Something is soothing about the Huntsman Center to U gymnasts.
Could it be the 22-year, 168 straight dual meet winning streak in the building, dating back to 1979?
Or is the considerable contingent of Huntsman Center fans, averaging 10,627 per meet over the last 10 years?
Whatever it is, it resulted in a turnaround for the Red Rocks March 9, and a break out of the current funk of having to count a fall.
After five straight weeks on the road, having to count a fall on an event in each of the away meets, the Utes (7-2) delivered against No. 13 Oregon State.
The U scored a 197.350 to 195.475 win over the Beavers, earning the eighth-best score in school history.
With the mark, the Utes moved up two slots in the national polls to No. 3. In addition, Utah is ranked No. 1 in the nation on beam for the seventh consecutive week.
The U gymnasts have two more meets in the Jon M. Huntsman Center before they take their act to the postseason, starting with NCAA Regionals April 6.
First up is No. 16 Florida (11 8), whom the Utes defeated in Gainesville last year by the score of 196.750?196.525.
“Florida is consistently in contention at the NCAA Championships and will be another tough opponent,” coach Greg Marsden said.
“It’s important we take advantage of these opportunities to improve against quality competition with only two weeks left in the regular season.”
After the Gators, the Red Rocks host No. 15 BYU on March 23.
Kulio is the Show
Former NCAA all-around champ Theresa Kulikowski is back to competing in all four events, and it has paid dividends for the Utes.
Kulio, currently ranked No. 1 nationally on beam, has won three of four all-around competitions since her return against Utah State Feb. 15, where she scored a 39.800.
Her latest all-around win was a 39.725 against the Beavers. The score ranked fifth-best in school history.
The junior from Colorado Springs, Colo., has three perfect 10.0 scores this year, and she has 19 overall victories.
Marsden’s Milestone
Utah’s two-point triumph over OSU marked win No. 750 for gymnastics coach Greg Marsden. No other collegiate gymnastics coach even approaches 700 wins.
Under the tutelage of Marsden, Utah is the only program to qualify for all 20 NCAA Championships. Marsden has led his Utes to 10 national championships in 26 years.