Final Stats

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Utah State's gymnastics team concluded its 2016 season by placing fifth with a score of 195.025 at the NCAA Regional Championships on Saturday night in front of 7,927 fans at the Huntsman Center.

"I've never competed in front of a crowd that was this big," said junior Hayley Sanzotti, who tied for 13th on beam (9.800) and tied for 35th on floor (9.750). "Even during warmups, you could just feel the energy with all six teams in there, so it was a lot of fun to have that kind of atmosphere and all these fans know their gymnastics and they were supportive of everyone out there."

No. 5-ranked Utah, the top seed in the Regional, placed first with a 197.125, while No. 8 and second-seeded UCLA finished second with a 196.375. The Utes and Bruins both advanced to the NCAA National Championships, which will be held April 15-16 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Aggies were seeded sixth in the Salt Lake City Regional and finished ahead of Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference rival Southern Utah, which scored a 194.950. Washington placed third with a 195.825 and Illinois took fourth with a 195.350.

"We just wanted to go out there and hit our routines," Sanzotti said. "We weren't actually expecting to finish in a certain place, we were just like, 'We need to hit and do our thing and show everyone what Utah State gymnastics is about.' I think we did our job."

Utah State also finished fifth at regionals last year and took sixth in 2014.

"It's exciting that this was our third regional in a row and the girls made all their routines," said third-year head coach Nadalie Walsh. "I wish we could do the whole thing over, but honestly, there are a lot of great lessons to take out of it. Our future is going to be great because the girls are going to want to go back to regionals and be even better next year. In order to run with the big dogs, you've got to see the big dogs and then know what we've got to change.

"They are going to be able to take a lot away from this experience," Walsh continued, "and I'm just really pleased with their unity and their team camaraderie. They stick together, which really helps them."

Utah State opened the meet with a 48.750 on vault. Freshman Madison Ward led the way with a career-best score of 9.775. Senior Jillian Chappel also had a 9.775 as each gymnast tied for 19th the event.

Following their first bye of the night, the Aggies competed on bars in the third rotation and notched a 48.650, led by senior McKinzey Martinez's 9.800. She placed 12th on the event and was the top Utah State finisher of the night.

"We came in pretty prepared and the coaches talked to us about it, but when Utah walked out and you heard the roar from the crowd, all of our hearts started beating super-fast," Martinez said. "It was an amazing feeling and we're all happy that we got to compete in front of gymnastics' greatest crowd. It was really exciting and we had a lot of fun."

Utah State moved to beam in the fourth rotation and scored a 48.675, highlighted by Sanzotti's 9.800. Sophomores Keri Peel and Melanie Oster both tied for 20th on the event with 9.775s.

Utah State closed out the NCAA Regional Championships on floor, where the team turned in its best performance with a 48.950. Ward, Peel, Martinez and Chappel all had a 9.800 to tie for 22nd.

"It was fun to go out there and finish on floor and really show the fans what we are made of," Martinez said.

Fans can follow the Aggie gymnastics program at twitter.com/USUGymnastics, on Facebook at Utah State Gymnastics, and on Instagram at USUGymnastics. Fans can also follow the USU athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at UtahStateAthletics.

Utah State at NCAA Regional Championships - Salt Lake City, Utah - Huntsman Center - April 2, 2016

Team Results: 1. Utah - 197.125 (vault: 49.250, bars: 49.350, beam: 49.225, floor: 49.300); 2. UCLA - 196.375 (vault: 49.125, bars: 48.800, beam: 49.050, floor: 49.400); 3. Washington - 195.825 (vault: 49.000, bars: 48.525, beam: 49.100, floor: 49.200); 4. Illinois - 195.350 (vault: 48.525, bars: 48.675, beam: 48.875, floor: 49.275); 5. Utah State - 195.025 (vault: 48.750, bars: 48.650, beam: 48.675, floor: 48.950); 6. Southern Utah - 194.950 (vault: 48.850, bars: 48.825, beam: 48.350, floor: 48.925).

Vault: T1. Madison Preston - UCLA, 9.900; T1. Kailah Delaney - UU, 9.900; T3. Danielle Ramirez - SUU, 9.875; T3. Alexandra Yacalis - UW, 9.875; T3. Tiffani Lewis - UU, 9.875; T19. Madison Ward - USU, 9.775; T19. Jillian Chappel - USU, 9.775; T23. McKinzey Martinez - USU, 9.750; T23. Katie Brown - USU, 9.750; 33. Michelle Yasukochi - USU, 9.700; T36. Bailey McIntire - USU, 9.600.

Bars: 1. Christine Peng-Lee - UCLA, 9.950; 2. Breanna Hughes - UU, 9.925; 3. Tiffani Lewis - UU, 9.900; T4. Kassandra Lopez - UU, 9.875; T4. Danielle Ramirez - SUU, 9.875; T12. McKinzey Martinez - USU, 9.800; T17. Keri Peel - USU, 9.775; 20. JoAnna Cuba - USU, 9.750; T29. Bailey McIntire - USU, 9.675; T32. Madison Ward - USU, 9.650; 38. Melanie Oster - USU, 9.550.

Beam: T1. Danusia Francis - UCLA, 9.900; T1. Allison Northey - UW, 9.900; T3. Samantha Partyka - UU, 9.850; T3. Kailah Delaney - UU, 9.850; T3. Kassandra Lopez - UU, 9.850; T3. Baely Rowe - UU, 9.850; T3. Sunny Kato - UI, 9.850; T3. Danielle Ramirez - SUU, 9.850; T13. Hayley Sanzotti - USU, 9.800; T20. Keri Peel - USU, 9.775; T20. Melanie Oster - USU, 9.775; T32. Bailey McIntire - USU, 9.700; 35. Emily Briones - USU, 9.625; 41. Katie Brown - USU, 9.025.

Floor: T1. Lizzy Leduc - UI, 9.950; T1. Sadiqua Bynum - UCLA, 9.950; 3. Breanna Hughes - UU, 9.925; T4. Erin Buchanan - UI, 9.900; T4. Danusia Francis - UCLA, 9.900; T4. Kalliah McCartney - Sac. State, 9.900; T21. Jillian Chappel - USU, 9.800; T21. McKinzey Martinez - USU, 9.800; T21. Keri Peel - USU, 9.800; T21. Madison Ward - USU, 9.800; T34. Hayley Sanzotti - USU, 9.750; T37. Bailey McIntire - USU, 9.700.

All-Around: 1. Breanna Hughes - UU, 39.525; 2. Danielle Ramirez - SUU, 39.400; 3. Baely Rowe - UU, 39.300; 4. Allison Northey - UW, 39.275; 5. Samantha Partyka - UU, 39.250; 12. Bailey McIntire - USU, 38.675.