Completed Event: Gymnastics versus NCAA Championships on April 16, 2026 ,
Final Score
Gymnastics
vs NCAA Championships
The University of Utah Athletics
Thursday, April 24
Lincoln, Neb.
TBA
University of Utah
at
NCAA Championships
Kulikowski, Utes Suffer At NCAA Championships.
4/25/2003 12:00 AM | Gymnastics
April 25, 2003
LINCOLN, Neb. -
Theresa Kulikowski's incredible career came crashing down on Utah's first event at the NCAA Championships Super Six and her teammates fell with her. Kulikowski, a three-time NCAA champion and 14-time All-American, sublexed her shoulder while competing on the uneven bars and crumpled to the ground. Her unfinished routine, combined with a major break by Veronique Leclerc, took Utah out of contention right out of the blocks. Utah would place sixth with a season-low 195.300.
UCLA won its fourth NCAA championship and its third in the last four years with a 197.825. Behind the Bruins were Alabama (197.275), Georgia (197.150), Nebraska (197.125), Michigan (196.050) and Utah (195.300). It was a bittersweet season ending for the Utes, who surprised many by qualifying for the Super Six out of an extremely tough first night session after entering the championships ranked No. 8.
The season was more bitter than sweet for Kulikowski, whose shoulder sublexation was just the latest in a long line of injuries. Prior to nationals, the remarkable athlete overcame a dislocated rib and broken finger, and she was coping with a series of back problems that included a bone chip, bulging disc and stress fracture. In addition, a tumor on her spinal cord was discovered in late December when an MRI was taken to diagnose her dislocated rib. She will have surgery to remove the tumor on May 2. Between Kulikowski's injuries, she won 13 of the 21 routines she competed, including the region bar and beam championships and all eight of her bar routines prior to the shoulder injury.
Perhaps ironically, Utah's first three competitors on the uneven bars showed no sign of the trouble that lay ahead. Freshman Dominique D'Oliveira, in just her fifth college routine ever, led off Utah's bar set with an impressive 9.825. Annabeth Eberle followed with a 9.80 and Melissa Vituj impressed with a 9.85. But Leclerc's feet got caught on the top bar on a release move and she was forced to take an extra swing after the missed required element. The result for the first-team bar All-American was a 9.35. Kim Allan got things back on track with a big 9.85 set before tragedy struck Kulikowski. Prior to her latest injury, Kulikowski was unbeaten on bars this year in eight attempts, including regionals and the first night of the NCAA Championships.
Stunned by the loss of their senior captain, the Utes rotated to the balance beam, where the wheels continued to come off, this time in the middle of the lineup. Freshman Natalie Nicoloff (9.70) handled the intermittent roars from the hometown crowd, as did Kulikowski's replacement Kylee Wagner (9.725). But Gritt Hofmann fell and Allan followed suit before Annabeth Eberle gutted her way to a 9.725. Unflappable Melissa Vituj finished with a fine routine that looked better than the 9.85 it was scored. Regardless, it wasn't nearly enough to keep the Utes from posting their worst score of the night, a 48.350.
The Utes went into their first bye of the night entrenched in sixth place with virtually no chance of moving up. However, they came out of the bye gamely on the floor exercise, with all six gymnasts hitting their routines in a 49.025 effort. Leclerc kicked it off with a 9.75, followed by a 9.775 by both Wagner and Kristen Riffanacht. Hofmann was solid with a 9.825, Eberle managed a 9.80 and Vituj smiled her way to a 9.875 to line up Utah's first 49.00 score of the night.
Utah finished its night on the vault, then sat out the final round with a bye. Wagner concluded her senior season in style by nailing all six routines at the NCAA Championships, including a 9.80 on her final vault. Leclerc one-upped it with a 9.825 and Riffanacht raised the bar to a 9.85. Vituj was torched for a small hop on her landing and got a 9.80. Eberle made sure she didn't give the judges room for a deduction, sticking a big time vault and scoring her second 9.95 in as many days. With five good scores in the bank, Allan tried a vault despite encountering troubles in warm-ups. She couldn't complete the vault she intended but her score was tossed as Utah had already secured its best score of the night, a 49.225.
Three Utes have one night of competition remaining in the 2003 season. First-team All-Americans Eberle, Vituj and Leclerc will compete for individual event championships on Saturday: Eberle on vault, Vituj on floor and Leclerc on bars. Kulikowski had qualified for event finals on both bars and beam, but will be unable to compete.
Gymnastics Media Availability | Pre-NCAA Championships
Wednesday, April 15
Utah: 197.500 | Ala.: 197.225 | OSU: 196.375 | DU: 195.950 | Gymnastics Post-Meet Press Conference
Saturday, April 04
Utah: 197.400 vs. UCLA: 197.850 | Gymnastics Post-Meet Press Conference
Sunday, March 15
Utah: 197.650 vs. BYU: 196.550, West Virginia: 195.300 | Gymnastics Post-Meet Press Conference
Sunday, March 08