PROVO — Though they didn't perform up to their capability, the BYU gymnasts did improve their performance over Friday night's and defeated Boise State, 193.725-191.100, Saturday.
But it all started off with a little mishap that wound up costing the Cougars several 10ths of a point. They had to scratch a vaulter and give up .3 for going out of order on their first event before things even started.
But though Dayna Smart inadvertently touched the apparatus after the warm-up period, she came out strong through the rest of the meet.
"That was a stupid mistake on my part and I couldn't do vault, but then it was like, 'I'm gonna do awesome now,' " said Smart, who wound up with the highest score of the meet on both bars (9.775) and beam (9.825) and finished in fifth on the floor (9.675).
Smart put up the highest marks on the beam, but she could feel herself a little off on her most difficult series. Still, she was able to right things before anything went wrong.
"If I'm a little off, I know how to handle it," said the gymnast who was ranked eighth in the nation on the event before this meet.
Alethea Boon put up the second-highest score of the night on the beam with a 9.725 on her way to top scores on three events of her own in front of her family, which made the trip from New Zealand to see her perform two days in a row. She wrapped up a top score of 9.825 on the vault and finished first on the floor with a 9.825.
"Today was like an easy workout," Boon said. "Our mind-set was really good. This weekend is definitely something to build on. Now we have to get past just getting through the routines and work on perfecting them."
Kacie Capra Callens joined her fellow upperclassmen in putting up good numbers as she tied Smart's uneven-bars score with a 9.775 and came in second behind Boon on the floor with a 9.8.
And the team did improve on beam, dropping from three falls to two falls, and its bars routines looked much better as well.
"We got in here today and decided to get after it and do it. I'm pleased with what we did on bars," said BYU coach Brad Cattermole, who noted that his team is better than it has shown in the past two days. But he also realized that the team did have two meets in less than two days.
"Gymnasts are creatures of habit," he said. "From now on they can get in a flow and get on a roll. I did the meets this way so I could plan a rest midseason."
This team also counts on freshmen to put up good scores as eight different freshmen did routines that counted in the overall standings. Of the Cougars' 24 total events, freshmen accounted for 10, and Cattermole does see improvement in the youngsters that he hopes will continue through the rest of the season.
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