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
Utes Prepare for Arizona
6/21/1999 12:00 AM | Gymnastics
February 9, 1999
UTAH VS. ARIZONA
QUICKLY
The No. 3 ranked Utes (4-0) make their third road trip in four weeks when
they head to Tucson, Ariz., for a Friday meet with Arizona ... Meet time is
7:30 p.m. ... Utes are 2-0 on the road ... Utah starts the week ranked No.
3, with the new rankings coming out on Tuesday night. The Utes should
remain No. 3 in the new poll. Utah has been ranked in the top four since
the preseason, with the exception of one week when it hadn't yet competed
and was not eligible for the rankings ... Arizona (4-2) is unranked ... The
Utes are averaging an NCAA-best 10, 839 fans to their first two home
competitions ... Utah is coming off a fourth-place NCAA finish in 1998 ...
The Utes have won a record ten national championships, including four in
the 1990s (1990, '92, '94, '95).
"WATCH" THE UTES ON THE WEB
All Utah home and away* gymnastics meets will be posted "live" on the
Internet this year. To follow the meet in progress, go to Utah's web page
at www.UtahUtes.com.
*Real time stats for road meets are contingent upon the
logistics at the opposing school.
PRACTICE TIMES & INTERVIEW POLICY
Monday and Tuesday (1:30-5:00) in the Women's Gymnastics Training Center.
All practices are open. Media interested in interviews should plan to be in
the practice facility by 1:00 p.m. All athlete interviews must be completed
by 1:30 p.m. Head Coach Greg Marsden is available during practice, upon
prior request. Call sports information director Liz Abel to
arrange interviews either at or outside practice.
THE RANKINGS
Utah is ranked No. 3 in the latest poll, issued on Feb. 2. The poll is
released every Tuesday night during the season. Based on its 195.525 score
last week, Utah should remain at No. 3 for a third straight week when the
poll is updated on Feb. 9. Utah's highest ranking was No. 2 (Jan. 19). The
rankings are determined by season average through February 23, at which
point they switch to regional qualifying score. The Feb. 2 poll is found on
page 6 of this release. Each Wednesday, the rankings (and release) are
updated on the internet under www.UtahUtes.com.
LAST WEEK
Freshman Deidra Graham won her first collegiate all-around competition
(39.10) to lead the Utes to an easy 195.525-191.350 win over Southern Utah
on Feb. 5 in Salt Lake City. Graham and junior Denise Jones treated a crowd
of 11,503 to some stiff competition in the all-around, with Jones finishing
just behind the freshman, scoring a 39.00. Utah won all four events, with
freshman Theresa Kulikowski capturing the beam and floor competitions,
Angie Leonard picking up her first win of the year on the bars and tying
Kulikowski for floor honors, Jones tying for first on beam and Ashley Kever
winning her first ever vault title. Junior Jenny Schmidt, out since March
of 1997 following two knee surgeries, competed her first bar routine to
"count" in two years and scored a 9.775.
TRAINER'S TABLE
Everyone is healthy to start the week.
UTAH COACH GREG MARSDEN
Greg Marsden, the most successful coach in collegiate gymnastics history,
is in his 24th year at the U. He owns a 676-96-3 record (339-43-1 regular
season). His ten national championships is more than double that of any
other coach. Four of those titles have come in the '90s (1990, '92, '94,
'95). Fourteen of Marsden's teams have placed in the top-two nationally.
The only coach in Utah's gymnastics history, Marsden is a seven-time
national coach of the year selection.
SERIES SHORTS
Utah leads Arizona 42-0 ... Utah leads 6-0 in Tucson ... two teams have met
12 times in the regular season and 30 times in the post-season (regionals
and nationals) ... series opened in 1976 with Utah winning in Salt Lake
City ... last Tucson meeting was on Jan. 11, 1997 (Utah won 194.325-192.325).
UTE NOTES
Utah's 195.525 was the second-highest score in the nation last week, behind
Alabama (195.875) ... Freshman Deidra Graham became the second Ute freshman
this year to win her collegiate all-around debut when she scored a 39.10
last week against Southern Utah. (Freshman Theresa Kulikowski won the
all-around in the season-opener, scoring a 39.40) ... Junior Denise Jones
slightly sprained both ankles when she fell on her second vault last week,
but still scored a 39.00 in the all-around to place second. It was Jones'
12th career 39.00 all-around score. Depending on her training, Jones may be
held out of competition this Saturday ... Sophomore all-arounder Theresa
Wolf sat out of last week's competition to rest some nagging injuries. She
is expected to return to the all-around lineup this week ... Senior Angie
Leonard (Tempe, Ariz.) returns to her home state this week when the Utes go
to Tucson. Leonard is scheduled to compete in the all-around.
