LOGAN, Utah – Utah State head gymnastics coach Amy Smith has officially announced the addition of Amari Evans and Dani Lacasse Kirstine.

"We are so excited that Amari and Danika have chosen to be Aggies," Smith said. "We are just so thrilled to add these two to an already stellar freshman class."

Joining the Aggies from WOGA Gymnastics in Plano, Texas, Evans was coached by Matt Winn, Josh Jefferis and Natalya Marakova. The incoming freshman was named to America's Top 100 on uneven bars with a 9.750 in 2016, her first season competing as a Level 10 gymnast. In 2017, she won the bars title at the state championships while qualifying for regionals. She is a two-time state champion on bars, once each at Level 9 and Level 10.

The native of McKinney, Texas, was named an alternate for the 2018 Junior Olympic Nationals after finishing eighth in the all-around and fourth on floor at the Region 3 Championships. Evans qualified for the 2019 Junior Olympic Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana, and in 2020, she qualified for the state championships, but was unable to compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Amari should come in and make an impact in the bars and floor lineups, and has a chance to also break into the beam lineup," Smith said. "She has beautiful lines and is very creative in that she has choreographed her club routines and will continue to do so in college, which is really cool."

By way of Las Vegas, Nevada, Kirstine comes to Logan from Brown's Gymnastics under the direction of Kyle Khou. The incoming freshman was the 2019 Junior Olympic Nationals bars champion and helped lead her club team to a first-place finish at Lady Luck 2020.

"Danika is a great all-around athlete, but is a standout on bars where she won the JO National Championship on that event in 2019," Smith said. "She also does a very unique and difficult skill named after former UCLA gymnast Mohini Bhardwaj. There are only a handful of gymnasts that have done this skill in college, so this will definitely set her apart and be very eye-catching. Danika also has the opportunity to make an impact on our beam and floor lineups, as well."

Lacasse Kirstine's mother, Josée, is a former Canadian alpine skier who won multiple World Cup titles and competed in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Calgary, placing 11th in the giant slalom and 16th in the slalom. She later attended Sierra Nevada College on a full scholarship and is in the Eagles' Hall of Fame.

For more information on the Utah State gymnastics program, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUGymnastics, on Facebook at UtahStateGymnastics and on Instagram at USUGymnastics. 

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