Utes are headed to the NCAA Championships
SALT LAKE CITY—The Utah gymnastics team is headed to the NCAA Championships after winning the Salt Lake City Regional in impressive fashion. Utah led from start to finish, scoring a 197.125 to beat runner-up UCLA (196.375), Washington (195.825), Illinois (195.350), Utah State (195.025) and Southern Utah (194.950).
Utah and UCLA are among four Pac-12 teams advancing to the NCAA Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas, on Apr. 15-16, along with Stanford and California.
Seniors Breanna Hughes and Kailah Delaney both came away individual winners in their final Huntsman Center appearances. Hughes won the all-around with a 39.525 and Delaney captured vault with a 9.90.
With the victory, Utah secured a record 41st -consecutive invitation to the national championships, including every NCAA-sponsored event (this year marks Utah’s 35th NCAA trip).
First-year Ute co-head coach Tom Farden admitted to a sense of relief that the streak lived to see another day, noting “I wasn’t even born” the last time there wasn’t a Utah team at the national championships. Under longtime and now retired head coach Greg Marsden and current co-coach Megan Marsden, Utah has qualified for the national championships every year of its gymnastics existence.
Utah hit 24-of-24 routines in the regional win and took command of the meet on its first two competitive rotations. From there, the Utes worked on padding their lead.
Utah began the meet on a bye, entering the fray in the second rotation on the bars to a thunderous ovation. A 9.90 from Tiffani Lewis at the No. 2 position jumpstarted a nice 49.350 bar set, which was also highlighted by a 9.875 from Kassandra Lopez and a 9.925 from Hughes. After one full rotation, the scores looked like this: Utah 49.350, Washington 49.200, UCLA 49.050, Southern Utah 48.925, Utah State 48.750 and Illinois 48.675.
Utah staked its claim to the meet on the second round, thanks to a lights out 49.225 beam set. The Utes, who counted a fall on beam at the Pac-12 Championships two weeks ago to fall into a tie for second behind UCLA, took command of the meet on the risky event this night.
Samantha Partyka started things off with a 9.85 that looked virtually flawless, atoning for the first fall of her career on any event at Pac-12s. Also contributing 9.85s on beam were Delaney, Lopez and Baely Rowe. In her return from the injury that sidelined her at Pac-12’s, anchor Maddy Stover—sporting a new routine that protected her injured shoulder—scored a 9.80 and Utah was on its way.
After two complete rotations, the scoring column was Utah 98.550, UCLA 98.450, Washington 98.200, SUU 97.775, Illinois 97.550, USU 97.400. Utah exited the competition for its final bye of the night and returned one round later on the floor.
This was the only event where Utah failed to stick a few landings, but the first two Utes up (Rowe 9.85 and MaKenna Merrell 9.875), as well as their finisher (Hughes 9.925), were rock solid. They boosted Utah to a 49.30 on floor—the second-best score of the night on that event—and expanded Utah’s lead over UCLA to three-tenths of a point.
After three full rotations, the scores were: Utah 147.875, UCLA 147.575, Illinois 146.825, Washington 147.725, SUU 146.600, USU 146.075.
There was no letdown on the final event. Delaney’s winning 9.90 routine and a career-tying 9.875 by Lewis, propelled the Utes to the best vault score of the night—a 49.250—and Utah won its 29th all-time regional title.
The meet drew a sellout crowd of 7,927 in a slimmed down Huntsman Center, which for the first time for a gymnastics meet, closed off the upper bowl with a drape. Every available seat in the lower bowl was sold, but the smaller arena allowed Utah’s 1992 regional attendance of 8,469 to stand as a school regional best.
SALT LAKE CITY—The Utah gymnastics team is headed to the NCAA Championships after winning the Salt Lake City Regional in impressive fashion. Utah led from start to finish, scoring a 197.125 to beat runner-up UCLA (196.375), Washington (195.825), Illinois (195.350), Utah State (195.025) and Southern Utah (194.950).
Utah and UCLA are among four Pac-12 teams advancing to the NCAA Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas, on Apr. 15-16, along with Stanford and California.
Seniors Breanna Hughes and Kailah Delaney both came away individual winners in their final Huntsman Center appearances. Hughes won the all-around with a 39.525 and Delaney captured vault with a 9.90.
With the victory, Utah secured a record 41st -consecutive invitation to the national championships, including every NCAA-sponsored event (this year marks Utah’s 35th NCAA trip).
First-year Ute co-head coach Tom Farden admitted to a sense of relief that the streak lived to see another day, noting “I wasn’t even born” the last time there wasn’t a Utah team at the national championships. Under longtime and now retired head coach Greg Marsden and current co-coach Megan Marsden, Utah has qualified for the national championships every year of its gymnastics existence.
Utah hit 24-of-24 routines in the regional win and took command of the meet on its first two competitive rotations. From there, the Utes worked on padding their lead.
Utah began the meet on a bye, entering the fray in the second rotation on the bars to a thunderous ovation. A 9.90 from Tiffani Lewis at the No. 2 position jumpstarted a nice 49.350 bar set, which was also highlighted by a 9.875 from Kassandra Lopez and a 9.925 from Hughes. After one full rotation, the scores looked like this: Utah 49.350, Washington 49.200, UCLA 49.050, Southern Utah 48.925, Utah State 48.750 and Illinois 48.675.
Utah staked its claim to the meet on the second round, thanks to a lights out 49.225 beam set. The Utes, who counted a fall on beam at the Pac-12 Championships two weeks ago to fall into a tie for second behind UCLA, took command of the meet on the risky event this night.
Samantha Partyka started things off with a 9.85 that looked virtually flawless, atoning for the first fall of her career on any event at Pac-12s. Also contributing 9.85s on beam were Delaney, Lopez and Baely Rowe. In her return from the injury that sidelined her at Pac-12’s, anchor Maddy Stover—sporting a new routine that protected her injured shoulder—scored a 9.80 and Utah was on its way.
After two complete rotations, the scoring column was Utah 98.550, UCLA 98.450, Washington 98.200, SUU 97.775, Illinois 97.550, USU 97.400. Utah exited the competition for its final bye of the night and returned one round later on the floor.
This was the only event where Utah failed to stick a few landings, but the first two Utes up (Rowe 9.85 and MaKenna Merrell 9.875), as well as their finisher (Hughes 9.925), were rock solid. They boosted Utah to a 49.30 on floor—the second-best score of the night on that event—and expanded Utah’s lead over UCLA to three-tenths of a point.
After three full rotations, the scores were: Utah 147.875, UCLA 147.575, Illinois 146.825, Washington 147.725, SUU 146.600, USU 146.075.
There was no letdown on the final event. Delaney’s winning 9.90 routine and a career-tying 9.875 by Lewis, propelled the Utes to the best vault score of the night—a 49.250—and Utah won its 29th all-time regional title.
The meet drew a sellout crowd of 7,927 in a slimmed down Huntsman Center, which for the first time for a gymnastics meet, closed off the upper bowl with a drape. Every available seat in the lower bowl was sold, but the smaller arena allowed Utah’s 1992 regional attendance of 8,469 to stand as a school regional best.
