LOGAN, Utah – Utah State head gymnastics coach Amy Smith has announced the addition of Anique Grenier, who signed a letter of acceptance with the Aggies, to this year's recruiting class.

The native of Parker, Colo., joined the incoming freshman class of Mikelle Ballard, Olivia Blakely, Brianna Brooks, Lara Burhans, Eve Jackson and Angel Stuart.

"Anique has such an interesting story," Smith said. "She essentially retired from the sport two years ago and was attending school at Southern Utah and was working with their gymnastics team there. She then decided that she wanted to be a college athlete and reached out to us about the possibility of joining our team, which we are so thrilled that she did. Anique is a beautiful bars worker and should earn herself a spot in that lineup."

Grenier, a two-time state champion on both bars and beam, planned on retiring from gymnastics after her senior year at Chaparral High School.

"Leading up to my final year in high school I felt like I was not good enough to do college gymnastics," Grenier said. "My two favorite coaches, one being my mom (Lisa Grenier), opened a new gym (Incline Gymnastics) my senior year and I thought it was a decent way to end my career."

After graduating from Chaparral HS in 2018, Grenier continued her education at Southern Utah, where she served as a student-coach for the Thunderbirds. Being around the gymnasts, however, only fueled her fire of wanting to be back out on the floor competing.

"I thought having a small involvement would be good enough, but in the end, nothing compared to the feeling of being part of a team and doing what I have loved for so long," Grenier said.

So, Grenier decided to unretire from the sport she grew up loving and found a new home, and team, at Utah State.

"I was seeking out an environment that was welcoming and full of people who believed in me," Grenier said. "I wanted to be valued and respected as an athlete. Utah State's community made me feel appreciated. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Utah State Gymnastics. I am here to contribute to the team both academically and athletically in any way I can. I'm excited to work hard and dedicate myself to this team."

The 5-foot-8 daughter of Eric and Lisa Grenier trains in vault, bars and floor for the Aggies.

Under Smith, who is in her fourth season at the helm of Utah State, the Aggies enjoyed one of their most remarkable seasons in school history during the 2020 campaign.

After beginning the year 1-6, the Aggies finished with a 7-6-1 overall record, marking the first time since 1999 that they ended the season with a winning record. Utah State went 4-0 inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum – just the third second in school history it has posted a perfect record at home, joining the 1978 (8-0) team.

Before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Aggies were ranked 29th in the nation with a National Qualifying Score of 195.915 and had likely secured a trip to the NCAA Regional Championships for the first time since 2017. This was USU's best finish since ending the 2002 campaign ranked 27th.

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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