These teams met just six days ago at the Best of Utah meet, where Utah State edged Southern Utah by less than two tenths—a margin that sets the stage for another tight contest tonight. With at least two more meetings still to come this season, this rematch serves as an early benchmark for both programs and how their trajectories may unfold.
Utah State is riding high after posting the second-highest season-opening score in program history, with room to build immediately on that performance. Junior Sydney Jelen notched a career-high 9.850 on bars, while junior Isabella Vater matched her career best with a 9.875 on floor. The Aggies also welcomed back junior Nyla Morabito, who returned to competition for the first time since tearing her Achilles last year. While she did not yet compete at full strength, her return adds valuable upside moving forward.
Southern Utah showed resilience in its opener, keeping its momentum despite several uncharacteristic errors. Sophomore Mia Hampton and junior Niya Randolph each eclipsed the 39.000 mark in the all-around, anchoring the Thunderbirds’ effort. Freshman Berlin Hall continued to make her presence felt, leading the team on floor with a 9.875 in her second collegiate appearance.
The meet is streaming on the Mountain West Network, and live scores are available here.
Rotation 1: Utah State VT, Southern Utah UB
Witte (Utah State) – FTY with good height and distance and just a small scoot back. Noticeable pike down. 9.775
Randolph (Southern Utah) – Joining routine in progress. Clear hip to FTDLO with a medium hop back. 9.825
Orengo (Utah State) – FTY with a small hop back. 9.800
Hampton (Southern Utah) – Jaeger is good. Pak with leg separation. Double layout with a small step back. 9.750
Dewey (Utah State) – FTY with good height and distance and medium hop back. Better body shape in the air, minimal piking. 9.775
Collum (Southern Utah) – Ray is nice. Toe on to Pak with some leg separation. Double layout with leg separation and a small step forward. 9.700
Southam (Utah State) – Yurchenko half with some piking, note the highest. Small hop forward. 9.750
Ferguson (Southern Utah) – Falls on the piked Jaeger. Toe on to Pak with legs glued together. Double layout stuck and again with legs glued together. 8.750
Morabito (Utah State) – FTY with great height and distance and a small hop back. 9.850
Routsis (Southern Utah) – Quite a wait while judges conference about Ferguson’s score. Finally! Toe on to Maloney, to overshoot to handstand, good legs together. Toe on to double layout, stuck, but with leg separation. Good for her after a ridiculous wait. 9.825
Valdez (Utah State) – FTY, good height and distance. Medium hop back and a bit offline. 9.725
McGuire (Southern Utah) – Shaposhnikova to Pak with good form. Double layout stuck with one bobble forward. 9.775
Medrano (Utah State) – exhibition – wasn’t shown, but scored 9.700.
Goodman (Southern Utah) – exhibition – Piked Jaeger. Pak salto. Full turn to double back, stuck.
AFTER ONE: Utah State 48.950, Southern Utah 48.875
Scores are coming in slowly on the broadcast and live scores aren’t showing up at all, so take these with a grain of salt until they’re confirmed.
Utah State opened with a bang – four athletes earned or matched a career high on vault. Morabito and Dewey particularly stood out for their execution. Southern Utah was able to drop the routine with a fall, and again showed toughness responding to a long wait.
