By Regan Hunsaker, SUU Athletics
CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Thunderbirds return to Cedar City for senior night on Friday, March 7, at 6:30 p.m. MT. The Flippin’ Birds will welcome the Boisie State Broncos to the America First Event Center for the final home meet of the season. The meet will be broadcast on overnght.com and live stats are available on virti.us.
Southern Utah is coming off a dominant 196.650-196.300 victory over UC Davis, setting a new season-high score and remaining undefeated in conference play at 4-0. Sophomore Niya Randolph led the way with a stellar all-around performance of 39.450, highlighted by a 9.925 on bars. Freshman Mia Hampton also shined, achieving a personal-best 39.250 in the all-around, while senior Ellie Cacciola claimed the vault title with a 9.900. The Flippin’ Birds delivered strong routines across all events, excelling on bars (49.275) and floor (49.250) to maintain their lead throughout the meet.
Coach Scotty Bauman Said
“This group of seniors has been incredible for our program. They’ve shown great leadership and helped push this team to new heights. We want to send them off with an unforgettable performance in front of our amazing home crowd.”
MPSF Weekly Awards
Southern Utah gymnasts Mia Hampton and Niya Randolph earned Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) weekly awards for Week Nine, with Hampton securing her sixth Freshman of the Week honor and Randolph claiming her third Gymnast of the Week award. Randolph dominated in the all-around, posting a season-best 39.450 against UC Davis, while Hampton delivered a career-best 39.250 in the same meet. Their outstanding performances helped SUU secure victories over Sacramento State and UC Davis, propelling the team to #21 in the national rankings.
Senior Night
The Flippin’ Birds will recognize four incredible gymnasts graduating this spring. Ellie Cacciola, Isabella Neff, Taylor Gull, and Kennedi McClain have represented the Thunderbirds well throughout their careers and will be honored for their time with the program during the meet on Friday night. Don’t miss your chance to send them off right!
The Competition
Boise State
Boise State Gymnastics continues to prove itself as a force in collegiate gymnastics, currently ranked No. 29 in the Road to Nationals standings. The Broncos have showcased their depth across all four events, with bars leading the charge at No. 21, followed by beam at No. 27. Vault sits at No. 38, while the floor squad ranks No. 44. Most importantly, Boise State secured the outright Mountain West regular season championship with a 195.800-194.500 victory over Air Force, finishing conference play with a 5-1 record. The Broncos also defended their home turf all season, going a perfect 4-0 inside ExtraMile Arena.
Friday night’s win was fueled by another dominant performance from Emily Lopez, who claimed titles on both vault and bars. She posted a 9.900 on vault, leading Boise State to a season-best 49.200—the highest vault score in the Mountain West this year. Freshman Julia Krzywanski made an immediate impact in her collegiate vault debut, scoring a 9.850 to tie for second. On bars, Lopez delivered again with a 9.925, followed closely by Kristina Shchennikova’s 9.875. The Broncos stayed steady on beam, where Emma Loyim shined with a season-best 9.925 to claim the event title, matching the highest beam score in the conference this year. She continued her strong night on floor, tying teammate Bridget Kemp for the team-high score of 9.800. With momentum at their backs and standout performances across the lineup, the Broncos are locked in as they push toward the postseason.
Southern Utah Notes
- Southern Utah currently sits at #21 in the Road to Nationals standings following week eight.
- The Flippin’ Birds vault team is #20, and bars are #29 nationally, while the beam team is ranked #32. The top-ranked rotation for the T-Birds is the floor team, which is now ranked #19.
- Southern Utah is coming off back-to-back conference wins over Sacramento State and UC Davis.
- The Thunderbirds have earned season sweeps over former MRGC conference foes BYU and Utah State.
- Niya Randolph and Brinlee Christensen are nationally ranked 35th and 51st, respectively, in the all-around.
- The Thunderbirds have earned 17 total Weekly Awards from the MPSF conference, including Hampton (6), Randolph (3), Bringhurst (1), Cacciola (1), Christensen (2), Gull (2), Miller (1), and Neff (1).
- The Flippin’ Birds have won consecutive Conference Championships in two separate conferences. Winning the Final MRGC Championship before transitioning to the MPSF and securing their first title in their new conference.
- The T-Birds finished the 2024 season ranked #27 in the country and have made regional appearances for the last 11 straight years (Excluding COVID)
- Sophomore Niya Randolph was named the MPSF conference Gymnast of the Year for her outstanding consistency in the all-around in the 2024 season. Randolph set a new school and conference record for the all-around with a 39.600 in the home meet against BYU last season.
- Sophomore Brinlee Christensen was named the MPSF Freshman of the Year for her outstanding debut last year.
- The Flippin’ Birds swept the first-team All-MPSF honors with the top four bar workers in the conference. Randolph and Junior Trista Goodman each scored a 9.950 on the bars last year, setting a high standard for the team. The Thunderbirds set a new School and Conference record on the bars against Penn State last season, scoring 49.475.
- The Thunderbirds are coached by Scott Bauman, who was named the MRGC Coach of the Year in 2023.
- Associate Head Coach Jamie Wysong and Assistant Coach Jeff Richards were named the 2024 MPSF conference Assistant Coaches of the Year.