Completed Event: Gymnastics versus NCAA Championship Final on April 19, 2025 , , 4th of 4 (197.2375)
Final Score
Gymnastics
4th of 4 (197.2375)
vs NCAA Championship Final
Ute Gymnasts finish seventh at NCAA Championships
6/21/1999 12:00 AM | Gymnastics
April 23, 1999
SALT LAKE CITY -
The Utah gymnastics team fell off the beam and out of contention for an 11th national title in the first day of NCAA Championships competition on April 22. Coming off a great regional performance, a 12-1 regular season record, and carrying a No. 3 national ranking, the Utes appeared primed to challenge for the 1999 NCAA title on their home floor. But three falls on beam spelled their doom and relegated them to their second seventh-place finish in the last three years. Utah's 195.475, which would have taken second in the early session, was only good for fourth in the stacked evening session.
The only real bright spot for the Utes was freshman Theresa Kulikowski, who won the all-around championship with a 39.675. Kulikowski was magnificent-also earning the highest score of either session on vault (9.875), beam (9.95) and floor (9.925). She finished third on bars with a 9.925. Kulikowski became just the second Ute freshman ever to win an all-around title and the first in 17 years. Sue Stednitz won the first NCAA all-around championship as a freshman in 1982. Kulikowski qualified for the individual event championships on all four events and became just the second Ute ever to make first-team all-American on all four events and the all-around in a single season. Former Ute Missy Marlowe was a five-time first-team All-American in 1992.
As a team, Utah was marvelous on three of four events. The Utes won bars (49.25), placed second on vault (48.95) and took third on floor (49.225). Three Utes qualified for the individual event championships on bars and made first-team All-American: Kulikowski, who was third with a 9.925, and Deidra Graham and Angie Leonard, who tied for fourth with a 9.90. But three falls to start the beam set negated Utah's fine bar set. The Utes bounced back in their final two rotations, but needed help from another team-help that never came. None of the teams ahead of Utah counted a fall. Georgia won the second session with a 197.025, followed by Michigan (196.575) and Nebraska (196.225).
In addition to Kulikowski, Graham and Leonard, sophomore Shannon Bowles qualified for the individual event championships on Saturday. Bowles placed second to Kulikowski on the beam with a 9.925.
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