By Regan Hunsaker, SUU Athletics
CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Southern Utah University gymnastics team has made history, becoming the first program ever to sweep the five major end-of-year awards in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). The Thunderbirds also claimed an impressive 18 of the 37 total all-conference honors.
Head Coach Scotty Bauman Said
“I’m so proud of this team and staff and everything they’ve accomplished. To see Niya, Mia, Ellie, Jamie, and Jeff recognized like this is incredible. They’ve put in the hard work daily, and it’s paid off in a big way. Our conference has some incredibly talented athletes and coaches so sweeping the awards and having so many all-conference honors shows how special this group is. We’re excited to keep this momentum rolling into the postseason.”
Leading the charge was Niya Randolph, who was named MPSF Gymnast of the Year for the second consecutive season. Randolph, a sophomore from Las Vegas, Nevada, finished the regular season as the No. 1 all-around gymnast in the MPSF with an NQS of 39.335 and ranked first on bars (9.860). Her stellar performances included an MPSF season-high 9.925 on bars and a season-best all-around score of 39.450, tying for seventh in conference history.
Joining Randolph in the award sweep was Mia Hampton, who earned MPSF Freshman of the Year honors. Hampton claimed an astounding eight Freshman of the Week awards throughout the season and ranked among the MPSF’s best on vault, bars, and floor. She became just the second SUU gymnast to win the prestigious award, following Brinlee Christensen in 2024.
Senior Ellie Cacciola was named MPSF Specialist of the Year, leading the conference on both vault (9.870 NQS) and beam (9.865 NQS) while also ranking second on the floor (9.880 NQS). Cacciola, a three-time first-team all-conference honoree this season, posted a season-high 9.900 on vault and beam and tied for the second-highest floor score in the MPSF with a 9.925.
At the helm of the Thunderbirds’ record-breaking season, Scotty Bauman was named MPSF Head Coach of the Year after guiding SUU to a No. 23 national ranking and an MPSF-best NQS of 196.315. Under his leadership, the Thunderbirds shattered expectations, breaking the 196-point mark in eight meets, including a conference-best 196.900 performance against No. 29 Boise State. This marks Bauman’s first career MPSF Coach of the Year honor.
Adding to the program’s accolades, Jamie Wysong and Jeff Richards were both named MPSF Assistant Coaches of the Year for the second consecutive season. Wysong led SUU’s nationally ranked vault and floor teams, while Richards overcame personal adversity to continue coaching the conference’s top-ranked bars squad.
Southern Utah’s historic season was further cemented with 11 first-team all-conference selections, more than any other program in the league. Among the standouts were Randolph, Cacciola, and Hampton, along with Brinlee Christensen, Mackenzie Kelly, Maria Ferguson, and Rylee Miller.
With momentum on their side, the Thunderbirds now set their sights on postseason competition, aiming to build on their dominant 2025 campaign at the Conference Championship and beyond.
Next Up
The Flippin’ Birds are focused on the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship on Saturday, March 22, in Anchorage, Alaska. The Thunderbirds will enter the meet as the top-ranked team in the conference, looking to secure their third straight conference title. The meet will begin at 4:00 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on overnght.com.