Friday, March 7
Logan, Utah
7:00 PM MT
Air Force Academy
193.575
at
195.325
Utah State
Women's Gymnastics Falls at Utah State
3/7/2025 10:12:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
Air Force Women's Gymnastics, taking on Utah State in a late affair on Friday evening at the Aggies' Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, finished with a 193.575 to close out the night in second to Utah State's 195.325.
Opening on bars, Air Force had to overcome a pair of falls, finishing with a 47.325 led by Mountain West Gymnast of the week Maggie Slife, who finished on a challenging routine with a 9.850. Slife ended the night in sole possession of first place on the apparatus, scoring the lone 9.800-or-better between both teams.
"We had a 30-plus minute delay before the meet started," said head coach Jennifer Green on Friday night. "The facilities crew accidentally spilled a bucket full of water onto the runway. We had to wait for them to retrieve a different runway from their practice facility. That wait effected our momentum a bit. The team was relaxed, focused and dialed in during our warmup. We found that mindset back on vault."
The Falcons were able to return to form on vault, scoring a 48.875 to land the Falcons' second-best score of the season and top Utah State by a tenth. Slife finished with a 9.850 to earn a three-way share of first place with Aggies Nyla Morabito and Payton Gatzlaff. Upcoming graduate Gabriella Meccia smashed her previous career best, scoring a 9.825 to land the Falcons' fourth-best vault finish this season. Freshman Alyssa Bigler, returning to the all-around lineup for the first time since Jan. 31, matched Meccia's 9.825 to score her fourth 9.800-or-better this season, giving both competitors a share of fourth place.
"We have an incredible vault lineup," Green said. "They have worked hard to keep their focus on the little details. Kylee and Olivia are great contributors - injuries held them out last season. Rosa has found her confidence and is owning her head off spot. Gabi (Meccia's) vault has improved so much this season. It's fun to watch her relax and enjoy the competition. Alyssa brings excitement to the lineup. She's aggressive and her power matches Maggie's."
Moving to floor, the Falcons scored a 48.400; Slife's 9.850 led the way, finishing second on the evening. Junior Sarah Willis, bringing the energy as always, scored a 9.800 to close in fourth, while earning her second 9.800-plus this season.
We had a few mistakes on floor, however they were aggressive mistakes," Green said. "I'll take those type of mistakes - they are easy fixes."
Senior Velandra Brochi led off for the Falcons on balance beam, sticking her dismount to score a 9.775 and close out in fourth place. Bigler closed Friday in second place, scoring a 9.825 to reset a career high; Junior Kylee Greene finished off Air Force's evening strong, earning a 9.800 for a third-place finish.
"I was thrilled with the intensity and performance on balance beam," Green said. "We were fighting for landings and kept our composure after a mistake early on."
"We learned a lot from today. We will focus on bringing the intensity we had in warmups to every practice next week, we wanted to carry the intensity we had at home into an away meet. We had it in warmups and in spurts throughout the competition. We will work on bringing it for the entire meet in Oregon."
Up Next:
With one final stop ahead of the upcoming Mountain West Championship, Air Force Women's Gymnastics heads to Corvallis on Saturday, March 15 for a dual with Oregon State at 3 p.m. MT in the Beavers' Gill Coliseum.
Opening on bars, Air Force had to overcome a pair of falls, finishing with a 47.325 led by Mountain West Gymnast of the week Maggie Slife, who finished on a challenging routine with a 9.850. Slife ended the night in sole possession of first place on the apparatus, scoring the lone 9.800-or-better between both teams.
"We had a 30-plus minute delay before the meet started," said head coach Jennifer Green on Friday night. "The facilities crew accidentally spilled a bucket full of water onto the runway. We had to wait for them to retrieve a different runway from their practice facility. That wait effected our momentum a bit. The team was relaxed, focused and dialed in during our warmup. We found that mindset back on vault."
The Falcons were able to return to form on vault, scoring a 48.875 to land the Falcons' second-best score of the season and top Utah State by a tenth. Slife finished with a 9.850 to earn a three-way share of first place with Aggies Nyla Morabito and Payton Gatzlaff. Upcoming graduate Gabriella Meccia smashed her previous career best, scoring a 9.825 to land the Falcons' fourth-best vault finish this season. Freshman Alyssa Bigler, returning to the all-around lineup for the first time since Jan. 31, matched Meccia's 9.825 to score her fourth 9.800-or-better this season, giving both competitors a share of fourth place.
"We have an incredible vault lineup," Green said. "They have worked hard to keep their focus on the little details. Kylee and Olivia are great contributors - injuries held them out last season. Rosa has found her confidence and is owning her head off spot. Gabi (Meccia's) vault has improved so much this season. It's fun to watch her relax and enjoy the competition. Alyssa brings excitement to the lineup. She's aggressive and her power matches Maggie's."
Moving to floor, the Falcons scored a 48.400; Slife's 9.850 led the way, finishing second on the evening. Junior Sarah Willis, bringing the energy as always, scored a 9.800 to close in fourth, while earning her second 9.800-plus this season.
We had a few mistakes on floor, however they were aggressive mistakes," Green said. "I'll take those type of mistakes - they are easy fixes."
Senior Velandra Brochi led off for the Falcons on balance beam, sticking her dismount to score a 9.775 and close out in fourth place. Bigler closed Friday in second place, scoring a 9.825 to reset a career high; Junior Kylee Greene finished off Air Force's evening strong, earning a 9.800 for a third-place finish.
"I was thrilled with the intensity and performance on balance beam," Green said. "We were fighting for landings and kept our composure after a mistake early on."
"We learned a lot from today. We will focus on bringing the intensity we had in warmups to every practice next week, we wanted to carry the intensity we had at home into an away meet. We had it in warmups and in spurts throughout the competition. We will work on bringing it for the entire meet in Oregon."
Up Next:
With one final stop ahead of the upcoming Mountain West Championship, Air Force Women's Gymnastics heads to Corvallis on Saturday, March 15 for a dual with Oregon State at 3 p.m. MT in the Beavers' Gill Coliseum.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Gymnastics
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/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
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AA
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