By Anfisa Pitchkhadze – Spear Reporter | (Photo by Andrew Hartley – Spear Photographer)
San Jose State gymnastics faced off against Mountain West conference opponent Utah State on the road Friday night.
The Spartans performed well in all events, but could not overcome the Aggies losing 195.125 – 194.225.
“Scoring a little was tight tonight, but I felt like the team is on the right path,” SJSU head coach Joanne Bowers said on X.
Despite the tough loss, a highlight for the Spartans was sophomore Devyn Valuch.
Valuch earned a 38.650 on the all-around which she won and scored 9.750 on the floor routine.
Bowers praised Valuch’s performance in the all-around as she won her second consecutive title.
Besides Valuch, Katherine Weyhmiller stepped up for the Spartans.
Weyhmiller achieved a team-high on the beam with a score of 9.850. She also ended up with a 9.750 on the bars and a 9.725 on the floor.
SJSU had a strong start scoring 48.500 on the vault, the only event the team won.
Madison Kirsh earned the highest score for San Jose with 9.750 on the vault. Jaudai Lopes, sophomore Olivia Reardon, and Valuch all notched a 9.700.
The Spartans fell behind to the Aggies when it came to the bars resulting in a score of 48.450 while the team showcased a strong performance from senior Sophia Koniesczny, earning a team-high of 9.775.
San Jose kept a close score with Utah State on the floor but the Aggies won the event with a score of 48.875 and the Spartans fell short with a 48.750.
Lopes earned her second highest score on the floor this season with a 9.825 while leading San Jose on the last event.
SJSU was not able to secure a road win as Utah State gave the Spartans a tough matchup, but Valuch praised the team’s hard work to compete at a high level.
“Everybody brought their energy and it really paid off,” Valuch said on X. “We really took it to account what happened the past few weeks and put it all in the gym.”
The Spartans will continue to travel on the road facing Boise State next on Feb. 14 at 6:00 p.m. in Boise, Idaho.
