Boise State Selected as Preseason MW Gymnastics Favorite by League Coaches

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Boise State gymnastics has been selected as the preseason favorite as the Mountain West released its inaugural preseason coaches poll in the sport adopted by the league going into the 2024 season. The Broncos garnered three first-place votes and 30 points to headline the poll.

Boise State, members of the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference (MRGC) in 2023, return a pair of All-Americans in senior Courtney Blackson and senior Emily Lopez, as the duo represented the Broncos at the National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships. Blackson was the NCAA runner-up on vault, scoring a 9.925. Lopez wrapped up her season with a 9.900 on bars. Lopez was a first-team All-MRGC selection on vault and bars a season ago, while Blackson was a first-team MRGC selection on floor and second-team All-MRGC honoree on vault. BSU also returns two more all-conference athletes in junior Emma Loyim, a second-team All-MRGC selection on balance beam, and graduate senior Adriana Popp, who earned a pair of second-team All-MRGC honors on vault and beam.

San José State was picked second in the poll, earning the final first-place vote and 24 points. The Spartans, a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) in gymnastics in 2023, return last season’s MPSF Gymnast of the Year in senior all-arounder Lauren MacPherson. MacPherson was the 2023 MPSF all-around champion and earned first-team All-MPSF honors in the all-around and on bars, beam and floor. Additionally, MacPherson was a second-team All-MPSF selection on vault. MacPherson was one of four Spartans that advanced to the NCAA postseason in 2023, as senior Jaudai Lopes and graduate senior Jada Mazury competed in the NCAA regionals on vault and floor, respectively. Lopes was the 2023 MPSF vault champion and a first-team All-MPSF selection on the event. Mazury earned first-team All-MPSF honors on bars and floor. The Spartans return three more all-conference athletes in senior Madison Kirsch, a first-team selection on vault, sophomore Kyra Cato, a second-team selection on vault and beam, and junior Katherine Weyhmiller, a second-team selection on beam.

Utah State, a member of the MRGC in 2023, was picked third with 18 points. The Aggies will be under the direction of second-year head coach Kristin White and return senior Brianna Brooks, a 2023 NCAA postseason qualifier on bars. Brooks was a first-team All-MRGC selection in the all-around and a second-team All-MRGC honoree on the uneven bars.

Air Force, a member of the MPSF in 2023, rounded out the poll with 12 points. The Falcons return a pair of all-conference all-arounders in junior Velandra Brochi, a first-team All-MPSF pick in 2023, and junior Ayla McKean, who was a second-team All-MPSF selection in the all-around a season ago.

Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.

The 2024 MW gymnastics season will get underway when Utah State, San José State and Boise State open the year with competitions on Friday, Jan. 5. The Falcons will open their season two weeks later on Friday, Jan. 19. The year will culminate in the first MW Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, March 23, in Logan, Utah, with the Aggies of Utah State hosting the meet.

2024 Mountain West Preseason Gymnastics Poll

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