A loss in never exactly encouraging, but Utah gymnastics coach Greg Marsden saw something a little reassuring in his team’s 197.025 to 196.175 loss at No. 5 Michigan Friday night, Utah’s fourth consecutive road meet.
“The good news is we haven’t faced a team we can’t beat if we just hit our routines,” Marsden said.
As has been the case in three of the U’s last four meets, the gymnasts could not turn in four full events without counting a fall.
The Utes opened the meet with two falls on bars, and the Wolverines never opened the door.
Bars All-Americans Shannon Bowles and Theresa Kulikowski both touched ground, resulting in a 48.65 in a typically strong event.
Utah responded on vault. Kulikowski scored a 9.875 and Annabeth Eberle scored a 9.850, but the gap was 98.125 to 97.725 after two rotations.
The Wolverines’ next event, beam, put the meet out of reach. Michigan’s 49.475 was the second best score in team history.
Meanwhile, Michigan native Melissa Vituj scored a 9.950 on floor and Kulio added a 9.925, but a fall by Bowles on her first tumbling pass and a step out of bounds by Lindsay Tanner kept the Utes from making any more ground. After three rotations, Michigan led 147.600 to 146.900.
Even though the competition was out of reach, Utah turned in a 49.175 on beam. Kulio 9.975 won first place in the event. Vituj and Annie Medcalf both scored 9.875s.
Kulio was the best all-around finisher, turning in a 39.250 for third place despite the bars fall.
Usual all-arounder Deidra Graham only competed on bars for the second straight week. The senior has been kept out of the line-up because of five bulging disks in her back.