Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -Auburn opened a back door in Crisler Arena and the Utah gymnastics team ran through it and into the NCAA Championships. The Utes hardly looked like the nation's No. 2 ranked team at the Northeast Regional Championship, but their 195.70 was enough to place in the top-two and earn a ticket to the NCAA Championships in Corvallis, Ore., on April 20-22. Host Michigan scored a 196.0 to win the meet and earn the region's top seed into nationals.
The Utes needed help to get to their record 31st-consecutive national championships, which includes all 25 NCAA Championships. Fortunately Auburn was there to give it. The No. 14 Tigers fell three times on bars and beam to finish the meet and faltered to a 193.050. New Hampshire placed fourth (192.50), followed by Pittsburgh (190.9) and Rutgers (188.975).
Utah ran into trouble right out of the blocks due to what head coach Greg Marsden later admitted was, "a coaching mistake." Kristen Riffanacht appeared to score a 9.70 as Utah's very first competitor of the night on the floor exercise when three of the four-member judging panel scored her a 9.70. The head judge put up a 9.50, however, and in a conference with the others, explained that Riffanacht's middle pass was not up to code. The other three lowered their scores to match hers and Utah was off to a rocky beginning.
Riffanacht's routine seemed to set a tone for the senior class, which nearly became the first in Utah history not to advance to the NCAA Championships. A senior led off three of Utah's four events and not a single one scored above a 9.50 (Dominique D'Oliveira scored an 8.95 on bars and Gabriella Onodi had a 9.30 on beam).
Not all the blame could be placed on the seniors. Big-scoring sophomore Ashley Postell fell on her vault landing and freshman Kristina Baskett fell off the beam. However, both Postell and Baskett came up big on their other three events, and Postell's 9.825 on the balance beam--combined with Auburn's errors on bars--guaranteed a Utah victory before the meet was even over. That's because Utah ended the night on a bye and Auburn was mathematically out even before starting its final rotation on the beam.
Ute junior Nicolle Ford and freshman Nina Kim were the only Utes completely up to speed. Ford won the all-around with a 39.40 and also won beam with a 9.90. Kim placed fourth in the all-around with a 39.25 and scored a critical 9.85 on the beam after Onodi and Baskett fell.
