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BYU Athletics: Two sports look to become the next Cougar powerhouses

By Shaun Gordon

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 06: Ellie Russell of Scotland competes in the uneven bars during the Gymnastics Artistic Women's Team Final and Individual Qualification on day two of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games at Coomera Indoor Sports Centre on April 6, 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 06: Ellie Russell of Scotland competes in the uneven bars during the Gymnastics Artistic Women's Team Final and Individual Qualification on day two of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games at Coomera Indoor Sports Centre on April 6, 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) /
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LILLESHALL, ENGLAND – APRIL 29: Rebecca Tunney of the British Gymnastics Team practices on the Beam during a training session at Lilleshall National Sports Centre on April 29, 2016 in Shropshire, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
LILLESHALL, ENGLAND – APRIL 29: Rebecca Tunney of the British Gymnastics Team practices on the Beam during a training session at Lilleshall National Sports Centre on April 29, 2016 in Shropshire, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /

Gymnastics

BYU Gymnastics has never been as dominant as BYU Women’s Volleyball, but they’ve had long stretches of Top 25 play.

The team finished in the Top 10 in all three seasons from 1979-82, and finished in the Top 25 in eight of the ten seasons in the ’90’s. They’ve hovered just outside the Top 25 on average since then, but went through some tough times in the early 2010’s, only notching one Top 25 finish between 2008-17.

Things look like they’re back on an upward trajectory, though, especially since Guard Young took over as head coach.

A former BYU gymnast himself, Young took over as head coach of the Cougars in 2015, and the team has improved each year:

  • 2016 – Finished No. 34
  • 2017 – Finished No. 33
  • 2018 – Finished No. 17

And right now the team sits at No. 14 in the nation. They set the record for their best score in an opening meet, and after a poor second-week score they bounced back with another strong showing last Friday.

Their next step will be a return to Nationals. The Cougars haven’t qualified as a team since 2005, when they finished No. 11 in the nation.

Shannon Evans qualified for Nationals individually last year, though, earning Second-Team All-American status on the uneven bars with a seventh-place finish. And she’s just a junior this year, giving the team this season and next with their All-American in the lead.

The Cougars have always sat in the shadow of Utah in gymnastics, the Utes’ best sport. While Utah is still the better team, that gap has slowly but surely been shrinking over the past few years.

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