The Utah gymnastics team had to count a fall in its opening event, but responded with no lower score than a 9.800 in its next three events in a 197.150?196.100 win over Arizona at the Huntsman Center Friday night.
The score extended Utah’s regular season home win streak to 166, and catapulted the U two spots in the national polls to No. 2. The Utes pushed ahead of UCLA and Nebraska for the No. 2 slot, while a 197.900 by Georgia kept the Bulldogs in the top spot.
In Friday night’s competition, the Utes started slow on the vault. After a 9.750 by Kim Allan, both German newcomer Gritt Hofmann and senior Shannon Bowles sat down on their landings.
Hofmann joined the team just before the new year, and U coach Greg Marsden took the blame for rushing her.
“I wanted to get Gritt involved, and I probably pushed her a little bit,” he said. “I don’t think she was quite ready to do it.”
After 9.900 vaults by eventual all-around winner Melissa Vituj and Veronique LeClerc, Utah salvaged a 48.500 score, but narrowly trailed Arizona (48.550).
“I’m looking for a new vault coach?I think I’ve got to fire the one I’ve got right now,” said Marsden, who personally works with the vaulters. The Utes struggled with vault in their season-opener as well, scoring a 48.775.
But the Red Rocks would respond for their coach.
Utah scored a 49.600 on bars, one-tenth less than the school record on the event, and followed with a 49.425 on beam and 49.625 on floor.
“That’s what’s nice about having a team with a lot of experience, Marsden said. “You know they’re not back there panicking.”
Junior Theresa Kulikowski, one week after a nasty fall on bars, made her status for the meet questionable throughout the week, performed the nation’s first 10.0 on the event this year.
“I was really nervous because I was kind of thinking about my fall in the back of my mind. I just tried to relax myself,” she said.
But even with the gutsy performance, the perfectionist questioned her score.
“There are always little things that I feel, that maybe the judges can’t see,” Kulikowski said.
Kulikowski also returned to the floor for the first time since Jan. 21, 2000. ACL surgery and recovery kept her out last year, but Kulikowski triumphantly returned. With bandaged knees, Kulikowski turned in a 9.950, tying with Shannon Bowles for top score in the event.
The all-around crown went to the sophomore Vituj, in her first all-around competition.
Vituj was tied with teammate Veronique LeClerc and Arizona gymnast Randi Liljenquist after three events. But Vituj’s 9.925 on floor thrust her solely into first.
“I was overwhelmed with emotion, but I used the crowd and I used my teammates and got through it,” Vituj said.
Even though the Wildcats lost the meet, coach Bill Ryden commended his gymnasts for stepping up in an “atmosphere that is, without a doubt, the best and most unique in all of college gymnastics.
“We have always measured ourselves, our program, after what Utah has already accomplished,” he said.
Although 14 of his team’s 24 routines were done by freshmen, he said he was extremely happy with the way it played out.
“Our goal was to come here and show people we can be one of the top programs in the country. There’s no greater stage than to play here,” Ryden said.