LOGAN, Utah – Utah State gymnastics, along with BYU, Southern Utah, Utah and the Maverik Center of West Valley City, announced a multi-year partnership Tuesday morning that will bring the four schools together to compete at the Rio Tinto Best of Utah NCAA Gymnastics Meet for the next five seasons.
 
The inaugural Rio Tinto Best of Utah Meet will be held on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. The partnership marks the first time that the schools will compete against one another in the same venue on a raised, podium floor.
 
"The Maverik Center of West Valley City is honored to host the Rio Tinto Best of Utah NCAA Gymnastics Meet," said Maverik Center CEO Kevin Bruder. "Our community looks forward to continuing to host high-caliber gymnastics events that elevate the level of competition."
 
Tickets to the Rio Tinto Best of Utah NCAA Gymnastics Meet are on sale now. Buy your tickets through the exclusive university presale links to take advantage of early bird discounted pricing on premium seats and to sit with your fan base. The exclusive university special offers $25 premium seating that includes $5 off the regular ticket price and no online convenience fees. The offer is valid through Thursday, Oct. 31. Full price tickets are available at smithstix.com and the Maverik Center Box Office.
 
Aggie fans can purchase their tickets to the 2020 Rio Tinto Best of Utah NCAA Gymnastics Meet here: https://tinyurl.com/y2grt59d.
 
CHALK TALK
The Rio Tinto Best of Utah NCAA Gymnastics Meet marks the second time in history that Utah, BYU, Southern Utah, and Utah State will participate at the same event. The only other gathering was the Smith's Challenge Cup in 1993, where Utah won the quad meet, Utah State finished second, BYU placed third and Southern Utah captured fourth… Utah competes in the Pac-12 Conference, while the other three in-state schools are members of the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference… There are 26 Utah natives on the 2020 rosters between the four schools (Utah-2, BYU-11, SUU-9, USU-4)… The Maverik Center hosted the 2019 Pac-12 Championships and drew a crowd of 8,621 in its inaugural podium event.
 
SERIES SHORTS
• BYU leads Utah State 79-48-1, including 21-13 at neutral sites. The Cougars have won seven straight against the Aggies.
• Southern Utah and Utah State are tied in the overall series, 49-49, but the Thunderbirds lead 16-6 on a neutral floor. USU had won four straight against SUU, but the T-birds took all three meetings in 2019.
• Utah leads BYU 99-2 in the series and is undefeated on a neutral floor (25-0).
• Utah leads the series with Utah State 89-3 and is 22-1 on a neutral floor. The Aggies and Utes have not met since the 2016 NCAA Regional Championships, while the two have not had a regular season meeting since the 2012 campaign
• Utah leads Southern Utah 24-0 in the series. The two teams have only met five times at a neutral site.
• BYU is 23-19-1 in the overall series with Southern Utah. SUU went 2-1 against the Cougars in 2019.
 
About Maverik Center
The Maverik Center, which can seat more than 9,000 fans for women's gymnastics, has hosted numerous marquee events over its 20-year history, including the 2002 Winter Olympics when it was the venue for the Ice Hockey Championships. The current home of the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies, an affiliate of the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, Maverik Center is dedicated to providing superior entertainment in a comfortable, enjoyable setting. Located in the heart of the Salt Lake Valley in West Valley City, the site will transform the second weekend in January for each of the next five seasons for the Rio Tinto Best of Utah NCAA Gymnastics Meet. For additional information, please visit maverikcenter.com.
 
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.
 
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