LOGAN, Utah – Utah State gymnastics continues its 2025 season on Friday, Feb. 21, as it hosts Mountain West-foe Boise State at 7 p.m.
 
Utah State is promoting this meet as the 'My Cause Meet'. Student-athletes and staff will display posterboards along the concourse to bring awareness to the 'Causes' that each of them is passionate about.
 
The causes that will be highlighted by the team are - Mental Health Awareness, Pride and Panic Attack Disorder, Andre Seldon Foundation, Animal Rescue/Spay & Neuter Laws, Heart Disease Awareness, The Humane Society of the United States, Alzheimer's, Breast Cancer, Importance of Blood Donation, Cancer Awareness & Screening, Lymphoma Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Colon Cancer, Helping the Homeless and Youth Access to Sports.  
 
MEET INFORMATION
Utah State vs. Boise State
Date: Friday, Feb. 21, 2025
March In: 7 p.m.
Site: Logan, Utah
Venue: Dee Glen Smith Spectrum
Live Stream: MW Network
Live Scoring: StatBroadcast
 
HEAD COACH KRISTIN WHITE
"We are really excited for our home meet tomorrow. It is our annual 'My Cause' competition and it is always empowering to compete for something bigger than ourselves. We are looking forward to cleaning up our landings and putting up a great performance. This team is hungry to win.
 
"Come support these women. They have had an exceptional year so far and the more fans in the stands, the better the environment, and the more they want to perform."
 
RECAPPING THE METROPLEX CHALLENGE MEET
Utah State scored a season high 196.475, which is the ninth best road score in program history, to finish second at the Metroplex Challenge last weekend. During the night, Utah State gymnasts produced four career highs and two more season bests.
 
Utah State began the meet on the bars and scored 49.275, followed by a season-high-tying 49.050 on beam, a season-best 49.250 on floor and 48.900 on vault. Its bars score is its second best this year and its vault score is tied for its second best. No. 7 California won the tri meet with a 197.050 as it scored 49.100 on vault, 49.425 on bars, 48.925 on beam and 49.600 on floor. Texas Woman's finished third with 195.375 as it scored 48.925 on vault, 48.675 on bars, 48.775 on beam and 49.000 on floor.
 
Utah State opened the meet with 49.275 for its second-best bars score of the season. Freshman Olivia Orengo started the night scoring 9.800. Sophomore Sydney Jelen followed with a 9.700 and freshman Lundyn VanderToolen scored a career high 9.875. Junior Avery Bibbey and graduate Brianna Brooks also scored 9.875 as the trio tied for third. Senior Dani Kirstine finished the rotation with 9.850.
 
Utah State moved to beam for its second rotation and posted a season-high-tying 49.050. Jelen started the team off by scoring 9.850. Graduate Jenna Eagles followed with 9.700 and Orengo posted 9.800 to tie her career high. Freshman Kaylie Medrano scored 9.725 and sophomore Mya Witte notched a 9.800. Brooks then anchored the event with a team-best 9.875 to tie for first.
 
Moving to the floor for its third rotation, Utah State scored a season high of 49.250. Eagles and graduate Angel Stuart both scored 9.825. That score for Stuart is a season best. Orengo and Medrano then posted back-to-back career highs of 9.875 and 9.850, respectively. Sophomore Isabella Vater followed with a 9.750 and sophomore Nyla Morabito finished the rotation with 9.875 as her and Orengo tied for third on the event.
 
Utah State finished the competition with 48.900 on vault for its second-best score of the season on the apparatus. Brooks scored 9.750 to get the Aggies started and VanderToolen followed with 9.775. Senior Payton Gatzlaff then scored a season high 9.800 and Medrano had 9.750. Morabito had the best score for USU with 9.825 to tie for fourth on the event and Witte finished the competition with 9.675.
 
UTAH STATE NOTES
Utah State is ranked second in the Mountain West and 30th in the nation with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 195.580. USU ranks first in the MW and 20th in the nation on beam (48.980), first in the MW and 36th in the nation on vault (48.740), second in the MW and 23rd in the nation on bars (49.055), and second in the MW and 40th in the nation on floor (48.890).
 
Individually, graduate Brianna Brooks ranks first in the MW and tied for 33rd in the nation on beam with a NQS of 9.850 and is third in the MW and tied for 42nd in the nation on bars (9.845). Sophomore Nyla Morabito ranks first in the MW and tied for 36th in the nation on floor (9.860), and first in the MW and tied for 54th in the nation on vault (9.815). Junior Avery Bibbey ranks second in the MW and tied for 31st in the nation on bars (9.860). Sophomore Sydney Jelen ranks second in the MW and tied for 50th in the nation on beam (9.835). Freshman Lundyn VanderToolen ranks sixth in the MW and tied for 77th in the nation on bars (9.815).
 
Utah State had two gymnasts earn weekly Mountain West honors following performances last weekend against seventh-ranked California and Texas Woman's at the Metroplex Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. Morabito was named the MW Vault Specialist of the Week and MW Floor Co-Specialist of the Week with scores of 9.825 and 9.875, respectively, while freshman Olivia Orengo was named MW Floor Co-Specialist of the Week with a career high 9.875. 
 
Morabito earned her fifth and sixth conference honor this year and the seventh of her career. It is the fourth time this year and fifth time in her career she has been named the MW Vault Specialist of the Week and the second time this year and in her career she has been named the MW Floor Specialist of the Week.
 
Orengo earned her second conference honor this year and it is the first time she has been named the MW Floor Specialist of the Week.
 
Brooks has claimed 18 event titles in her career, with six on beam, six on bars, five in the all-around and one on the vault. She has six event titles this season as she has placed first on beam four times and first on bars twice.
 
Brooks' six career bars titles are tied for the 10th-most in program history and her six beam titles are tied for the 12th most.
 
Brooks' four beam titles this season are tied for the eighth-most in a single season in school history.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Boise State is ranked 27th in the nation with National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 195.630. The Broncos are first in the Mountain West and 14th in the nation on bars (49.130), first in the MW and 39th in the nation on floor (48.895), second in the MW and 21st in the nation on beam (49.055), and third in the MW and 41st in the nation on vault (48.705).
 
Senior Emily Lopez ranks first in the MW and tied for 15th in the nation on bars with a NQS of 9.880 and is tied for second in the MW and tied for 50th in the nation on beam (9.835). Senior Alyssa Vulaj ranks second in the MW and tied for 79th in the nation on vault (9.800). Senior Blake Pascal ranks second in the MW and tied for 122nd in the nation on floor (9.795).
 
SERIES HISTORY
Utah State is 58-60-1 all-time against Boise State, including a 28-19 home record. USU has lost each of its last seven meetings against BSU and its last win against the Broncos was on March 31, 2022, when it posted a 196.825-196.425 neutral site win at the NCAA Regionals in Norman, Oklahoma. The last time USU defeated Boise State at home was on Feb. 7, 2020, by a final score of 195.675-193.850. The two programs competed earlier this year in a tri meet with Sacramento State in Boise on Jan. 31, as the Broncos won the meet with a 195.925 and USU placed second with a 195.850.
 
NEXT UP
Utah State competes at Mountain West-foe San José State on Sunday, March 2, at 3 p.m. (MT). This will be the second meeting this year between the two programs as USU posted a 195.125-194.225 home win on Feb. 7.
 
TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets for the 2025 Utah State gymnastics season by visiting www.UtahStateAggies.com.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
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