Women’s gymnastics set to compete in first-ever Mountain West Championship

2024 Mountain West Championship
Dee Glen Smith Spectrum | Logan, Utah
Saturday, March 23 | 7 p.m. MT
Watch | Live Scoring
Air Force | Utah State | San Jose State
Boise State | Mountain West
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Championship season has arrived for the Air Force women's gymnastics team, as the Falcons return to Logan, Utah for the 2024 Mountain West Championships, held in Utah State's Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Follow Along:
Saturday's championships will be available for viewing on the Mountain West Network. Live scoring for the event will be available through utahstateaggies.com, with both links accessible via the women's gymnastics schedule page on goairforcefalcons.com.

Awards Ceremony to Follow:
The Awards Ceremony will be held at the conclusion of the championship. Immediately following the meet, and while the judges verify the final scores, the Freshman of the Year, Gymnast of the Year, Specialists of the Year, and Coach of the Year awards will be presented. The individual event awards will be announced in rotation order (vault, bars, beam floor, and all-around; 3rd place to 1st place). Team scores will be read from 4th place to 1st place, and the championship team will march out to be awarded the trophy to conclude the Awards Ceremony.

Excellence in All We Do:
At 194.955, the Falcons possess their highest-ever National Qualifying Score (NQS). In 2024, the Falcons earned their second highest score in program history on both vault (9.900, March 17) and in the all-around (39.425, Feb. 9). Air Force, scoring a 49.125 on floor at Denver on March 3, earned its third-straight 49-or-better in the rotation, marking the first streak of its kind in Falcon history.

2024 All-Mountain West
With the release of the first-ever women's gymnastics All-Mountain West team on Thursday morning, three of Air Force's own were named to the list, notching five end-of-year superlatives between the trio.

Junior Ayla McKean was named a second-team selection on uneven bars. McKean, ranked sixth in the Mountain West and 21^st on bars in the North Central region with a 9.865 NQS, scored a 9.850 or better through seven-straight meets leading into the Mountain West championship. McKean's steady success in 2024 was highlighted by scoring a career-high 9.900 at Sacramento State on Feb. 23, playing part in the Falcons setting a new all-time team record in the event (49.400).

Freshman Maggie Slife became Air Force's first-ever first-team All-MW selection, being named to the top list for all around, vault and bars.

Slife, a five-time MW Gymnast of the Week, seven-time Freshman of the Week and four-time Specialist of the Week, closes 2024 as the league's most recognized gymnast. Slife currently possesses the highest all-around NQS (National Qualifying Score) among Mountain West competitors and is ranked seventh in the North Central Region (39.340), while also scoring second in the conference on bars (fourth in region, 9.910) and third on vault (20^th in region, 9.840). Slife tied the all-time program score on bars on Feb. 23 (9.950), leading Air Force to its benchmark 49.400 team finish.

Freshman Clara Wallace was tabbed as a second team all around honoree. Owning top five team scores in three events (Vault, 9.750, Bars, 9.825, Beam, 9.850), Wallace scored 9.800 or better on beam in six contests and in five-consecutive showings. On bars, Wallace went back-to-back, logging a 9.800 (Feb.16) and 9.825 (Feb. 23) in consecutive weeks. With a 38.850 all around NQS, Wallace ranks fifth in the Mountain West and 12^th in the North Central region.

All-conference recognition was based on National Qualifying Scores going into the conference championship, with those ranked first through third earning first-team all-conference, while those ranked fourth through sixth were recognized with second-team accolades.

Women’s gymnastics set to compete in first-ever Mountain West Championship

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Players Mentioned

Ayla McKean

Maggie Slife

Clara Wallace

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