Ute Gymnasts Are Back At No. 1 In the National Rankings - The Official Athletic Site of the University of Utah

QUICKLY

The Utah gymnastics team (4-0) is once again No. 1 in the national rankings after one week at No. 2 ... Utah has now been ranked No. 1 in three of the five rankings released to date ... The Utes' latest test will come this Saturday, Feb. 5 at No. 25 Minnesota (3-5) ... The meet will start at 7 p.m. CST in the Sports Pavilion and live stats and commentary will be available online at www.UtahUtes.com ... Utah is 2-0 against top three teams this year, beating then No. 1 UCLA and then No. 3 Michigan (both teams are still in the top three) ... The Utes are 2-0 on the road ... Minnesota head coach Jim Stephenson was a Ute assistant from 1989-92 ... Utah has averaged 10,487 fans to its two home meets.

NATIONAL RANKINGS

This week's national rankings (by total season average) follow: 1. Utah 196.544, 2. Michigan 196.131, 3. UCLA 196.055, 4. LSU 195.912, 5. Florida 195.875, 6. Alabama 195.844, 7. Georgia 195.450, 8. Brigham Young 195.092, 9. Nebraska 195.081, 10. Oklahoma 195.050, 11. Iowa State 195.025, 12. Denver 194.885, 13. Arkansas 194.650, 14. Penn State 194.494, 15. Auburn 194.306, 16. Michigan State 194.075, 17. Southern Utah 194.050, 18. Kentucky 193.937, 19. Ohio State 193.925, 20. Central Michigan 193.906, 21. Washington 193.894, 22. Arizona 193.875, 23. Arizona State 193.837, 24. Oregon State 193.669, 25. Minnesota 193.469.

UTES IN THE RANKINGS

Ute sophomore Rachel Tidd is the top ranked uneven bars competitor in the nation for the second straight week (9.933 season average) and freshman Ashley Postell is ranked No. 2 in the all-around (39.483 average). Postell is also tied for fourth on the floor exercise (9.908), sixth on the vault (9.875) and seventh on the balance beam (9.875). On bars, where Utah is ranked No. 1 in the nation (49.225 average), sophomore Nicolle Ford (9.875) is tied for No. 7 and senior Annabeth Eberle (9.869) is ninth. Utah is also the top-ranked vaulting team in the nation (49.187), although only Postell is ranked in the top 10 individually. The Utes are No. 2 as a team on the balance beam, slipping from No. 1. Joining Postell in the beam top 10 is Ford (9.85 average). The Utes are No. 4 on floor (49.100 average), and again, only Postell is ranked in the top 10 individually.

LAST WEEK

Freshman Ashley Postell's damage control on the beam and her third all-around victory of the season helped Utah edge Michigan, 196.875-196.525 before a crowd of 10,909 in the Huntsman Center. With Michigan charging hard on the third rotation, Postell needed to hit her beam routine as the final competitor after a rare fall by Annabeth Eberle. The rookie scored a 9.825 and she, Eberle and Gritt Hofmann then put on a floor show, scoring a 9.90 and two 9.925s, respectively, to seal the victory. Eberle tied for first on vault (9.875) and floor (9.925) with Hofmann, Nicolle Ford shared the vault title, and Rachel Tidd stayed undefeated on the bars by tying defending NCAA bar champion Elise Ray with a 9.95.

UTE NOTES

Ute junior All-American Kristen Riffanacht, who missed last week's meet with a sore hamstring, could return on an event or more this Saturday ... Utah has the highest score in the nation this season--a 197.675 on Jan. 7 ... Rachel Tidd is 3-0 on the uneven bars this season and is ranked No. 1 in the nation. Tidd, who has battled a back injury since mid-December, missed one meet when the injury flared up ... Freshman Ashley Postell is Utah's win leader with 8. Other Ute victors: Nicolle Ford (5), Annabeth Eberle (5), Tidd (4) and Gritt Hofmann (2) ... Five Utes have gone without a fall so far this season: Postell (13-13), Tidd (8-8), freshman Katie Kivisto (6-6), junior Natalie Nicoloff (3-3) and freshman Jessica Duke (1-1).