Boise State gymnastics lands in a new conference; softball slugger hits transfer portal

The Boise State gymnastics team has a new home.

The Broncos are joining Air Force, San Jose State and Utah State in the Mountain West, which announced Wednesday that it’s adding gymnastics to its list of 19 sponsored sports, beginning in the 2023-24 academic year.

“The profile of women’s college gymnastics is exploding,” Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement. “What an exciting time for the Mountain West to add one of the most popular high school and collegiate sports.”

Boise State spent the past 10 seasons as a member of the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference, which also included BYU, Southern Utah and Utah State. BYU left this year to join the Big 12.

The MRGC was establish in 2014, and the Broncos dominated early on. Boise State won five straight conference titles from 2015 to 2019. The Broncos finished second in 2021 and 2022 and third this year.

Boise State also earned a spot in the NCAA Regional Championships for the 15th straight season. Two gymnasts, Courtney Blackson and Emily Lopez, advanced to the national championships, where Blackson finished as runner-up on vault.

The chance to compete for Mountain West championships has the Broncos buzzing, Boise State head coach Tina Bird said.

“We are thrilled to be joining the Mountain West in this new era of gymnastics,” Bird said in a statement. “We greatly appreciate the Mountain West board of directors and the conference’s leadership during this process.”

With the addition of gymnastics, 17 of Boise State’s 18 teams now compete in the Mountain West. The lone exception is beach volleyball, which competes in the Southland Conference.

“Boise State gymnastics has a proud, long-standing championship tradition and I look forward to supporting our student-athletes and coaches in this new era, as they compete for Mountain West titles,” Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey said in a statement.

Hall hits the portal

The Boise State softball team lost one of its best hitters to the transfer portal a little over a week after the Broncos were eliminated from the Mountain West Tournament.

Kelsey Hall, who was named the Mountain West Player of the Year earlier this month, announced she was transferring Monday.

She’s hitting the portal as a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility remaining. Hall spent two years at Fresno State before joining the Broncos in 2022.

Hall led the Mountain West and ranked No. 10 in the country with an .854 slugging percentage this season. She led Boise State with a .385 batting average and tied for second on the team with 11 home runs.

Boise State finished the season with a 32-17 record and entered the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Broncos were eliminated by San Jose State, which went on to lose to San Diego State in the championship series.