No. 5 Ute Gymnasts Beat No. 9 Georgia 197.675-197.125
Breanna Hughes scores a 10.0 on the final routine of the night.
SALT LAKE CITY—A crowd of 15,403 filled the Huntsman Center to watch the final regular-season meet for seniors Kailah Delaney, Breanna Hughes and Kassandra Lopez and the fans found plenty of reasons to get on their feet and cheer in a 197.675-197.125 win over No. 9 Georgia.
In a storybook finish, Hughes brought down the house with a 10.0 on the floor exercise as the final competitor of the night, giving her a victory not only on floor, but in the all-around, where she scored a career-tying 39.650. Lopez made two curtain calls for the crowd after scoring a career-tying 9.925 on bars and tying for first place on beam with a career-high 9.95. Delaney had a mixed result, sticking a big 9.85 vault, but falling on her return to the beam lineup after two weeks off with a knee injury.
“It was awesome to be back in front of our fans after three weeks on the road,” exclaimed Hughes, who along with Delaney and Lopez will get one last Huntsman Center farewell on April 2 when Utah hosts the Salt Lake Regional. “It is just an amazing atmosphere and we feel so fortunate for their support.”
Make that their record support. Utah finished the season averaging an NCAA gymnastics record 14,928 fans a meet and brought home their sixth all-sports women’s attendance title by edging South Carolina women’s basketball with its 14,925 average.
The win—Utah’s fifth straight—improved the team’s record to 9-1. The Utes’ 197.675 score was their seventh-straight 197-plus and a season high.
Co-head coach Tom Farden was happy to once again see his team refuse to let obstacles sidetrack them. “I love the fortitude and resolve of this team. They are great about shaking off mistakes and bouncing back.”
The biggest bounce back came on the third rotation when Delaney fell from the No. 2 position. Her teammates kept the mistake off the scoring column by consecutive routines of 9.850 (Hughes), 9.95 (Lopez), 9.875 (Baely Rowe) and 9.825 (Maddy Stover).
“We have worked so hard to become a beam team,” said Rowe. “We’re trusting everyone around us.”
Rowe finished second to Hughes in the all-around with a career-high 39.525. “I got lost in my gymnastics, just like Tom (Farden) told me to do. I took my brain out of everything,” said Rowe, who also won the uneven bars with a 9.95.
Georgia kept the pressure on all night, trailing by just over three tenths of a point heading into the final rotation. Again, Utah rallied after a teammate’s fall to not only hold its lead, but expand it, on the floor exercise. The fall came from Stover when she subluxated her shoulder during her routine. Stover, who is particularly critical on beam where she is Utah’s anchor, will be evaluated by a doctor on Monday.
The meet was close from the start, with Utah opening a slim one-tenth of a point lead after one event, scoring a 49.225 on vault to Georgia’s 49.125 on bars. Hughes scored a 9.875 and Delaney, Tiffani Lewis and Rowe turned in 9.85 scores.
The two gymnastics powers went toe-to-toe again on round two, with a Georgia’s big vaults scoring a 49.375 and Utah countering with an even better 49.550 on the bars. Leading Utah’s season-high effort on bars were Rowe, who tied her high with a career-tying 9.95, and Sabrina Schwab and Lopez with 9.925s. After two events, Utah led 98.775-98.500.
Regarding Utah’s impressive showing on bars not only this night but all season, Hughes said simply, “We just go up and let it swing.”
A fall on the two final events didn’t keep the Utes from posting solid scores on beam (49.325) and floor (49.575) to claim the win over their longtime SEC rival and trimming Georgia’s all-time series advantage to 27-25-1. In addition to Lopez’ 9.95 on beam and Hughes’ 10.0 on floor, Lewis and Schwab both posted 9.925s on floor.
Up next for Utah is the Pac-12 Championships on Mar. 19 in Seattle. Utah, the co-regular season champion and the two-time defending Pac-12 champion, will enter the meet as the No. 1 seed.
