PROVO, Utah – Shannon Hortman Evans earned BYU's highest individual and all-around scores of the season as the No. 19 Cougars beat No. 10 Denver and Southern Utah Friday night at the Smith Fieldhouse.

"I couldn't be more proud of our performance," BYU head coach Guard Young. "We're super excited that we're starting to get those great performances and scores."

BYU finished with its highest team score since 2005, a 196.625. Southern Utah received a 196.075, while Denver followed with a 195.975

Evans received the highest score of the season for the Cougars, with a 9.950 on floor. Her performance led BYU to a 49.375 on the floor—its highest team score on any event this season. Evans also achieved a career-high all-round score of 39.425. Jill Van Mierlo came just shy of her career high in the all-around, with a 39.300.

"I've dreamed about it for so long," Evans said of one individual judge awarding her a 10.0. "You work so hard for this, so it's the coolest feeling ever."

BYU began the night on the vault, where the Cougars earned a season-high 49.050 as a team. Avery Bennett led the way with a 9.875 for the third-straight meet. Evans and Haley Pitou followed with scores of 9.825 and 9.800, respectively. Southern Utah's 49.225 on the bars put the Thunderbirds in first place after one rotation. Denver scored a 49.000 on floor to follow just behind BYU.

Abby Boden and Pitou both earned a 9.850 on bars to highlight the Cougars' second rotation. For Boden, the mark was a new career high. As a team, BYU received a 49.150 for the rotation. The Cougars grabbed the lead with a 98.200 overall score. The Pioneers followed closely behind with a 98.175, while the Thunderbirds stood at 97.650.

On beam, Natasha Marsh Trejo put up BYU's best score with a 9.875. Boden followed with a 9.850, and Evans received a score of 9.775 to round out the Cougars' top three. After BYU's team score of 48.950, the Cougars had an overall score of 147.250 and were sandwiched between Denver (147.525) and Southern Utah (146.975). 

Van Mierlo's season high of 9.875 on the floor followed Briana Pearson's 9.850. Evans' career high 9.950 topped the final rotation for BYU. The Cougars ended floor with a 49.375, the highest team event score and highest score on floor of the season. Southern Utah took second with a 196.075 while Denver finished with a 195.975. However, the Denver's Maddie Karr won the all-around with a 39.750 after scoring a 9.900 or better on every event.

BYU vs Denver and SUU Final Results

BYU hosts Boise State next Friday at 7 p.m. MST. The meet will be at the Smith Fieldhouse, and live streaming and broadcast will be available along with live stats.

PROVO, Utah - After two weeks on the road, BYU will host No. 10 Denver and Southern Utah on Friday night at 7 p.m. in the Smith Fieldhouse to start a full weekend of gymnastics.

“I’m excited for the gymnastics that will be performed by all three teams on Friday,” head coach Guard Young said. “All three teams will bring great energy to the arena. It’s going to be a battle, and we’re going to fight to the very end.”

The Cougars are coming off a strong performance last Friday night when they set the highest score on beam in 13 years, earning a 49.325 at Southern Utah. BYU also matched the season-high overall score with a 196.450 while setting a new season record on vault, 49.025.

Shannon Hortman Evans was named one of the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference Bars Specialists of the Week for the second time this season after matching her career-high 9.875 on the event. Evans also set a new career high score with a 39.400 in the all-around. 

The Thunderbirds beat the Cougars in Cedar City last Friday night 196.800 to 196.450. However, Utah State came out on top in Southern Utah’s second meet in four days on Monday night 195.275 to 195.200. No. 10 Denver won at home with a 196.725 against No. 21 George Washington and West Virginia last Saturday. The Pioneers hold top-10 rankings on vault, beam and floor this season.

On Saturday, more than 500 young gymnasts will compete in the Cougar Classic Junior Olympic meet. Gymnasts participating are invited to attend the NCAA meet the night before. 

“I’ve been thrilled with how many people have come out to help us put this on,” Young said. “I love when gymnastics is being done on the campus of BYU.”

The Cougar Classic Junior Olympic meet begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday and is scheduled to conclude at 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online.

The rotations for Friday's meet with No. 10 Denver and SUU will follow Olympic order, with BYU starting on vault, Southern Utah on bars and Denver on floor. Live stats and live streaming will be available through the schedule page.