ALL-AMERICA ANGIE
Senior All-American Angie Leonard picked up her first win of the season and
her 17th career uneven bar victory last week against SUU. Leonard, who put
a double layout dismount back into her routine, scored a season-best 9.90.
She also tied for first on floor with a 9.825. Leonard is scheduled to go
all-around for the second time of the season this Friday at Tucson. She
went all-around in the season-opener, scoring a 39.00-her 16th career
39.00. One of Utah's most consistent performers ever, she has "hit" 140 of
154 (91%) of her competitive routines. She is 41 of 44 (93%) on bars in her
four years. She has "hit" 11 of 12 routines this year. A two-time
first-team bar All-American, she went almost two full years without a fall
on bars. Her career all-around best is 39.625, set against Stanford in 1997.
"BOWLES" THEM OVER
Sophomore Shannon Bowles, a 1997 U.S. National Team member and a 1998
first-team All-America all-arounder, has competed on every event except
floor this year. Bowles is tentatively scheduled to go all-around "to
count" this Friday. Last week she competed to count on vault (9.65) and
beam (9.675), and in exhibition, scored a 9.775 on both bars and floor. She
has Utah's best score this year-a 9.95 on beam at Minnesota. Her career
best on beam is a 10.0. Bowles, a first-team All-American in the all-around
and on bars and beam as a freshman last year, had a team-best eight 39.00
all-around scores in 1998. Her career best is a 39.60, which is tied for
the eighth best score in school history. She has "hit" 55 of 59 routines in
her career (93%).
WAY KULIO
Freshman standout Theresa Kulikowski, arguably the best freshman recruit in
the nation, is living up to her billing. The 1995-96 U.S. National Team
member and first alternate for the 1996 U.S. Olympic team has won both
all-around competitions she's attempted this year. In the latest poll (Feb.
2), she is No. 2 in the nation in the all-around (39.275 average). She is
also ranked second nationally on beam with a 9.892 average. Kulikowski had
the best freshman debut ever by a Ute on January 15, winning the all-around
against Stanford with a 39.40. A week later she scored a 39.15 to win the
all-around at Minnesota. She leads the team in wins with 10: all-around,
bars, beam and floor vs. Stanford; all-around and bars vs. Minnesota; beam
and floor vs. BYU; and beam and floor vs. Southern Utah. "Kulio" has not
made the vault lineup in the last two meets, but after performing a full
twisting yurchenko for a 9.75 in exhibition last week, she could return to
the all-around lineup this Friday. She has "hit" 11 of 13 routines, with
both falls on bars.
MORE ON THE UTES
Deidra Graham-Freshman won her collegiate all-around debut last week,
scoring a 39.10 against Southern Utah. She scored a 9.775 in her first
vault to count this year, which tied her for second ... for the second
straight week she scored a personal best 9.875 on bars-finishing second
last week and winning the event at BYU the previous week ... finished in
top two on bars in all four meets ... has earned regular spot in Utah's bar
and floor lineups ... has "hit" 10 of 11 routines (fall was on floor at
Minnesota) ... 1995 U.S. National Team member and senior international
elite won bars at 1998 Junior Olympic Championships.
Denise Jones-Junior All-America all-arounder finished second all-around last week with season-best 39.00 score ... she now has 12 career 39.00 all-around scores ... season-best 9.80 on beam tied for first against SUU ... has also won two vault competitions (9.75 at Minnesota and 9.775 at BYU) ... in season-opener against Stanford, tied career floor high with 9.85 ... has "hit" 101 of 111 (91%) of her career routines.
Ashley Kever-Junior is one of Utah's best on vault, beam and floor ... Utah's only multiple event performer without a miss this year ... won first vault competition of her career last week, scoring career-best 9.80 ... has scored 9.80 on floor twice this year ... has competed on vault in every meet after never vaulting her first two years ... 9.725 on vault against both Stanford and BYU ... has "hit" all 12 routines this year.
