Utah gymnastics’ beam team seals team’s 44th-straight ticket to nationals

(Deena Lofgren, Utah Athletics)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Who would have thought the event that has given Utah gymnastics struggles all season would be the event that sent them to nationals for an incredible 44th-straight year?

No. 6 Utah earned a second-place 197.25 score to join No. 3 LSU (197.50) in advancing from the Baton Rogue regional to the national competition in Fort Worth, Texas. No. 11 Minnesota (196.90) finished in third place and No. 14 Auburn (195.725) finished in fourth place as both were eliminated from competition.

MaKenna Merrell-Giles had an incredible night for the Utes. The senior tied for first in the all-around with LSU’s Sarah Finnegan with a 39.60 score. She also tied with teammate MyKayla Skinner for the meet’s high score on vault with 9.925. Skinner had the best floor score with 9.95.

The team entered the beam lineup in the meet’s last rotation with adversity. As the last Utah competitor in the third rotation, Skinner suffered her first fall in her collegiate career as she slipped from the high bar on her release move. Skinner ended her consecutive hit routine at 161 for an NCAA record.

The uncharacteristic mishap gave Utah a slim 0.125 lead over Minnesota heading into the meet’s last rotation.

“When MyKayla fell, the team was in shock and Myk was speechless,” Utah co-head coach Tom Farden said. “I told them to brush it off, that it didn’t do much damage and we would fight to the finish.”

The team appeared to take their coach’s words to heart.

Kari Lee gave the beam lineup confidence as she earned a 9.90 as the leadoff. Alexia Burch (9.825), Sydney Soloski (9.875), Adrienne Randall (9.75), Merrell-Giles (9.875) and Skinner (9.875) followed Lee up and all performed clutch routines when it mattered most for a 49.35 total score.

“Once Kari scored that 9.90 to lead us off, it boosted the confidence of the beam team and everyone else followed suit.”

Utah’s beam team performed so well that it punched its ticket to nationals with Merrell-Giles' score and didn’t need to have Skinner compete.

“To lock it up on the balance beam is a testament to how far this team has come on that event,” Farden said. “This was a tough environment to finish on beam with a deafening LSU crowd cheering for their team.”

The Red Rocks started competition on floor where they posted a 49.375, led by Skinner’s meet-high 9.95 and Merrell-Giles’ 9.90. The team looked focused as it placed second from the start. After the first rotation, LSU (49.50) led, with Utah (49.375), Minnesota (49.275) and Auburn (49.05) following.

Vault was even more impressive as the Red Rocks exploded to a 49.425 on the event. Their score would hold as the best on the event by any team. Merrell-Giles and Skinner highlighted the event with back-to-back 9.925s.

Prior to Skinner’s slip on bars, Merrell-Giles posted a 9.90 and Missy Reinstadtler earned a 9.875. Utah’s abnormal 49.10 rotation gave Minnesota an opportunity to gain ground for second place and the last spot to qualify for nationals.

The Red Rocks have a week to prepare for the NCAA Championship before competing in the first semifinal competition on Friday, April 19 at 11 a.m. MDT. The meet will be televised on ESPN2. The top two teams in each semifinal will advance to the national championship on Saturday, April 20.

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