| BOISE STATE ROSTER 2017 | |
| Seniors | |
| McKenzie Bennion |
|
| Mary Frances Bir |
|
| Diana Mejia |
|
| Paige Urquhart |
|
| Juniors | |
| Sandra Collantes (redshirt) |
|
| Alex Esmerian |
|
| Ann Stockwell |
|
| Abby Webb |
|
| Sophomores | |
| Sarah Means |
|
| Shani Remme |
|
| Freshmen | |
| Isabella Amado |
|
| Courtney McGregor |
|
| McKenna Morrell |
|
| Maddi Nilson |
|
| McKinley Pavicic |
|
Recent History
2016 – 16th
2015 – 20th
2014 – 19th
2013 – 23rd
2012 – 14th
2011 – 13th
2010 – 17th
Boise State’s relatively low-ish ultimate ranking in 2016 obscures the leap the Broncos made during the regular season, from the third tier of also-rans to the second tier of potential nationals contenders. For much of the year, BSU’s squad recalled that 2011 team that came a whisker from knocking out Florida.
Maintaining that level after losing the team’s best routine on each event (from either Krentz or Jacobsen) will be a challenge, but the DID YOU HEAR WE HAVE TWO OLYMPIANS (yes, we did) of a freshman class should expand the team’s depth and help replicate the success of early 2016, continuing the march toward the better side of the teens and becoming a more realistic upset threat to knock off a top-12 team.
Vault
Top returners – Stockwell (9.845), Bennion (9.840), Bir (9.820)
Returning options – Collantes (9.790), Remme (9.740), Urquhart (9.725)
Boise State just got by last season on vault and was bumped down into the 9.7s far too often to be truly competitive or highly ranked. A pair of 10.0 starts from Bir, handspring pike 1/2, and Bennion, Yurchenko Fauxrabian, helped keep the event afloat, but that means Bennion’s scores will likely drop this season.
Most importantly, Boise State will rely on a couple big new vaults to refresh the lineup and set the team up to improve on 2016’s scores. McGregor has a whole arsenal of Yurchenko vaults (up to a DTY) and round-off, 1/2 on vaults, so at least one 10.0-start, anchor-quality option should be squeezed out of that. Training video shows her working a round-off, 1/2 on, 1/2 turn to back tuck (just to have something as complicated to describe as possible). Don’t forget about Sarah Means as well, who was limited to beam last year but vaulted a 1.5 in JO and hopefully will become the multi-event thing she was always supposed to be this season.
Adding in a very strong full from Stockwell and then one or two of the other supporting fulls from the Collantes/Remme/Amado crowd to round out the lineup should give Boise State the basis for fattening up a bit the 48.9s and 49.0s that typified last season.
Bars
Top returners – Stockwell (9.860), Remme (9.845), Collantes (9.845), Mejia (9.492)
Returning options – Bennion (9.815)
Bars is Boise State’s signature event. It’s typically the team’s highest score, and I expect that to continue in spite of the loss of lineup talisman Kristyne Jacobsen. The scores may drop this season without her 9.900-9.950 (that’s a big number to replace), though not enough to knock bars from its perch as the team’s best event.
Bars-queen duty will now fall to Diana Mejia. Her final totals from last season are weird because of a 7.550 in her mid-season comeback routine, but she’s the team’s top returning bars worker and is herself quite capable of a 9.9.
The rest of the returners probably won’t score as well as Mejia, but bringing back that club of Stockwell, Remme, Collantes, and Bennion for regular scores over 9.800 puts Boise State right back in contention for 49.2s and 49.3s, which would be a top-10 bars total again this season. Bars is not the big event for any of the freshmen, with moments of legs that would disqualify a routine from high scores in NCAA, but what makes BSU a good bars team is the ability to refine and create those routines from seeming meh. McGregor will be yet another example of that, but among Means, Amado, Nilson, and Pavicic, there should be plenty of choices.
Beam
Top returners – Remme (9.860), Urquhart (9.830)
Returning options – Collantes (9.800), Means (9.800)
Beam has been the least rosy event in recent years for Boise State, with lineups of falls and 9.7s being the norm for whole seasons. That will not cut it for a team that intends to score a regionals upset. Last season, however, proved a good deal less terrifying than the previous couple years, largely because of the introduction of new routines from Remme and Means. Remme became the beam star with occasional 9.9s, and a limited Means (SEE WHAT I DID) was still able to compete leadoff for a useful 9.800 basically every time out. It helps.
Overall, beam was still a little 48.9-49.0, but that counts as an improvement, and if we add new routines from McGregor, Pavicic (whom I quite like on beam), and perhaps Amado, along with only the sturdier and more realistic veteran options like Urquhart and either Mejia or Collantes, all of whom have 9.800 ability, Boise State has the Means (I LITERALLY CAN’T STOP) to break 49 somewhat more regularly. All of which Means (THIS IS A CRY FOR HELP) BSU could improve some of its weaker events enough to level the quality across the apparatuses so that there aren’t such highs and lows.
Floor
Top routines – Collantes (9.925), Remme (9.865)
Returning routines – Urquhart (9.820), Stockwell (9.756)
Boise State was all over the place on floor last year, ending the season by bookending a 49.5 (senior night) and a 49.3 with a pair of 48.8s. That’s not how it’s supposed to go, and in spite of those occasional big scores, the concern is that beyond floor star Sandra Collantes, BSU does not boast a particularly hearty or reliable slate of returning numbers. The four returners went 9.800, 9.750, 9.700, 9.675 at regionals last year, which is…troubling.
Remme will be back and likely Urquhart, but the freshmen, pretty much all of whom have at least double-pike style routines, will have to take up more scoring responsibility on floor. They’ll need to provide not only three-or-so lineup routines but also 9.850+ scores to support Collantes and make floor more competitive with schools that regularly get multiple 9.9s, which is what it takes to make nationals.
McGregor is retaining her piked full-in and clearly looks the most likely option to take on that Krentz position in the lineup and contend for a 9.9, but we’ll also need to see something from the likes of Amado and Pavicic to keep the lineup more regularly over 9.800. The options exist; the concern is just that they’re a little too 9.750 to make BSU a big floor team.
After going through event-by-event, I’m somewhat more optimistic about Boise State than I was when starting, which is probably a good sign. That optimism derives mostly from the fact that, compared to other teams where I’m sweating like a 1930s accountant to try to come up with six people who can do an event, Boise State has options. They may not be huge scores, but eight or so routines exist on each event.
At least theoretically. Without too much in the way of detailed training videos or identifications to go on, Boise State remains a bit of a mystery. Everyone I just mentioned could be injured and Boise State could be planning to head into the first meet buck Stanford, but they seem to have a comprehensive enough roster to hang around 13-15 and be in the running pull an upset. With new 9.9s from the likes of McGregor, that upset may not require too much help.