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Braden Taylor
| Posted: 22 Mar 2019 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
No. 15 Cougars rack up conference honors at MRGC Championships
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PROVO, Utah – Shannon Evans was named the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference Gymnast of the Year as No. 15 BYU placed third at the MRGC Championships on Friday at the Marriott Center.
"I love the fight that these girls showed," BYU head coach Guard Young. "They finished strong all the way through our last event on the balance beam. Moving forward, the focus is on the first round of the NCAA Championships. I like where we’re at, our lineups are healthy and I anticipate us making a run at regionals."
BYU took third place with a 195.750. No. 13 Boise State took its fifth-straight conference title (196.950) with No. 24 Southern Utah in second (195.900) and Utah State in fourth (193.800).
Shannon Evans was named the MRGC Gymnast of the Year while also receiving Specialist of the Year on the uneven bars and Co-Specialist of the Year for floor. The All-American was also named All-MRGC First Team for vault and the all-around. Guard Young received MRGC Coach of the Year for the first time since becoming the head coach at BYU. Abbey Miner was named All-MRGC First Team selection for vault and received second-team honors for beam. Helody Cyrenne received first-team All-MRGC honors for beam and was a second-team selection for bars.
Sadie Miner and Briana Pearson each scored a 9.750 to lead the Cougars on floor in the first rotation. Abby Boden and Evans each received a 9.700 while A. Miner and Brittney Vitkauskas earned 9.675. Both Evans and A. Miner received 0.10 deductions after stepping out of bounds. BYU ended the rotation in third place (48.625) ahead of Utah State (47.175) while trailing Boise State (49.000) and Southern Utah (48.650).
On vault, Angel Zhong earned a 9.825 and Avery Bennet received a 9.800. Cheyenne Hill scored a 9.775 while Evans and A. Miner received 9.750 apiece. Haley Pitou rounded out the rotation for BYU with a 9.725. All four teams remained in the same position with the Cougars in third place with a 97.525.
Three Cougars earned scores above 9.800 on bars with Evans receiving a 9.900 while Boden and Cyrenne each scored a 9.850. Natasha Marsh earned a 9.750, Pitou received a 9.675 and Zhong scored a 9.650 to complete the rotation. BYU ended the event still in third with a 146.550. Boise State continued to lead with 147.825.
In the final rotation, Cyrenne led the team with a 9.900 while Evans scored a 9.875 to match her career best. Boden also earned a 9.875 and A. Miner received a 9.850. Marsh and Hill rounded out the rotation with a 9.700 and 9.650, respectively. The Cougars closed the meet with 49.200 to total 195.750.
The Cougars will compete next in one of the regional competitions the first weekend of April with the location yet to be determined. Tune into the NCAA Selection Show on Monday, Mar. 25, for more details. Information on the selection show can be found on ncaa.com.
