Jan. 30, 2006
SALT LAKE CITY. -
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A few notes on the Utah-Arizona gymnastics meet on Feb. 3 are below. For the complete release and statistics, please download the accompanying PDF document.
QUICKLY
The No. 2-ranked Utah gymnastics team (5-0) heads to Tempe, Ariz., for a Friday, Feb. 3 meet with No. 12 Arizona State (4-0) ... The two undefeated teams will square off starting at 7:30 p.m. MST in the Wells Fargo Arena ... Utah and ASU have met just one common opponent so far this year: Utah beat Washington 195.625-193.325 in Seattle on Jan. 13, while ASU defeated the Huskies 195.175-191.525 last Friday in Seattle ... Live scoring and commentary will be available at www.UtahUtes.com.
UTE NOTES
About 100 Utah alumni will meet the Ute gymnasts at a reception in Tempe on Thursday night. The alums will then attend the Utah-ASU meet on Friday ... Utah's 197.20 score last Friday is the best score in the nation this year. The only other team to score a 197 this season is No. 1 ranked Georgia (197.025) ... Freshman
Nina Kim missed last Friday's meet with the flu. She had been projected to compete in the all-around ... Tied for the team lead with five victories apiece are
Kristina Baskett,
Ashley Postell and
Nicolle Ford. Other event winners this season are
Gritt Hofmann (2) and
Jessica Duke (1).
GOOD ALL-AROUND
Three Utes have cracked the top 10 in the latest national all-around rankings.
Nicolle Ford ranks No. 4 (39.342 average), while
Ashley Postell is tied for No. 8 (39.158) and
Kristina Baskett is No. 10 (39.137). Ford is also ranked on bars (No. 3, 9.912 average) and beam (tied for No. 6, 9.844), Postell is No. 6 on floor (9.867), Baskett is tied for No. 9 on vault (9.862) and
Gritt Hofmann checks in at No. 10 on beam (9.825). As a team, Utah carries rankings of No. 2 on beam (48.831 average) and floor (49.069), No. 3 on vault (49.131) and No. 5 on bars (48.831).
LAST WEEK
Ashley Postell and
Nicolle Ford tied for all-around honors with a 39.55 and Utah scored a season-high 197.20 to crush instate foes Southern Utah (193.175) and Utah State (192.675) before a crowd of 12,563 in the Huntsman Center. Ford also won bars with a career-high 9.975 and tied for first on beam with
Gritt Hofmann (9.95). Postell won the floor exercise with a 9.925 and
Kristina Baskett started things off with a victory on the vault (9.90). Baskett scored a 9.90 on three events and her fall on the balance beam did not count in Utah's 49.45 tally--which stands as the best beam score in the nation this season.
SERIES SHORTS
Once the most heated gymnastics rivalry in the nation, Utah and Arizona State finished 1-2 at the NCAA Championships three times (1983, 1985 and 1986). Utah leads the overall series 55-16-1 but owns a slim 9-8-1 edge in Tempe. Utah has won the last three, including a win against the Devils in Tempe in February of 2004. Last year, Utah won 197.725-196.325 in Salt Lake City.
SUN DEVIL NOTES
4-0 ... ranked No. 12 ... top all-arounders and their high score: Ashley Kelly (39.475), April Boone (39.20) and Nicole Harris (39.05) ... Kelly is ranked No. 1in the nation this week on the balance beam with a 9.875 average ... coach John Spini is 310-122-2 in his 26th season. His won-loss mark at home is 164-25-1.
