Utah Gymnastics Team Is Headed To No. 4 Michigan

Third straight Top 10 foe for the No. 3 Utes.

March 17, 2008

SALT LAKE CITY -

THIS WEEK

The No. 3-ranked Utah gymnastics team (10-1) competes against yet another NCAA Championships' contender this week, traveling to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a meet with No. 4 Michigan (18-0). The Utah-Michigan meet is scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 22 at 6 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. MDT) in Crisler Arena. Go to mgoblue.com for Free Live Video of the meet. Live scores and commentary will be available on UtahUtes.com.

QUICK STICKS

Utah is ranked No. 3 this week after seven weeks at No. 2 ... Utah finished second at the last two NCAA Championships ... Michigan is the third top 10 team Utah has faced in the last three weeks ... Utah is 5-1 against ranked teams, with wins over (then) No. 1 Georgia, No. 7 Oregon State, No. 9 UCLA, No. 11 Nebraska and No. 20 Arizona State. The loss was to No. 3 Florida, which subsequently jumped ahead of the Utes in this week's rankings ... Utah and Michigan are both 3-0 against common opponents Georgia, Nebraska and Minnesota ... Utah is the top ranked vaulting team in the nation (49.425 RQS) ... Utah's average home attendance is 12,235.

UTE NOTES

Senior 15-time All-American Ashley Postell is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the all-around (39.620 RQS), vault (9.965) and balance beam (9.915) ... Utah has used a different floor lineup in every meet ...A Ute has won or shared in 44 of the 50 individual titles awarded ... Postell has earned at least one victory in every meet this season ... Utah has not counted a fall this season and has just seven falls total, "hitting" 233-240 routines for a 97% success rate. The Utes have just two falls on the road (118-120) ... Eight Utes are without a fall: Kristina Baskett (38-38), Annie DiLuzio (23-23), Kyndal Robarts (18-18), Jessica Duke (14-14), Katie Kivisto (10-10), Beth Rizzo (10-10), Stephanie Neff (6-6) and Gael Mackie (6-6) ... Ute event and/or all-around winners: Postell (31), Baskett (9), Daria Bijak (4), DiLuzio (3), Nina Kim (2), Mackie (1), Neff (1) and Rizzo (1) ... Postell has 104 career wins, the second most in school history behind Theresa Kulikowski (112 from 1999-2003). She already owns the school record for most career all-around titles (26). For more on Postell and the record book, see boxed inset on page 1.

NATIONAL RANKINGS

Utah slipped a spot to No. 3 after losing to Florida last Friday. That was the only shakeup in the top five, which looks like this in the new rankings: 1. Georgia (197.305 regional qualifying score), 2. Florida (197.090), 3. Utah (197.065), 4. Michigan (196.825), 5. LSU (196.695). The complete top 25 can be found on page 3.

UTES IN THE RANKINGS

Defending NCAA balance beam champion Ashley Postell is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the all-around (39.620 RQS), vault (9.965) and beam (9.915). Kristina Baskett, the 2006 NCAA uneven bar champion, ranks No. 7 in the all-around (39.410), No. 5 on bars (9.910) and No. 6 on vault (9.925).

SERIES SHORTS

Utah leads the series with Michigan 18-10 but is 1-5 in Ann Arbor ... including postseason meets, Utah has won the last three against UM and seven of the last eight ... Utah's only win in Ann Arbor came on its last regular season trip there in 2006 ... the Utes competed at regionals in Crisler Arena later that year, finishing second to Michigan.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN

Coach: Bev Plocki
Record/Year: 356-96-1 (19th season)
2007 NCAA Finish: 11th-tie
2008 Record: 18-0
2008 High Score: 197.600
National Rank: No. 4

Team Notes: One of two remaining undefeated teams in the nation (Michigan is 18-0, Oklahoma is 17-0) ... UM has qualified for the last 15 NCAA Championships ... season high 197.600 win on Mar. 7 to beat No. 1 ranked Georgia (196.95) in Ann Arbor ... top all-arounders are Sarah Curtis (39.60 high) and Lindsey Bruck (39.45).


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