UTAH STATE CONCLUDES MRGC REGULAR SEASON AT IN-STATE RIVAL BYU 
Utah State (1-7, 1-6 Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference) concludes the MRGC regular season portion of its schedule when the Aggies take on BYU (2-9, 2-5 MRGC) on Friday, Feb. 24, at the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah. The dual meet featuring the Aggies and Cougars is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

SULLIVAN AMONG NATION'S ELITE 
Utah State beam specialist Sofi Sullivan was named a nominee for the 2023 AAI Award, presented to the nation's most outstanding senior.

The AAI Award is widely considered the Heisman Trophy of women's gymnastics. AAI has been awarding this honor for more than 30 years. NCAA head coaches were asked to submit a nomination for the candidate or candidates of their choice. After the initial nominations, the field will be narrowed to the top six student-athletes.

Sullivan is one of 39 gymnasts nominated for the AAI Award, including one of just two from the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference, along with BYU's Elease Rollins.

The native of Manhattan Beach, California, has competed in four meets this season and is averaging 9.875 on beam. She has garnered a pair of MRGC Beam Specialist of the Week accolades this year, including after tying for first on the event with a season-high 9.925 in a 196.650-195.900 loss to BYU on Jan. 27, at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

TOOMEY EARNS FIRST WEEKLY CONFERENCE AWARD 
Utah State senior Ariel Toomey was tabbed the co-Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference (MRGC) Floor Specialist of the Week, the league announced on Feb. 20.

It is Toomey's first weekly conference honor this year and the first of her career.

The native of Tacoma, Washington, won the floor title with a personal-best 9.925 in the Aggies' 197.125-196.175 loss to then-No. 21 Southern Utah, which is now ranked 16th nationally, last Friday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

As a team, Utah State finished with a 49.225 on floor against the Thunderbirds, their second-highest score of the season on the event.

Toomey ranks fourth in the MRGC and is tied for 89th nationally on floor with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 9.850 on the event.

AGGIES IN THE RANKINGS 
Utah State is ranked 46th in the country in Week 7 of the Road to Nationals rankings with a National Qualifying Score of 194.825. The Aggies also rank 43rd on floor (48.940), 43rd on beam (48.695), 51st on vault (48.625) and 54th on bars (48.490). Individually, junior Brianna Brooks is tied for 86th nationally on bars (9.835) and senior Ariel Toomey is tied for 89th on floor (9.850). In the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference rankings, Brooks ranks sixth on bars (9.835) and 10th on vault (9.760). Toomey (9.850) and fellow senior Alivia Ostendorf (9.840) rank fourth and fifth, respectively, on floor.

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS 
In Utah State's Feb. 17 outing against then-No. 21 Southern Utah, six different gymnasts set or tied eight career-best marks in the meet. Senior Ariel Toomey captured the floor title with a personal-best 9.925, while junior Jenna Eagles tied for seventh on the same event with a career-high 9.825. Sophomore Payton Gatzlaff also tied for seventh on floor as she matched her personal best on the event with a 9.825. Brianna Brooks placed second in the all-around with a personal-best 39.300. The junior from Las Vegas, Nevada, also tied for first on bars with a career-high-tying 9.900 and tied for third on beam with a personal-best-tying 9.900. Sophomore Dani Kirstine tied for third on bars with a career-high-tying 9.875, while freshman Avery Bibbey tied for sixth on the event with a personal-best 9.850.