By Christian Vieyra (@thecvieyra) – Managing Editor | Photo by Andrew Hartley – The Spear
SJSU gymnastics defeated Air Force Sunday afternoon in dominant fashion by a score of 195.725-193.500, with the Spartans finishing in first place in every event.
Senior Lauren Macpherson led the Spartans with two of the first place finishes, in bars and beams respectively, as well as all-around with a total of 39.375.
“I was pretty confident. I just trusted my gymnastics and this week of practice was really good so I just thought I was gonna have a good day today,” Macpherson said.
In beam, Macpherson finished tied for first with junior Katherine Weyhmiller, who both scored 9.850. Macpherson also finished with a 9.900 on bars.
Senior Madison Kirsch scored a 9.875 on vault for first place and fifth-year Spartan Jada Mazury’s floor routine landed her a 9.900 for first.
“We had a lot of good routines today and some good sticks,” SJSU head coach Joanne Bowers said. “It’s an area that we’re still working on.”
Sunday’s meeting was the second between the Spartans and the Falcons. The two squads previously met in Boise on Jan. 19. where SJSU finished second of four with a score of 195.625. Air Force placed third in that meet with 194.975.
“They have been getting a lot better too this season,” Macpherson said. She claimed the team believed that, “This meet will probably be a good meet.”
Bowers hopes to see the Spartans score better all the way through, “We had some mishaps today that stalled us.” But Bowers is still confident in her team, “This group of young women and the staff are so committed to each other.”
The Spartans are almost halfway through their 2024 campaign and Bowers believes the team will peak in the second half of the season.
“We had a good meet last Sunday,” Bowers said. “We had a pretty good meet today, not as good as last Sunday, but I have to say some people actually had better routines.”
SJSU will look to continue its recent success against UC Davis at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Provident Credit Union Event Center. “It’s a quick turnaround for us, for their bodies,” Bowers said.