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Guard Young was hired prior to the 2016 gymnastics season as the fresh, new face of the Brigham Young program, filling a void created when Brad Cattermole retired after 28 seasons.

Now, BYU's team is reflecting the youth and eagerness of their still-new coach.

The Cougars, who host No. 5 Utah on Friday at 7 p.m., had a strong start in their season opener, taking second place in a quad meet at Penn State with a 194.525.

While that score doesn't yet put the Cougars in the realm of the Utes, who opened the season with a 196.625-195.525 win over Michigan, Young believes his team is moving in the right direction.

"We had a great summer and the girls are believing we can now win," he said. "Last year we didn't have that belief. But these girls are hitting their gymnastics, sticking their landings and doing well. We have worked hard to change the philosophy here. They haven't been just working hard in the last month, but the whole year."

A member of BYU's men's gymnastics team from 1996-2000, Young spent nine seasons as an assistant with the Oklahoma's men's program from 2000-05 and 2011-2015.

Having never coached women before, Young acknowledges the 2016 season was a learning experience. But in the end, he said, he found gymnastics is gymnastics, no matter the gender of the athlete.

"You are still training and competing the elements," he said. "Working with female athletes is different, but I enjoyed the experience and I am feeling very comfortable."

To help with his transition, Young added to his staff Natalie Broekman, a former BYU gymnast who most recently coached in club gyms in Arizona, and Brogan Evanston, a former BYU gymnast who was a Level 10 judge since 2007 before joining Young's staff.

The Cougars finished 2016 by qualifying to the NCAA Regionals for a seventh straight year. Individually, young gymnasts such as Mackenzie Douglas (All-MRGC second team on vault, bars, floor) and Sin To (All-MRGC first team on vault) showed the Cougars had some young talent to help build a stronger team in the future.

This year, Young has eight freshmen on the roster and plans to have 12 in 2018.

"Everything starts with recruiting, that doesn't change," he said. "You have to have that high level of recruiting whether you are coaching men or women."

Young's squad faces its greatest regular season challenge in the fifth-ranked Utes, but believes his team is ready.

"They are the gold standard to live up to in the way they market their team and prepare and compete," he said. "It's an honor to be on the floor with them. We don't have those Olympians who are going to get the really high scores, but they have to hit and stick just like we do. Competing against good teams like that is just going to make us better."

For her part, Utah coach Megan Marsden said she has followed the Cougars and believes the program already is improving.

"At times BYU hasn't looked ready in the past," she said. "But they look ready now. Personnel-wise it seems they are recruiting a higher level of athlete and that is only going to help them get better each year." —

No. 5 Utah at BYU

P When • Friday, 7 p.m.

Where • Marriott Center, Provo

TV • BYUtv

Records • Utah (1-0), BYU (2-1)

Of note • Utah has won 15 in a row in Provo. …Utah sophomore MaKenna Merrell's older sister, Mickell, was a gymnast at BYU from 2008-12. …Utah's highest event ranking is No. 4 on the uneven bars (49.275). …The Utes don't expect any changes in personnel in the lineups. …BYU's Shannon Hortman has her team's highest all-around score of 38.975.