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
Friday, January 7
Salt Lake City
7:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
UCLA
Utah Gymnasts Upset No. 1 Ranked UCLA
1/7/2005 12:00 AM | Gymnastics
Jan. 7, 2005
SALT LAKE CITY -
UCLA came to town as the two-time defending NCAA champion, but for the second straight year, lost its season opener to Utah. A Huntsman Center crowd of 10,064 was treated to a see-saw meet between two teams that have combined for 15 national championships. The Utes finally edged ahead on the third event of the night and held on for a 197.675-197.300 win.
Said Utah head coach Greg Marsden after the meet, "I think this meet was every bit as exciting as it was billed. Both teams had some nearly flawless routines and both teams had a few little slips. It was a great meet for spectators."
Neither team counted a fall on any event. For Utah, the evening almost mirrored an intra-squad meet earlier in the week. Then, as tonight, the only fall was by Gritt Hofmann on the beam. Hofmann had plenty to feel good about, though. She opened the night with a career-high 9.875 vault and finished it with a 9.925 on the floor exercise.
Just as intriguing as the heated team competition was the "battle" between Ute senior All-American Annabeth Eberle and highly-touted freshman Ashley Postell. The two were neck-and-neck all night and finished as the all-around co-champions with a 39.625 score. Had sophomore Rachel Tidd been able to compete on four events, a three-team race might have ensued. Tidd, ailing with a back injury, was held to two events, both of which she won. She scored a 9.95 on both vault and bars before heading to the sidelines.
Asked about the 1-2 punch of Eberle and Postell, Marsden said, "Nikki (Ford) was a bit off on vault and bars tonight or she would have been right there with AB and Ashley. And when we get Rachel back in the all-around, we'll have a 1-2-3-4 punch."
Utah struck first with a nice vault set, scoring a 49.45 to beat UCLA's 49.35 on the bars. Postell, who confessed to a bad case of nerves after the meet, kicked off her college career in style after a rousing greeting by the big Ute crowd. Her first collegiate routine received a 9.925, close behind Tidd's 9.95 winner. Eberle, the NCAA vault runner-up last April, wrapped up the set with a 9.90.
UCLA returned the favor in round two to take the lead, scoring a 49.50 on vault for a two-event total of 98.50. Utah's 49.35 on bars made for a 98.80 halftime score. Competing from the middle of the lineup, Eberle received a 9.90. Utah's only other 9.90 score came at the end of the set, when Tidd unloaded her second straight 9.95 of the night. Freshman Katie Kivisto showed a lot of zip in her first collegiate routine and scored a 9.825. Postell's 9.825 was marred by a bend on the high bar, from which she recovered nicely. UCLA, considered the nation's best vault team most years, did not score below a 9.85 and U.S. Olympian Kristen Maloney tied Tidd for first place with a 9.95.
Round three went to the Utes, 49.275-49.075, and pushed them back in front for good, 148.075-147.925. Utah's final three competitors on the balance beam put on an amazing display, although none received even close to the 10.0 for which the crowd energetically clamored. Ford, a first-team beam All-American as a freshman last year, looked nearly flawless, yet scored a 9.925. Ditto for Eberle, who felt the tight judging with a 9.875. Postell was so good she wowed even the people who counted, receiving a 9.925. Her packed routine, filled with unusual moves, simply stunned a Huntsman Center assembly used to great beam workers.
UCLA was even more impressive on the beam, posting three 9.90 or better scores on the balance beam for a 49.375 total. But Utah was even better and pulled away with a 49.60 score. Ford unveiled a new routine as the No. 3 competitor and scored a 9.90 to get things rolling. Postell brought the crowd to a frenzy with her first college floor routine and put the pressure on Eberle to score big with her 9.95. Which is exactly what Eberle did--matching Postell's score and leading into Hofmann's finale--a 9.925.
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