BOISE, Idaho – With a strong performance on floor in the final rotation, Boise State rallied to beat Utah State 196.325-195.675 in a Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference dual meet Friday night at ExtraMile Arena.
 
Following a season-high 49.325 on floor, the Aggies were leading the Broncos 147.325-147.075 heading into the final rotation of the night.
 
But, Utah State (1-5, 1-4 MRGC) couldn't maintain the lead as Boise State turned in a 49.250 on floor, while the Aggies finished the meet with a 48.350 on beam.
 
"Unfortunately, we did let that last rotation slip away," said first-year Utah State head coach Kristin White. "We were on the verge of having a great 196 meet and at the end of the day, we've got to be mentally tough and put four events together on Friday night every single time. We just didn't do that."
 
For the second-consecutive meet, Brianna Brooks won the all-around with a career-best 39.200. The junior from Las Vegas, Nevada, tied for fourth on vault with a season-high 9.850, placed third on bars with a season-high-tying 9.875, tied for eighth on beam with a 9.675 and tied for eighth on floor with a career-high 9.800.
 
Senior Alivia Ostendorf captured her first-career title as an Aggie as she tied for first on floor with a career-high 9.925.
 
"I had a good routine last week and I didn't get the score I necessarily wanted, so I knew I could do it again," Ostendorf said. "I was just wanting to lift up the floor score after a couple of mistakes, but I was just excited to get out there and do it for my team."
 
Sophomore Amari Evans placed third on floor with a career-high-tying 9.900, senior Ariel Toomey tied for fourth with a personal-best-tying 9.875 and sophomore Payton Gatzlaff placed seventh with a career-best 9.825.
 
"Floor was awesome," White said. "In the preseason, we were a little bit worried about depth and finding six routines that were going to be able to hit consistent all the time, and I think we've done just that. Unfortunately, we had that first mistake, but to be able to put five incredible routines up right after that and get a season high was awesome. I'm just looking forward to them continuing to build the momentum."
The Aggies couldn't keep the momentum going on beam, though. Fifth-year senior Carley Bayles, competing for the first time this season, led Utah State on the apparatus as she placed sixth with a 9.800.
 
"Having Carley's experience is amazing and she's been making a lot of progress after coming back from an injury this preseason," White said. "I'm looking forward to continuing to having her in the lineup. Our team is more aggressive and confident with Carley in that spot, because she's been doing that for the last four years at Utah State. To have her back is amazing and I'm looking forward to having Sofi (Sullivan) back in there with her in the future, and just continue to make great strides in that event."
 
Utah State began the meet on bars, where Brooks placed third with her 9.875, fifth-year senior Grace Rojas placed fourth with a 9.850 and freshman Avery Bibbey placed fifth with a career-high-tying 9.825.
 
The Aggies finished with a 49.050 on bars, while the Broncos opened with a 49.400 on vault.
 
Utah State turned in a season-high 48.950 on vault in the second rotation. After Brooks' 9.850, Ostendorf placed sixth with a personal-best 9.825. Boise State had to count a fall on bars and finished with a 48.375, which allowed the Aggies to move in front 98.000-97.775.
 
"We started off pretty well and with a lot of energy," Ostendorf said. "We had some ups and downs during the meet, but we kept it pretty consistent. I am really proud of this team. We did well, but we can always do better. I'm excited to come out next weekend at home and show them what we can do, because we can do way better than this."
 
NEXT MEET
 
Utah State opens a two-meet homestand on Friday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. when it welcomes Boise State to the Spectrum. Tickets can be purchased here.
 
Utah State at Boise State | Boise, Idaho | ExtraMile Arena | February 3, 2023 
Team Results: 1. 1. Boise State – 196.325 (vault: 49.400, bars: 48.375, beam: 49.300, floor: 49.250); 2. Utah State – 195.675 (vault: 48.950, bars: 49.050, beam: 48.350, floor: 49.325).
 
Vault: 1. Adriana Popp – BSU, 9.950; 2. Emily Lopez – BSU, 9.925; 3. Courtney Blackson – BSU, 9.900 T4. Emma Loyim – BSU, 9.850; T4. Brianna Brooks – USU, 9.850; 6. Alivia Ostendorf – USU, 9.825; T7. Alyssa Vulaj – BSU, 9.775; T7. Payton Gatzlaff – USU, 9.775; T7. Amari Evans – USU, 9.775; T10. Angel Stuart – USU, 9.725; T10. Jenna Eagles – USU, 9.725; 12. Dani Nakayma – BSU, 9.600.
 
Bars: 1. Courtney Blackson – BSU, 9.925; 2. Emily Lopez – BSU, 9.900; 3. Brianna Brooks – USU, 9.875; 4. Grace Rojas – USU, 9.850; 5. Avery Bibbey – USU, 9.825; 6. Dani Kirstine – USU, 9.775; T7. Jessica Gutierrez – USU, 9.725; T7. Dani Nakayma – BSU, 9.725; T7. Kylee Hamby – BSU, 9.725; 10. Lexi Aragon – USU, 9.575; 11. Elaina McGovern – BSU, 9.100; 12. Talia Little – BSU, 8.925.
 
Beam: 1. Adriana Popp – BSU, 9.900; T2. Talia Little – BSU, 9.875; T2. Emma Loyim – BSU, 9.875; T4. Alyssa Vulaj – BSU, 9.825; T4. Emily Lopez – BSU, 9.825; 6. Carley Bayles – USU, 9.800; 7. Lexi Aragon – USU, 9.700; T8. Alivia Ostendorf – USU, 9.675; T8. Brianna Brooks – USU, 9.675; 10. Dani Kirstine – USU, 9.500; 11. Erin Elkabchi – BSU, 9.475; 12. Grace Rojas – USU, 9.175.
 
Floor: T1. Alivia Ostendorf – USU, 9.925; T1. Emma Loyim – BSU, 9.925; 3. Amari Evans – USU, 9.900; T4. Elaina McGovern – BSU, 9.875; T4. Ariel Toomey – USU, 9.875; 6. Brantley Lucas – BSU, 9.850; 7. Payton Gatzlaff – USU, 9.825; T8. Alyssa Vulaj – BSU, 9.800; T8. Courtney Blackson – BSU, 9.800; T8. Brianna Brooks – USU, 9.800; 11. Sydney Leitch – BSU, 9.650; 12. Marley Peterson – USU, 8.925.
 
All-Around: 1. Brianna Brooks – USU, 39.200. 
 
-USU-