There’s a first for everything. That is just what Boise State gymnastics had in mind as they entered the inaugural Mountain West Conference (MWC) Gymnastics Championships.
Heading into the championship matchups in Logan, Utah, the Broncos were no stranger to conference titles, tallying an astonishing 18 conference championships, however none coming from the MWC.
On March 23, the script changed and Boise State won the very first Mountain West Gymnastics Championship scoring 196.550 points to edge host Utah State (196.500) in the league’s inaugural championship meet.
To start off in rotation one, the Broncos were on bars and finished with a 49.075, led by a 9.875 by freshman Mahleea Werline. In rotation two, the Broncos finished with a 49.500 on beams, which is the highest team score in the Mountain West on beam this season. The Broncos were led by Loyim with a 9.950.
Loyim led again during rotation three with 9.900 to secure a 49.100 on the floor. To finish it off in rotation four, the Broncos finished with a 48.875 on the vault, led by a trio of 9.800s from Sydney Kho, Emily Lopez and Adriana Popp.
After all four rotations, the team scores were as follows: Boise State 196.550, Utah State 196.500, San José State 196.400 and Air Force 195.450.
In their first season competing in the Mountain West conference for Gymnastics, the Lady Broncos took home the hardware and were crowned the very first MWC gymnastics champions.
“I’m so very proud of the team and their performance tonight,” head coach Tina Bird said. “To win the first Mountain West Conference Championship is such a historic moment and they deserve it.”
Emma Loyim finished first on beam (9.950) and tied for first on floor (9.900). Mahleea Werline tied for second on bars, matching her career-high of 9.875. Adriana Popp, who was the MW Co-Beam Specialist of the Year, tied for second on the apparatus with a 9.925.
To add to the accolades, Emily Lopez captured MW Gymnast of the Year and MW Bars Specialist of the Year accolades. With the honor, Lopez became the 10th Bronco to be named conference Gymnast of the Year.
“Emily Lopez is such a beautiful gymnast and is so deserving of her Gymnast of the Year honor,” Bird said.
With 18 conference championships under their belt in program history, the Broncos were no stranger to winning.
Due to the incredible success of the program, there was no denying Bird being named MW Coach of the Year, her seventh-career Coach of the Year selection, was a shock.
Bird not only led the Broncos to a MWC Championship, but also to the 2024 NCAA Regional Championships which the Broncos have qualified for in each of the past 16 seasons.
The Blue and Orange will kick off the NCAA Regional Championship against BYU in the first round of the competition.