Molly Northrop-Senior is training strictly on bars and beam this year, where she is an All-American ... has made bar lineup in last three meets ... two 9.70s on bars this year (SUU and BYU) ... 9.65 on bars at Minnesota ... first-team bars All-American in 1998 (6th) and second-team beam All-American in 1997 (16th) ... 1998 GTE Academic All-American (second team).
Sarah Northrop-Senior All-American (1996) has been training on vault, bars and beam ... 9.80 in exhibition on bars at BYU ... also competed exhibition on bars against Stanford, Minnesota and Southern Utah, but fell.
Angelika Schatton-Junior is one of Utah's most consistent vaulters ... season-best 9.775 last week against Southern Utah tied her for second ... also placed second at Minnesota (9.725) and BYU (9.75).
Jenny Schmidt-Junior competed "to count" for the first time since Mar. 7, 1997 last week ... led off Utah's bar set with 9.775 ... has undergone two knee surgeries since March 1997 ... competed exhibition on bars in first three meets ... 9.775 at BYU and 9.675 at Minnesota in exhibition.
Lindsay Tanner-Freshman walk-on is competing for position in floor lineup ... has "hit" one floor routine in four exhibition attempts (at BYU) ... Level 10 gymnast competed at 1998 J.O. National Championships.
Kylee Wagner-Freshman has led off floor lineup in last three meets ... career-best 9.775 last week against SUU ... 9.625 at Minnesota included .10 deduction for "illegal" earring ... scored 9.65 at BYU ... in exhibition against Stanford, scored 9.725 on vault and 9.75 on floor ... at 1998 J.O. Nationals, she placed 10th all-around, fourth on floor and eighth on vault.
Theresa Wolf-Sophomore all-arounder took last week off to rest ... could return to all-around lineup this week ... placed second all-around against Stanford (39.125) ... 38.650 at BYU included her first fall of 1999 (on beam) ... final vaulter in Ute lineup tied career best against Stanford (9.775) ... went three events at Minnesota and all-around in other two meets ... has "hit" 10 of 11 routines this year.
CAT NOTES
4-2 ... unranked in the Feb. 2 poll ... high score of 192.275 in Tucson on
Jan. 15 (defeated No. 14 Oregon State 192.275-189.725) ... All-American
Heidi Hornbeek, the 1996 NCAA floor ex champion as a freshman, is back
after missing last year with shoulder surgery ... Wildcats have been
hampered by injuries and illness ... top all-arounder this year is senior
Kristin McDermitt (38.95) ... Hornbeek has career best 39.70 all-around ...
Bill Ryden is 4-2 in his first year as head coach.
GREG MARSDEN SAYS
"The last meet we added quite a bit of difficulty to our routines, and for
the most part, we were successful with the upgrades. I didn't think we were
quite as sharp and crisp as we were in our first home meet, but I think
that was partly due to doing the increased difficulty for the first time in
competition. It was good to see Theresa Kulikowski upgrade her vault to a
full twisting yurchenko and Shannon Bowles hit both her (exhibition) uneven
bars and floor exercise routines. This week, Theresa Wolf should return to
the lineup after taking the last meet off to rest her body. Depending on
what happens in the gym this week, I may do the same for Denise Jones
against Arizona. One of the most exciting things for me this year has been
to watch the emergence of Ashley Kever as one of our strongest performers.
She has really brought her gymnastics to the next level this season and has
developed as a real team leader. Angie Leonard is finally beginning to get
back in shape. Her vaulting looked stronger, she did a double layout
dismount off bars and upgraded her last tumbling pass on floor. Her mom was
in town for the meet and promised a big Ute cheering section in Tucson. Her
sister goes to Arizona, but promises to be wearing red and white for the
meet. I just can't believe what a great job every athlete in the program is
doing. All of them seem sincerely motivated and determined to improve. If
we can continue to stay healthy and train consistently, we should be an
extremely competitive team come April."
UTAH TO HOST NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The University of Utah will host the 1999 NCAA Gymnastics Championships,
April 22-24 in the Huntsman Center. Tickets are on sale in the Huntsman
Center ticket office, or can be ordered by calling 801-581-UTIX. Utah has
hosted seven national gymnastics championships-most recently in 1994 (won
by the Utes).