Breanna Hughes scores a 10.0 on the final routine of the night.
SALT LAKE CITY—A crowd of 15,403 filled the Huntsman Center to watch the final regular-season meet for seniors Kailah Delaney, Breanna Hughes and Kassandra Lopez and the fans found plenty of reasons to get on their feet and cheer in a 197.675-197.125 win over No. 9 Georgia.
In a storybook finish, Hughes brought down the house with a 10.0 on the floor exercise as the final competitor of the night, giving her a victory not only on floor, but in the all-around, where she scored a career-tying 39.650. Lopez made two curtain calls for the crowd after scoring a career-tying 9.925 on bars and tying for first place on beam with a career-high 9.95. Delaney had a mixed result, sticking a big 9.85 vault, but falling on her return to the beam lineup after two weeks off with a knee injury.
“It was awesome to be back in front of our fans after three weeks on the road,” exclaimed Hughes, who along with Delaney and Lopez will get one last Huntsman Center farewell on April 2 when Utah hosts the Salt Lake Regional. “It is just an amazing atmosphere and we feel so fortunate for their support.”
Make that their record support. Utah finished the season averaging an NCAA gymnastics record 14,928 fans a meet and brought home their sixth all-sports women’s attendance title by edging South Carolina women’s basketball with its 14,925 average.
The win—Utah’s fifth straight—improved the team’s record to 9-1. The Utes’ 197.675 score was their seventh-straight 197-plus and a season high.
Co-head coach Tom Farden was happy to once again see his team refuse to let obstacles sidetrack them. “I love the fortitude and resolve of this team. They are great about shaking off mistakes and bouncing back.”
The biggest bounce back came on the third rotation when Delaney fell from the No. 2 position. Her teammates kept the mistake off the scoring column by consecutive routines of 9.850 (Hughes), 9.95 (Lopez), 9.875 (Baely Rowe) and 9.825 (Maddy Stover).
“We have worked so hard to become a beam team,” said Rowe. “We’re trusting everyone around us.”
Rowe finished second to Hughes in the all-around with a career-high 39.525. “I got lost in my gymnastics, just like Tom (Farden) told me to do. I took my brain out of everything,” said Rowe, who also won the uneven bars with a 9.95.
Georgia kept the pressure on all night, trailing by just over three tenths of a point heading into the final rotation. Again, Utah rallied after a teammate’s fall to not only hold its lead, but expand it, on the floor exercise. The fall came from Stover when she subluxated her shoulder during her routine. Stover, who is particularly critical on beam where she is Utah’s anchor, will be evaluated by a doctor on Monday.
The meet was close from the start, with Utah opening a slim one-tenth of a point lead after one event, scoring a 49.225 on vault to Georgia’s 49.125 on bars. Hughes scored a 9.875 and Delaney, Tiffani Lewis and Rowe turned in 9.85 scores.
The two gymnastics powers went toe-to-toe again on round two, with a Georgia’s big vaults scoring a 49.375 and Utah countering with an even better 49.550 on the bars. Leading Utah’s season-high effort on bars were Rowe, who tied her high with a career-tying 9.95, and Sabrina Schwab and Lopez with 9.925s. After two events, Utah led 98.775-98.500.
Regarding Utah’s impressive showing on bars not only this night but all season, Hughes said simply, “We just go up and let it swing.”
A fall on the two final events didn’t keep the Utes from posting solid scores on beam (49.325) and floor (49.575) to claim the win over their longtime SEC rival and trimming Georgia’s all-time series advantage to 27-25-1. In addition to Lopez’ 9.95 on beam and Hughes’ 10.0 on floor, Lewis and Schwab both posted 9.925s on floor.
Up next for Utah is the Pac-12 Championships on Mar. 19 in Seattle. Utah, the co-regular season champion and the two-time defending Pac-12 champion, will enter the meet as the No. 1 seed.
