Courtesy of Boise State

BOISE, Idaho – Boise State gymnastics celebrated its senior class with a season-best score of 196.775, defeating No. 22 Southern Utah (196.125), Friday. Emily Lopez (bars), Kristina Shchennikova (beam) and Julia Melchert (floor) collected event titles for the Broncos, who finished the regular season with a 5-0 record at home.

The Broncos trailed entering the final rotation, but the senior-led floor lineup posted a season-high 49.400 to earn the final advantage. Melchert closed the rotation with a career-high 9.925, securing her first individual title. Blake Pascal finished second, matching her career-best of 9.900.

The Broncos posted a 48.900 on vault to start the night. Lopez paced the Broncos with a 9.825, tying for third.

Boise State notched its second-highest bars score of the year, tallying a 49.350. Lopez led again, winning the event with a 9.925. Carly Buell and Sydney Leitch both matched their career-highs of 9.875 to tie for third.

The Broncos scored 49.125 on beam. Shchennikova notched a team-high 9.875 to earn the individual crown. Lopez was the runner-up, registering a 9.850.

Top Broncos

  • Emily Lopez won the bars title for the sixth time this year and 19th time in her career, scoring a 9.925. She was the beam runner-up, scoring a 9.850.
  • Kristina Shchennikova earned her third beam title of the year, posting a 9.875.
  • Julia Melchert secured her first-career event title with a 9.925 on floor.
  • Blake Pascal tied for second on floor, logging a 9.900.


Notables

  • Boise State’s team score of 196.775 is the highest score of any Mountain West team this season. It marks the Broncos’ highest since Feb. 23, 2024, when they notched a 197.025 in a quad meet sweep at Utah State.
  • Boise State’s 49.400 on floor is the highest of any MW team this season. It is the Broncos’ highest on any apparatus this season and the best score on floor since March 1, 2024.
  • The 48.900 on vault marked Boise State’s third-best score of the season on the apparatus. The Broncos’ top-three vault scores of the year have been reached at home.
  • The Broncos concluded the regular season with a 5-0 home record, their first undefeated home season since 2021.
  • Julia Melchert’s 9.925 on floor marked a career-high and earned her an event title for the first time in her collegiate career.
  • Carly Buell and Sydney Leitch tied their career-highs on bars, both notching a 9.875.
  • Boise State’s bars score of 49.350 is its best of the 2025 campaign. The Broncos have achieved their top-four bars scores of the season in the last five meets.
  • Emily Lopez matched her single-season career-high with her sixth win on bars. The fifth year has 19 wins in her career, one shy of Lindsay Ward, who ranks second in school history.
  • Blake Pascal tied her career-high on floor with a 9.900.
  • Boise State leads the all-time series, 50-31.
  • After the meet, the Broncos recognized seniors Emma Loyim, Elaina McGovern, Blake Pascal and Elaina McGovern, fifth years Emily Lopez, Julia Melchert and Dani Nakayama, and manager Kayla Olson.

Quotables

  • “What a magical night for my seven seniors! They did well tonight honoring their last performance in ExtraMile Arena in front of Bronco nation,” said head coach Tina Bird.
  • “Our team highlight was Juj’s (Julia Melchert) floor lineup debut, earning her a 9.925 and a win,” said Bird. “She has worked so hard to come back this year and no one is more deserving of success.”
  • “Alyssa (Vulaj) and Emily (Lopez) continued to prove how much we can count on them by putting up great scores on their three events,” Bird continued. “Blake (Pascal) finally cracked the 9.9 barrier with another beautiful performance on floor. That was so exciting to watch.


What’s Next

  • Boise State will travel to San Jose, Calif., for the 2025 Mountain West Gymnastics Championships. The meet will take place on Saturday, March 22 at 3 p.m. MT as the Broncos take on Air Force, San Jose State and Utah State.