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, April 17
Ft. Worth, Texas
1:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
NCAA Championships-Semifinals
Ute Gymnasts Win NCAA Semifinal; Advance to Super Six
4/17/2015 12:00 AM | Gymnastics
April 17, 2015
FORT WORTH, Texas-- -
The Utah gymnastics team charged into the Super Six by tying two-time defending NCAA champion Florida for first place in the afternoon semifinal at the NCAA Championships. Utah's 197.475 was its best score ever in an NCAA Championships and the Utes won their semifinal session for the first time since 2007.
Advancing to tomorrow night's Super Six with Utah and Florida was Stanford (197.175). Rounding out the hotly-contested session were Michigan (197.025), Georgia (196.600) and UCLA (196.400). The advancing trio will meet the three top teams from tonight's semifinal for the national championship on Saturday at 5 p.m. MT. The meet will be live streamed on ESPN3.
Utah's improbable climb from the 12th and final seed into nationals to a tie for first in its semifinal, had an interesting beginning. On the Utes' first event, senior Georgia Dabritz fell as Utah's No. 2 competitor on the balance beam. It knocked the sensational senior out of the all-around of competition, but it didn't knock her, or the Utes out, of the meet. After her teammates rallied for a strong finish on beam, Dabritz rallied for a spectacular finish to the meet.
On Utah's next event, she tied for second on floor with a 9.925, followed by a 9.90 vault. In Utah's final routine of the day, she nailed a perfect 10.0 on the bars. Her incredible bar routine epitomized the team's effort on its final and deciding event. Needing a 49.05 to tie Michigan for the third and final spot, the nation's No. 1 ranked bar team exploded for a 49.50--its best score of the day--to pass Stanford and move into a tie with Florida.
Building momentum for Dabritz's perfect10.0--Utah's first ever perfect score at an NCAA Championship--was a season-best 9.85 score by Breanna Hughes, a 9.85 by Tiffani Lewis, a 9.825 by Baely Rowe and back-to-back 9.90s by Kassandra Lopez and Corrie Lothrop.
"(The meet) didn't start out the way I wanted or planned," said Dabritz, who won the AAI Award two days earlier as the nation's top senior gymnast, of her fall on beam. "But I had to turn my head quickly for the team. One of our goals was to make it back into the Super Six and we gave it our all."
"On the first event, Georgia had the mishap, but I told her to come roaring back and she did," said Utah coach Megan Marsden. When Tory (Wilson) got hurt (at the Pac-12 Championships), Georgia took on a more vocal leadership role. Sometimes when you are concentrating on the team doing well, you can forget to take care of yourself."
Wilson, the 2014 Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year and Utah's top-ranked all-arounder at No. 9 in the nation, rolled around with her teammates in a wheelchair, necessitated by surgeries to both feet.
About qualifying into the Super Six for the 19th time in school history, but the first time since 2012, Marsden had this to say.
"This team was very determined, especially after our performance at regionals. We were fortunate just to slide in (to nationals), coming in with the 12th-best score of the 12 teams. Without Tory, our team went through some emotions and had a tough time getting back up for regionals. We bounced back after regionals in practice and I'm proud of our athletes for coming back from a difficult situation."
Faced with another difficult situation on the beam when Dabritz fell, the Utes responded by getting stronger as the lineup, and the meet, went along.
Freshman Maddy Stover, Utah's first competitor of the day, started things off with a 9.85 on the beam. After Dabritz fell, Kailah Delaney righted the ship with a 9.85 followed by a 9.85 by freshman Kari Lee, a 9.80 from Rowe and a 9.825 from Lothrop.
Unlike two weeks earlier when falls on beam almost cost the Utes a berth in the NCAA Championships, their steady performance earned them a 49.175 opening round score.
After emerging from beam still in the hunt, the Utes immediately exited the competition floor for their first bye of the night. When they returned to action on the floor exercise, the one-rotation standings looked like this: Stanford 49.575, Florida 49.375, Michigan 49.225, Utah 49.175, Georgia 49.100, UCLA 48.950.
Dabritz immediately redeemed herself when the Utes rejoined the competition, scoring a 9.925 on floor and leading the Utes to a 49.350 team total. Lee added a 9.9, Becky Tutka finished the set with a 9.875 and Lewis tied her career high with a 9.85. After two rotations, Utah was in third with a 98.525 behind Stanford (98.875) and Florida (98.75), and ahead of Michigan (98.475), Georgia (98.450) and UCLA (97.950).
The Utes smoked on vault even without Wilson--the nation's No. 8 ranked vaulter and an All-American every season on the senior's favorite event. Behind a 9.95 from Lee and 9.90s by Dabritz and Samantha Partyka, Utah rolled up a 49.45 score. Off the Utes went on another bye with a three-event total of 147.975.
When the Utes returned for the final rotation of the evening, the scores looked like this: Florida 148.200, Stanford 148.125, Utah 147.975, Michigan 147.850, Georgia 147.350, UCLA 147.200.
Needing a 49.05 to tie Michigan for the third and final spot, Utah instead leapt all the way into first with the best bar set of the night, a 49.50.
Qualifying into event finals on Sunday were Dabritz on bars and floor, and Lee on vault and floor. Dabritz finished first in the afternoon semi on bars and tied for second on floor, while Lee tied for first on vault and fourth on floor.
Dabritz and Lee are automatic first-team All-Americans on the events in which they qualified for finals. Dabritz, who also won second-team honors on vault, finishes her career as a 16-time All-American. Making the All-America second team (top eight finish) were Partyka on vault (joining Dabritz), Lopez and Lothrop on bars and Lothrop in the all-around.
Lothrop finishes her career as a nine-time All-American and Lopez's award is the first for the junior.
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