Utah ends UCLA's eight-meet win streak in the series

Utah ends UCLA's eight-meet win streak in the series

Jan 26, 2014 by Anne Phillips
Utah ends UCLA's eight-meet win streak in the series


The Pac 12 Matchup of the week featured #8 UCLA at #4 Utah. The Utes shot out to an early lead and never looked back while the Bruins had a tough night across the board. Utah totaled a 197.125 team score despite having to count a fall. UCLA only managed a 195.875 after several lineup changes throughout the meet due to illnesses and injury. Utah's win ended UCLA's eight meet win streak in the series. 

The star of the meet was undoubtedly Utah Junior Georgia Dabritz who won all three events she competed. Dabritz set or tied career highs on vault and floor by scoring a 9.975 on both, and won bars with a 9.95. 

The Utes lived up to their #1 ranking on vault and began the meet with a huge 49.60 team score. Meanwhile, UCLA had major problems with a shuffled lineup on bars and had to count a 9.475 and two 9.75's. Olympian Samantha Peszek boosted the score with a solid 9.875. Peszek only competed bars due to a stress reaction in her foot. 

In the second rotation, UCLA rebounded with a 49.10 on vault. However, the Utes extended their lead with a season-best 49.525 on bars after huge routines from Dabritz (9.95), Nansy Damianova (9.925), and Corrie Lothrop (9.925). 

At the half, Utah led 99.125 - 97.725. 

UCLA rallied on floor to score a 49.325, its highest team score of the night. Sydney Sawa earned a 9.925 for her crowd pleasing routine. Meanwhile, Utah saw the team's first major error of the night as Tory Wilson slipped off the beam. Competing in the anchor position, 
All American Mary Beth Lofgren fell on her series and forced the team to count Wilson's 9.350. This is the second week in a row the Utes have counted a fall on beam. 

All of the sudden, Utah's lead was cut in half heading into the final rotation.



UCLA finished the night on beam. Sawa came in to replace Peszek and took a fall. Scores were tight until sophomore star Danusia Francis delivered a clutch performance for a 9.95. Despite fighting through illness, Francis delivered a gorgeous beam routine and stuck her trademark dismount, a standing aerial sideways across the beam to a layout full. The crowd of 14,483 erupted.

Competition concluded with a huge floor rotation for Utah highlighted by powerful tumbling and a near-perfect routine for Dabritz. She effortlessly stuck her piked full in first pass and drilled her triple twist last pass. The crowd demanded a perfect 10 but she settled with a 9.975 as Utah earned a solid 49.425 on the event. 

This win marked the 999th victory in Utah gymnastics history. Greg Marsden, in his 39th year on the staff, has coached all of those victories and has the opportunity to become the first 1,000-win coach in the sport next Saturday at Arizona State.

If Utah can get their lineup right on beam, they look to be National Title contenders this year. The Bruins will see a drop in the rankings but have plenty of room for improvement. Despite the loss, head coach Valorie Kondos Field found positives in the team's performance, particularly in the way they handled the adversity and poor start.

"This is the time that your team gets stronger, and this is the time that you see what they're made of," she said. "We started off poorly on bars, and we just kept getting stronger and stronger. We had some girls competing who haven't competed events yet. We keep telling them we need to get better for March and April. While it's upsetting to come out of here without a good score, first of all, and also with a loss, it was exciting to see because I do feel we got better tonight as a team." 

Click here to watch meet highlights from Georgia Dabritz

Meet Results: 
Team Standing  (Top)
Place  Team Score 
1  UTAH 197.125 
2  UCLA 195.875 

 

UTAH  (Top)
Head Coach:  Greg and Megan Marsden
 Gymnast Vault  Bars  Beam  Floor  AllArr 
 Georgia Dabritz 9.975 9.950   9.975  
 Nansy Damianova 9.875 9.925   9.950  
 Kailah Delaney 9.925   9.850 9.700  
 Hailee Hansen   9.800      
 Breanna Hughes   9.825 9.750    
 Mary Beth Lofgren 9.900   9.325 9.800  
 Corrie Lothrop   9.925 9.800    
 Baely Rowe     9.825    
 Becky Tutka 9.875     9.825  
 Tory Wilson 9.925 9.900 9.350 9.875 39.050
 Team Totals 49.600  49.525  48.575  49.425  197.125

