The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) has announced the addition of the Southern Utah University Women’s Gymnastics team to the conference, beginning with the upcoming 2024 season. Located in Cedar City, Utah and primarily affiliated with the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), Southern Utah will be making its debut across the entire MPSF. The Thunderbirds have been competing in the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference since 2014, and won their first-ever conference championship last year with an impressive 196.875 team score. The historical SUU season concluded in the NCAA Regionals in Los Angeles, CA, where it placed third, which included a better finish than No. 12 Auburn. The Thunderbirds finished the year ranked in the NCAA’s Top-25 in all four events, including an overall No. 22 team ranking.
"We are grateful to Foti Mellis and the MPSF Board for their invitation to join a great gymnastics conference,” said Southern Utah Director of Athletics Doug Knuth. “We look forward to joining these teams to compete at a high level and continue enhancing collegiate gymnastics."
Entering his 33rd year at the helm of the Thunderbirds, Scotty Bauman was named MRGC Head Coach of the Year, while
Jamie Wysong was named the MRGC Assistant Coach of the Year. The 2024 squad returns several first team all-conference honorees from last year including
Kayla Pardue on the vault,
Ellie Cacciola on the balance beam, and
Aubri Schwartze on the floor.
"This is a remarkable opportunity for our team to showcase their incredible talent on a new stage,” Bauman said. We are grateful for the support from Southern Utah University and are eager to embrace the challenges and triumphs that come with competing in the MPSF. Our gymnasts are prepared to shine, and we are excited to make our mark in this prestigious conference.”
The 2024 MPSF Championship will be contested on March 23, featuring four teams—Alaska Anchorage, Southern Utah, UC Davis, and the host Sacramento State.
Southern Utah Women’s Gymnastics represents the all-sports combined 16th team added in the MPSF since the 2021 arrival of Executive Director Foti Mellis. The addition of SUU marks the 38th institution and 70th team competing through the 11-sport MPSF during the 2023-24 academic year.
“We are ecstatic to have Southern Utah’s high-caliber program join the MPSF in Women’s Gymnastics,” Mellis said. “The addition of this incredibly strong and successful team elevates the competitiveness of the conference. We are looking forward to an exciting season.”
Further MPSF Women’s Gymnastics information can be found on the conference website
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (mpsports.org) and
MPSF Women's Gymnastics Championship - Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (mpsports.org) as well as on social media @MPSFSports. Learn more about Southern Utah Gymnastics on
Women's Gymnastics - Southern Utah University Athletics (suutbirds.com) and @suugym.