COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The 2026 Mountain West gymnastics season officially began over the weekend with San José State and Air Force posting season-opening victories. The Spartans and Falcons also generated the opening weekly awards, as Air Force junior and reigning MW Gymnast of the Year Maggie Slife captured four accolades after the first meet of the season.

ALL-AROUNDER, BARS, BEAM & CO-FLOOR SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK

MAGGIE SLIFE, AIR FORCE

Junior, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin/Arrowhead HS

  • Scored a conference-best 39.425 in the all-around, capturing the individual title against Winona State.
  • Recorded a league-best 9.900 on bars, 9.875 on beam and a 9.875 on floor en route to earning Specialist of the Week honors on each apparatus.
  • Rounded out her all-around total with a 9.775 on vault.
  • Secured individual titles on each event, including the all-around, sharing the vault title with teammates Alyssa Bigler and Kylee Greene.

VAULT SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK

MIKAELA PITTS, SAN JOSÉ STATE

Senior, San Luis Obispo, California/San Luis Obispo HS

  • Scored a league-best 9.925 on vault to capture the individual title against Arizona State and UC Davis to power the Spartans to a season-opening victory.
  • Pitts’ 9.925 is the second-highest score on vault in San José State history.
  • The Spartans’ 49.125 team score on the event marked the third highest in school history.

CO-FLOOR SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK

ISABELLA VATER, UTAH STATE

Junior, Las Vegas, Nevada/Faith Lutheran HS

  • Scored a league-best-tying 9.875 on floor to share Floor Specialist of the Week honors with Air Force’s Maggie Slife.
  • Also competed on bars, scoring a 9.750, as Utah State finished second at the Best of Utah Meet to open the year.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

SOPHIE PATTERSON, SAN JOSÉ STATE

New Westminster, British Columbia/New Westminster Secondary

  • Scored a 9.875 on vault, the highest mark by a freshman on any event this week.
  • One of two freshmen in the Mountain West to make a season debut in the all-around.
  • Scored a 9.725 on bars, 9.650 on beam and 9.725 on floor to round out her total of 38.975 in the all-around.

2026 All-Arounders of the Week

Jan. 13 – Maggie Slife, Air Force

2026 Vault Specialists of the Week

Jan. 13 – Mikaela Pitts, San José State

2026 Bars Specialists of the Week

Jan. 13 – Maggie Slife, Air Force

2026 Beam Specialists of the Week

Jan. 13 – Maggie Slife, Air Force

2026 Floor Specialists of the Week

Jan. 13 – Maggie Slife, Air Force; Isabella Vater, Utah State

2026 Freshmen of the Week

Jan. 13 – Sophie Patterson, San José State