 

UCLA  (Top)
Head Coach:  Valorie Kondos Field
 Gymnast Vault  Bars  Beam  Floor  AllArr 
 Sadiqua Bynum 9.850     9.675  
 Angi Cipra 9.850   9.600 9.875  
 Olivia Courtney 9.800 9.775   9.900  
 Ellette Craddock   8.100 9.775    
 Sophina DeJesus   9.475 9.725 9.825  
 Danusia Francis     9.950    
 Hallie Mossett 9.750 9.750 9.775 9.800 39.075
 Samantha Peszek   9.875      
 Jennifer Pinches 9.800        
 Sydney Sawa 9.800 9.750 9.050 9.925 38.525
 Team Totals 49.100  48.625  48.825  49.325  195.875

 

Vault Results  (Top)
Place  Gymnast  Team Score 
1  Georgia Dabritz  UTAH 9.975 
2  Kailah Delaney  UTAH 9.925 
2  Tory Wilson  UTAH 9.925 
4  Mary Beth Lofgren  UTAH 9.900 
5  Becky Tutka  UTAH 9.875 
5  Nansy Damianova  UTAH 9.875 
7  Angi Cipra  UCLA 9.850 
7  Sadiqua Bynum  UCLA 9.850 
9  Sydney Sawa  UCLA 9.800 
9  Olivia Courtney  UCLA 9.800 
9  Jennifer Pinches  UCLA 9.800 
12  Hallie Mossett  UCLA 9.750 

 

Uneven Parallel Bars Results  (Top)
Place  Gymnast  Team Score 
1  Georgia Dabritz  UTAH 9.950 
2  Corrie Lothrop  UTAH 9.925 
2  Nansy Damianova  UTAH 9.925 
4  Tory Wilson  UTAH 9.900 
5  Samantha Peszek  UCLA 9.875 
6  Breanna Hughes  UTAH 9.825 
7  Hailee Hansen  UTAH 9.800 
8  Olivia Courtney  UCLA 9.775 
9  Hallie Mossett  UCLA 9.750 
9  Sydney Sawa  UCLA 9.750 
11  Sophina DeJesus  UCLA 9.475 
12  Ellette Craddock  UCLA 8.100 

 

Balance Beam Results  (Top)
Place  Gymnast  Team Score 
1  Danusia Francis  UCLA 9.950 
2  Kailah Delaney  UTAH 9.850 
3  Baely Rowe  UTAH 9.825 
4  Corrie Lothrop  UTAH 9.800 
5  Ellette Craddock  UCLA 9.775 
5  Hallie Mossett  UCLA 9.775 
7  Breanna Hughes  UTAH 9.750 
8  Sophina DeJesus  UCLA 9.725 
9  Angi Cipra  UCLA 9.600 
10  Tory Wilson  UTAH 9.350 
11  Mary Beth Lofgren  UTAH 9.325 
12  Sydney Sawa  UCLA 9.050 

 

Floor Exercise Results  (Top)
Place  Gymnast  Team Score 
1  Georgia Dabritz  UTAH 9.975 
2  Nansy Damianova  UTAH 9.950 
3  Sydney Sawa  UCLA 9.925 
4  Olivia Courtney  UCLA 9.900 
5  Tory Wilson  UTAH 9.875 
5  Angi Cipra  UCLA 9.875 
7  Becky Tutka  UTAH 9.825 
7  Sophina DeJesus  UCLA 9.825 
9  Mary Beth Lofgren  UTAH 9.800 
9  Hallie Mossett  UCLA 9.800 
11  Kailah Delaney  UTAH 9.700 
12  Sadiqua Bynum  UCLA 9.675 

 

All Around Results  (Top)
Place  Gymnast  Team Score 
1  Hallie Mossett  UCLA 39.075 
2  Tory Wilson  UTAH 39.050 
3  Sydney Sawa  UCLA 38.525 
 

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