Boise State at Southern Utah

Recap

The Big Storyline: Boise State had a beam meltdown, which led the team to only having two scores above a 9.700 on the apparatus. While it struggled, Southern Utah excelled, coming just shy of scoring a 49-plus on all four events to hand Boise State its first loss of the season. Shylen Murakami and Karley McClain were solid for the Thunderbirds on their respective events. Blackson did not upgrade her vault, but she did make her floor debut for the Broncos.  Nevertheless, she’s a gymnast to watch for years to come. 

Implications: Southern Utah is having one of its best seasons in program history. The Thunderbirds put together a great competition score that should help propel them in the rankings. Even better for the Thunderbirds, Hannah Nipp returned to the lineups after being scratched from her remainder events last week, which will only add to the team’s total. 

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 20 Boise State at No. 17 Southern Utah

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: Southern Utah is at its highest national ranking since 2017. The team scored its highest road score in program history last week at Utah State. Boise State also had a record breaking week when it pulled off an upset win against conference rival BYU. With both teams coming off of season best performances, it should be a competitive battle for the win. Boise State is looking to continue to return athletes from unknown absences, which will help improve its chance here. Hannah Nipp’s status for Southern Utah is unknown after she fell on bars last week and was pulled from the remainder of the competition. 

Need More Proof? Karley McClain is having a superstar year for the Thunderbirds. The junior has been named MRCG Gymnast of the Week, two weeks in a row. She is the only Southern Utah gymnast to receive that honor two weeks in a row. Boise State has a huge bar rotation led by Emily Muhlenhaupt, who is ranked No. 1 in the country on the event. Courtney Blackson saw her first career action last week, but we will be looking for an upgraded vault from her at some point this season.