QUALIFYING TO NATIONALS
The qualification procedures into the NCAA Championships, April 22-24 in
Salt Lake City, have changed. There will be six regional competitions
preceding nationals, with six teams qualifying into each based on their
regional qualifying scores (RQS). The RQS is based on a team's six best
regular season scores, of which two must be home and two must be away. The
top 12 teams nationally, based on RQS, will be seeded into the six regions
(two per region). The remaining four regional slots will be filled from
within the region. The top two teams from each region, regardless of score,
will qualify into the NCAA Championships for a total of 12 teams. The
region configuration has also changed. Sites for the 1999 NCAA Regional
Championships, which will be held on April 10, are: Region 1-Oregon State,
Region 2-Utah State, Region 3-Nebraska, Region 4-Louisiana State, Region
5-Penn State and Region 6-West Virginia. The only way a seeded team is
guaranteed to stay in its own region is if it is hosting a region
championship.
NEW TRAINING CENTER OPEN
After 23 years training in HPER West 106, the Utah gymnastics program moved
into a new home on Dec. 28, 1998. The new $2 million Women's Gymnastics
Training Center is a stand alone facility located adjacent to HPER
East-just north of Ute volleyball's Crimson Court. The 18,000 square foot
training center was funded through private donations, with a $1 million
lead gift from the Zeke, Jr. and Katherine Dumke family. The facility
features the latest equipment and matting, as well as locker, training,
aerobics, strength and rehabilitation areas. Although the facility is open
for training, construction is still underway on the aerobics addition.
UTE WINNERS
Theresa Kulikowski (10)
All-Around (2)
39.40 vs. Stanford, Jan. 15
39.15 vs. Minnesota, Jan. 23
Bars (2)
9.900 vs. Stanford, Jan. 15
9.875 vs. Minnesota, Jan. 23
Beam (3)
9.850 vs. Stanford, Jan. 15
9.925 vs. Brigham Young, Jan. 29
9.800 vs. Southern Utah, Feb. 5
Floor (3)
9.925 vs. Stanford, Jan. 15
9.850 vs. Brigham Young, Jan. 29
9.825 vs. Southern Utah, Feb. 5
Denise Jones (3)
Vault (2)
9.750 vs. Minnesota, Jan. 23
9.775 vs. Brigham Young, Jan. 29
Beam (1)
9.800 vs. Southern Utah, Feb. 5
Deidra Graham (2)
All-Around (1)
39.10 vs. Southern Utah, Feb. 5
Bars (1)
9.875 vs. Brigham Young, Jan. 29
Angie Leonard (2)
Bars (1)
9.900 vs. Southern Utah, Feb. 5
Floor (1)
9.825 vs. Southern Utah, Feb. 5
Shannon Bowles (1)
Beam (1)
9.950 vs. Minnesota, Jan. 23
Tentative Utah Lineup
(subject to change)
Vault
Angelika Schatton
Angie Leonard
Denise Jones
Ashley Kever
Shannon Bowles
Theresa Wolf
Uneven Bars
Theresa Wolf
Shannon Bowles
Theresa Kulikowski
Denise Jones
Deidra Graham
Angie Leonard
Balance Beam
Theresa Wolf
Denise Jones
Angie Leonard
Ashley Kever
Theresa Kulikowski
Shannon Bowles
Floor Exercise
Deidra Graham
Angie Leonard
Shannon Bowles
Theresa Wolf
Theresa Kulikowski
Ashley Kever
All-Around
Shannon Bowles
Angie Leonard
Theresa Wolf
NACGC COACHES POLL (Feb. 2, 1999)
No. Team Average 1. Alabama 195.906 2. Georgia 195.720 3. Utah 195.267 4. Louisiana State 194.792 5. Penn State 194.294 6. Michigan 194.087 7. Minnesota 193.694 8. Stanford 193.537 9. Arizona State 193.367 10. UCLA 193.020 11. Oklahoma 192.890 12. Iowa State 192.850 13. Nebraska 192.842 14. Oregon State 192.537 15. Ohio State 192.394 16. Florida 192.362 17. Denver 192.337 18. Utah State 191.987 19. Washington 191.919 20. West Virginia 191.912 21. Kentucky 191.817 22. Illinois-Chicago 191.675 23. Central Michigan 191.567 24. Auburn 191.542 24. New Hampshire 191.175*Poll is based on total season average from Jan. 26-Feb. 23, and on regional qualifying score from Mar. 2 on.
Utah's ranking by week Poll Place Preseason 4 Jan. 12 UR* Jan. 19 2 Jan. 26 3 Feb. 2 3
*The Jan. 12 poll was determined by high score and Utah had not yet competed.
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