Aggies dominate uneven parallel bars

The Utah State gymnastics team set a season-best record on the uneven parallel bars, but it wasn't enough to get its first Western Athletic Conference win over San Jose State on Friday evening.

The Spartans beat the Aggies 195.950 to 194.875

"It's such a great meet," USU head coach Jeff Richards said. "It's painful to lose it by that little bit."

Utah State scored 49.350 on the bars, a season best and the second-highest team score ever at USU.

"I thought we did really good," Aggie freshman Sarah Landes said. "We finally went out there and showed what we're capable of and got a great score."

Landes, junior Amelia Montoya, senior Rebecca Holliday and sophomore Paige Jones all scored a 9.875 to win a share of the bars event title with San Jose State senior Thomasina Wallace.

"We're showing steady improvement," Jones said. "Bars was great. It's just been consistently great. We go in knowing everyone is just going to hit. When you get big scores like that and everyone just keeps hitting, it feeds off of each other."  

All six Aggie gymnasts set personal records in the event, and none of them scored lower than 9.825.

The floor was where Richards said Utah State lost the meet.

"Floor got us again," Richards said. "We've been working hard on that event and trying to get through it."

Holliday and freshman Ashley Follett both stumbled in their routines and earned a 9.175 and 9.100 respectively.

Wallace won the all-around for San Jose State with a 39.525 and set a school record in the event, followed by Landes with a 39.350, which was a school record for USU.

Landes said she likes having the high level of competition Wallace brings to the conference.

"It gives me something to push for," Landes said. "Now I have someone I can beat. There's a score out there that I know I can beat, so I've just got to keep working hard."

Landes won the balance beam and tied the school record with a personal best 9.875.

Wallace won the floor with a 9.875, followed by Landes and USU's Susie Miller who scored personal-bests of 9.850.

The loss drops USU to 2-5 and 0-2 in the WAC. SJSU jumps to 5-3 and 2-0 in conference with the win.

The Aggies will conclude the four-meet home stand by hosting WAC foe Sacramento State on Friday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Spectrum.

– tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu.edu