LOGAN, Utah – Utah State's 23rd-ranked gymnastics team returns to action on Friday, Feb. 19, when the Aggies open a four-meet road stretch against No. 17 Southern Utah at the America First Event Center.

The Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference dual meet featuring the Aggies (1-6, 1-5 MRGC) and Flippin' Birds (3-5, 2-4 MRGC) is slated to begin at 7 p.m. The meet will be streamed live at here. Additionally, live stats will be available online at https://bit.ly/3aoh2mX, and meet updates will be provided through the team's social media outlets.

"We are excited to head down to SUU and get another opportunity to compete," said USU head coach Amy Smith. "We are hoping to drop our 194 road score we had at the beginning of the year and replace it with another 196-plus. We learned a lot as a team during our last home meet about intention, focus and fight. I am hopeful the girls will put that into play, and if they choose to do so, we should be very happy at the end of Saturday night."

This is the third meeting between USU and SUU this season. Both teams opened the year at the Rio Tinto Best of Utah Meet on Jan. 9, at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, where Utah State placed third (194.350) and Southern Utah took fourth (194.325).

Two weeks later, Utah State opened the home portion of its schedule with a 196.650-196.225 loss to Southern Utah on Jan. 22. The 196.225 recorded by the Aggies is the highest home-opening score in school history, bettering the 195.675 in the 2020 home opener against Boise State.

Utah State currently holds national rankings on two events. The Aggies are 24th on vault (48.870) and 20th on beam (48.910). Individually, senior Mikaela Meyer ranks first in the MRGC and 21st nationally on vault with an average of 9.865, while fellow senior Autumn DeHarde is first in the conference and 12th nationally on beam with an average of 9.888.

Meyer was named the MRGC co-Vault Specialist of the Week after she won the title with a 9.850 against No. 21 Boise State last weekend. It marked the third time this year, and fifth time in her career, that the native of Meyersville, Md., has garnered a weekly accolade from the MRGC.

Furthermore, Meyer has captured the vault crown in Utah State's last four meets, becoming the first Aggie gymnast to accomplish that feat since Deanna Palmer won five in a row in 1997. Meyer has six vault titles in her career, which is tied for 10th all-time in school history. Her four titles on the event this year is tied for 10th in a single season.

In a series that dates back to 1983, Southern Utah holds a slight edge over Utah State, 52-51. The Aggies are seeking their first victory in Cedar City since 2018.

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.