front 2/1 is just around, she has a step forward/sideward. Cat leap to tour jete ring leap. 1.5 twist to front layout with a dance out. Switch leap full to split jump full. 9.850
Laufer (Utah State) – In instead of Morabito. BHS layout stepout with a small wobble. Cat leap to front toss with a wobble, bends over at the waist. Split jump to straddle 1/4. Double twist with a step back. 9.550
Larson (San Jose State) – Double back with a hop/slide back. Front full to front full. Switch side 1/2 to Shushunova. 9.775
Witte (Utah State) – BHS BHS layout stepout is right on. Split jump to split 3/4 looks good. Front aerial with no problem. Gainer full is stuck. Great finish on this event. 9.900
Johnson (San Jose State) – Punch front 2/1, step out doesn’t show full control, little wild. Rudi to layout stepout is lovely. Switch half to Popa. 9.800
Morabito (Utah State) – exhibition – Cat leap to side somi and she’s off. BHS BHS layout stepout with a small check. Switch leap to split jump. Punch front full with a small hop. This is a great routine when she hits. 9.025
Patterson (San Jose State) – exhibition – Huge double pike with a good landing. Front layout to front full with a hop forward. Switch leap full to Popa. High double tuck is also landed well. 9.700
East (San Jose State) – exhibition – Double back with chest a bit low. Switch half to Popa to wolf full. Front layout to a high Rudi. 9.700
FINAL: San Jose State 196.350, Utah State 195.675
VT: Mikaela Pitts, San Jose State, 9.850
UB: Victoria Kisch, San Jose State, Olivia Orengo, Utah State, Lundyn VanderToolen, Utah State, 9.900
BB: Mya Witte, Utah State, 9.900
FX: Genesis PeBenito, San Jose State & Anabelle Dewey, Utah State, 9.850
AA: n/a
It’s a massive 196.350 for San Jose State to smash their season high and break the 196 mark for the first time in 2026. They put up a strong floor rotation, but have room to grow there, with Nelson not getting her start value today. Utah State didn’t let disappointment get to them, putting up four very strong beam routines and eclipsing 49 there. If they can put all the events together in one meet, they can easily challenge the score San Jose State put up today. And after Air Force posted a 195.750 yesterday, the competition in the Mountain West is going to remain close in the second half of the season.
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Live blog by Diana Scroggins
