Ute Gymnasts Crush ASU 197.350-194.350 - The Official Athletic Site of the University of Utah

Ute Gymnasts Crush ASU 197.350-194.350
14,453 fans help Utes edge closer to NCAA attendance mark.

Kyndal Robarts won the floor exercise with a 9.875.

March 6, 2009

Final Stats

SALT LAKE CITY -
Buoyed by season-highs on vault and beam, the No. 2 ranked Utah gymnasts easily out-distanced Arizona State, 197.350-194.350 before a crowd of 14,453 in the Huntsman Center. The packed house all but assured that the Utes will break their own single-season attendance mark of 13,164, set back in 1993. With No. 4 Florida coming to town next Friday - and the opportunity to see Ute seniors Kristina Baskett and Nina Kim one final time in the Huntsman Center - odds are good that the Utes will attract the 10,910 needed to break the record.

Baskett and Kim tuned up for their senior finale by leading Utah to its second-highest score of the season. Baskett won the all-around (39.575) and bars (9.925), while tying for first on beam with Kim and Daria Bijak - all with a 9.90. Both Kim (9.90) and Baskett (9.925) played big roles in Utah's season-high 49.525 vault score as well.

Five different Utes won individual titles, as Annie DiLuzio won vault (9.95) and Kyndal Robarts captured floor (9.875), to join the trio of beam victors. Turning in yet another solid all-around performance in a runner-up effort was Deetscreek (39.35). Bijak tied for third in the all-around (39.20).

Utah opened with a bang, scoring a season-high 49.425 on the vault that was powered by four 9.90 scores. Robarts and Kim went 9.90 from the three and four positions, followed by a 9.95 by DiLuzio and a 9.925 by Baskett. It was a career high for both Robarts and DiLuzio. Arizona State had to count a fall and the score after one rotation was 49.525-48.300.

The Utes seemed to lose some starch during the event change. Other than Baskett's crisp 9.925 routine at the end of the bar lineup, the Utes averaged a 9.8 for a 49.125 team that tied their lowest bar score of the season. The Sun Devils won the rotation, scoring a 49.250 on the vault, but the Utes still held a comfortable 98.650-97.550 lead at the midway point.

On beam, Robarts opened with a nearly error-free routine that earned her a career-tying 9.875. Gael Mackie drew a big cheer for turning what was headed for a balance check into an elegant looking move. She would draw a 9.85 score. Deetscreek walked through a career-tying 9.875 routine. Bijak followed with a magnificent high-altitude routine and avoided losing anything on her landing with a perfect stick for a season-best 9.90. Baskett's 9.90 ensured a big score going into Kim's finale, but the senior bumped it higher with a 9.90. It would be Kim's last routine of the night. She began feeling weaker as the meet progressed and a decision was made to pull her from floor. Back to the beam, Utah's 49.55 blew away its previous season best of 49.35, and along with two ASU falls on the floor, the three-event margin was a whopping 148.100-145.575.

Utah finished with a mixed bag on the floor, getting off to a fast start when Deetscreek and McAllister scored back-to-back 9.85s. McAllister - a last-minute replacement for Kim - tied her career high. Next up, a low front full cost Bijak from a big score (9.70), before Robarts rebounded with a 9.875. Baskett lost a big score when she couldn't quite keep her Arabian double front inbounds. She took a 9.825. DiLuzio finished the scoring with a 9.85.