Rotation 2: Southern Utah VT, Utah State UB
Bringhurt (Southern Utah) – FTY with a lot of pike, decent height and distance. 9.750
Jelen (Utah State) – Toe on to Maloney to and bail to handstand with a bit of leg separation in each skill. Double layout stuck. 9.750
Randolph (Southern Utah) – FTY with just a tiny hop at the end. Not the farthest or highest. 9.825
Laufer (Utah State) – Bail to handstand to toe hecht. Markelov. Full turn to double back with a small hop backwards. 9.700
Pardue (Southern Utah) – Y1.5 is a bit short and she takes a medium hop back. 9.700
Bibbey (Utah State) – Tkatchev with some feet. Clear hip to bail to handstand with a bit of leg separation. Double layout with a small step forward. 9.775
Hall (Southern Utah) – FHS front pike with a medium step forward and outside the lines. 9.600
Vater (Utah State) – Clear hip to Deltchev to bail. Double layout is stuck. Strong routine. 9.850
Kelly (Southern Utah) – Yurchenko full on tuck off with a small hop back. 9.775
Orengo (Utah State) – Jaeger to bail. Double layout with leg separation and a small scoot back. 9.775
Le Pen (Southern Utah) – FTY with pike at the end and a medium step forward. 9.650
VanderToolen (Utah State) – Toe on to Maloney to Pak with some leg separation in both elements. Stalder to double back with a small hop forward. 9.775
Thompson (Southern Utah) – exhibition – Tucked FTY with a medium step back.
Wright (Utah State) – exhibition – Toe on to floaty Ray. Pak salto. Short on her pirouette on the low bar. Double layout with leg separation and a small step back.
AFTER TWO: Utah State 97.875, Southern Utah 97.575
Southern Utah didn’t get the landings and so had to settle for some lower scores. But having quite a clean meet thus far will have them feeling positive going into floor. Utah State didn’t quite hit 49.000 thanks to small hops and steps on dismounts. After exhibitioning almost every week last season, Vater is finally in this lineup and today contributed the highest score. She’s sneakily pushing toward the all-around with exhibitions on vault and beam last week as well.
Rotation 3: Utah State BB, Southern Utah FX
Jelen (Utah State) – Side aerial BHS with no problem. Beat jump to double stag ring, lands aggressively. Switch leap. BHS gainer full with a small hop back. 9.775
Hampton (Southern Utah) – FHS to front double full, steps out of it. Switch leap to switch 1/2 to wolf full. FHS Rudi to loso is nice. 9.800
Valdez (Utah State) – BHS layout stepout like it’s easy. Switch leap to switch 1/2 with a big leg up bobble. Double twist is near stuck, small movement of one foot. 9.700
Paladino (Southern Utah) – Punch double front with decent control. Cat leap to switch 1/2 to wolf full to stag jump. Punch Rudi to back layout that has a fair bit of pike. 9.775
Orengo (Utah State) – Cat leap to front toss to back handspring, seemed a bit off on front toss, but no wobbles. Switch leap to split jump. 1.5 twist with a small hop forward. 9.775
Martinez (Southern Utah) – FHS to Rudi to layout stepout that was largely obscured by a coach but seemed fine. Switch leap through to switch ring 1/2. FHS to front full to front layout with leg separation, not a lot of height through the series. Love her ending pose with Trinity Thomas vibes. 9.725
Medrano (Utah State) – BHS layout stepout with a leg up wobble. Beat jump to side aerial. Split jump to split 3/4. Gainer full with a small hop back. 9.700
Hall (Southern Utah) – Front double full with a big step forward and lack of control. Leap series was fine. Rudi to high layout stepout. 9.775
Witte (Utah State) – BHS BHS layout stepout is smooth. Split jump to split 3/4. Front aerial with no prob. Gainer pike is stuck but pretty close to the beam and a little offline. 9.825
Randolph (Southern Utah) – Double layout with good control, a small step back. Seemed like she almost surprised herself with the control she had. Switch side half to straddle jump x2. Front tuck through to double back with a slide/step back. 9.750
Morabito (Utah State) – Cat leap to side somi. BHS BHS layout stepout. Switch leap to split jump. Overturns the full turn and makes a small adjustment. Front full dismount is stuck. 9.850
Fernandez (Southern Utah) – Double back, avoids bringing up the front foot. Switch 1/2 to wolf 1.5 that is a bit short. 1.5 twist to front layout is good. Rudi with a slide/hop backward. 9.775
Vater (Utah State) – exhibition – Front aerial with a big wobble and backs up to retry. Front aerial to back tuck is solid. Switch leap to straddle 1/4. 1.5 twist is stuck. 9.750
AFTER THREE: Utah State 146.800, Southern Utah 146.450
The Aggies will be happy with an improvement on last week’s beam rotation. Morabito’s routine is a boost to this lineup, and Vater will threaten for the lineup if she can be consistent. The Thunderbirds had early-season landings – lots of steps and slides that eat away at scores, but the bones are there. Both teams have performed well through three rotations and should feel confident going into the final event. Utah State has steadily built up a lead, but it’s still tight enough that Southern Utah could pull off a victory.
