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SALT LAKE CITY - The good news in the Huntsman Center Friday night was that the Utah gymnasts beat No. 7 Oregon State, no one on the team got hurt and three gymnasts returned from injuries. Still, don't plan on coach Greg Marsden scheduling in a bye week again any time soon after his No. 2 ranked Utes stumbled to a 196.300-195.150 win before 11,835 wondering fans.
Utah, which had come into the meet with just four falls in 192 total routines, had three - two by steady All-American Ashley Postell. Postell, ranked No. 1 in the nation in the all-around and on the beam, fell for the first time in her last 50 routines, coming off the bars twice. When she followed that with a fall off the beam, Marsden suggested she come out of the floor lineup and his star senior readily agreed.
"It just wasn't my night. I couldn't keep it going like that forever," said Postell, who hadn't fallen since March 30 of last year. Joked several reporters, and later Marsden, "She's human after all." Marsden then went on to point out, "Ashley has saved this team so many times. Tonight, her teammates saved her."
Not all was off for Postell, who tied for first on the vault with Kristina Baskett, each scoring a 9.95. Nor was she the only one who struggled. While Baskett won the all-around with a 39.25, difficulties on the bars resulted in a 9.65 score. Daria Bijak fell on her first floor pass and several other Utes didn't look as sharp as usual.
Marsden found some good things other than the team's 10th victory without a loss. "We weren't going to keep improving for 14 straight weeks. Last year, we would have fallen apart on the floor under the same circumstances. This team came out and fought."
Oregon State helped the Utes out by falling twice on its final event - the balance beam - and a 9.90 by Annie DiLuzio and a 9.875 by Baskett on the floor finished Utah's competition on a high note. Before going to the balance beam, the only thing keeping OSU out of the lead was a huge night on vault by the Utes, who tied their season-best with a 49.55.
Nina Kim returned from a three-week injury-caused layoff on the vault to score a season tying 9.90 as the first competitor. Up second, Kyndal Robarts returned from a knee injury that kept her out of one meet to score a 9.875. After a 9.775 by Bijak, Annie DiLuzio set a season best with a 9.875. Baskett one-upped that with a 9.95, tied a moment later by Postell. After one event, Utah led 49.550-48.675.
There was no early warning on the bars that a downward spiral was ahead. Jamie Deetscreek started with a 9.775, followed by a 9.80 by Jessica Duke. Gael Mackie celebrated her move down a spot in the lineup with the best bar score of the night - a 9.875 - Bijak hit a 9.80. But Baskett, who has six bar victories this year, over-rotated on a handstand, and though she moved right into plan B, was slapped hard with a 9.65. Even more shocking were the two falls off the apparatus by Postell. After two events, Utah's margin of error was halved as its lead shrunk to 98.450-97.950.
The troubles carried over to the beam, where, other than Kim (9.85) and Robarts (9.80), every Ute had a bobble and Postell fell. The biggest cheers were reserved for exhibition performer Katie Kivisto's signature move - the Kivisto - and Utah floundered to a 48.875. Oregon State suffered a worse fate on the floor, when final competitor Tasha Smith injured her foot on her first pass and couldn't finish her routine. Fortunately, the injury was not believed to be serious on the initial examination. After three events, the Utes held a tenuous 147.325-146.875 lead.
A highlight on the floor was the return of Stephanie Neff from a four-week layoff due to an Achilles injury. Neff, who didn't train a full routine until this week, scored a 9.80. At the end of the lineup, DiLuzio (9.90) and Baskett (9.875) made sure that Bijak's fall didn't count.