Rotation 4: Southern Utah BB, Utah State FX
Rudolph (Southern Utah) – Wolf turn. Front toss to BHS x2 is solid. Straddle to straddle 1/4, both elements look undersplit. 1.5 twist is stuck. 9.875
Gruber (Utah State) – 2.5 twist with a controlled landing. Switch side 1/2 to straddle, rotation was under on the first element. 1.5 twist to front full that is a bit short and doesn’t get much height. 9.750
Hampton (Southern Utah) – Front aerial to BHS x2. Switch leap to split leap. Gainer full is stuck. 9.850
Yelle (Utah State) – Front double full. Switch side 1/2 to straddle jump. 1.5 twist to front layout that’s pretty low. 9.775
Miller (Southern Utah) – BHS layout stepout with a small leg up wobble. She just did a front attitude in her choreo, I’m in love. Cat leap to switch 1/2 to beat jump. A small wobble on the full turn. Double twist with a small hop back. 9.775
Southam (Utah State) – Front layout to high Rudi. Switch side 1/2 to straddle jump. Double back is landed well but with a small adjustment of one foot. 9.800
Ferguson (Southern Utah) – Double wolf turn. BHS through to side somi is solid. Beat jump to split 3/4 which is under split. Gainer front full with a small hop forward. 9.725
Vater (Utah State) – Punch double front full, bigger step out of it. Switch leap to switch side 1/2. Britney Spears routines seem to be a theme this year. I can think of two others. 1.5 twist to front layout that’s underrotated and she has to separate her legs and work to control it. 9.775
Bringhurst (Southern Utah) – Reverse full turn. BHS layout stepout with a big wobble and ultimately falls. Beat jump to split 3/4 that looked under split. Front toss with a small lean to beat jump. BHS gainer full is stuck. 9.250
Dewey (Utah State) – Front tuck through to double back with a good landing. Switch side 1/2 to straddle. That’s a common leap series on this team. 1.5 twist to front layout is nicely done. 9.825
De Groot (Southern Utah) – Wolf turn. BHS layout stepout with a small wobble. Switch 1/2 to beat jump. Side somi, lands with lower chest. 1.5 twist is stuck. 9.825
Orengo (Utah State) – Front tuck through to double back with a slide back and another bigger wobble to avoid going out of bounds. Switch 1/2 to wolf… full? Not sure if it was meant to be a 1.5 or I just can’t count. 1.5 twist to lower front layout. 9.700
Rieder (Southern Utah) – exhibition – High switch leap to split leap. Cat leap front aerial with a big leg up wobble. She saves it with an arm swing. Backs up to repeat front aerial to BHS and she’s off. Cat leap to front aerial to one leg. Gainer full is stuck. 8.975
FINAL: Utah State 195.700, Southern Utah 195.550
Southern Utah saved its best for last, going 49.100 on beam. That’ll be a benchmark performance for them this season. Utah State put up a solid performance on floor, but that ended as their lowest scoring event. Both teams will feel fine about this meet, but both scored lower than last week. Refining and cleaning up routines will be key for both the Aggies and the Thunderbirds as the season goes on.
VT: Nyla Morabito (Utah State), 9.850
UB: Isabella Vater (Utah State), 9.850
BB: Niya Randolph (Southern Utah), 9.875
FX: Anabelle Dewey (Utah State), 9.825
AA: Niya Randolph (Southern Utah), 39.275
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Live blog by Diana Scroggins
