All-arounders represent USU well at Regionals
SALT LAKE CITY – Host No. 8 Utah may have dominated, but Utah State was well-represented.
The entire team wasn’t competing, but the Aggies still sent three gymnasts to the NCAA North Central Regionals on Saturday at the Huntsman Center.
Senior Nicole Kilpatrick and freshmen Meagan Nelson and Jessica Parenti all qualified individually in the all-around, and despite top-notch competition, made a strong showing for Utah State.
“I honestly thought that the ladies competed very, very well, and I think they represented Utah State very well,” said USU Head Coach Ray Corn.
Nelson placed highest for the Aggies, finishing No. 9 in the all-around with a 38.875.
Utah’s Annabeth Eberle won the all-around, scoring a 49.450 and Utah was top among the six teams, scoring a 196.975 to edge No. 6 Stanford’s 196.625.
“Utah looked absolutely awesome,” Corn said.
Both teams will move on to the NCAA Championships in Lincoln, Neb.
With the Aggie gymnasts competing as individuals, they were put into rotations with other teams. Kilpatrick competed with No. 18 University of California, Parenti rotated with Stanford, and Nelson was with No. 21 Denver.
Although the teams they were with did cheer and try to help them out, the Aggies said it was especially hard not competing with their own team.
“It was a lot harder than I expected,” Nelson said. “Not having a team, you really feel like you’re out there by yourself. The other girls from the teams try to incorporate you in, but you’re still the outsider.”
Parenti said, “You’re with a group, and they kind of take you in, but it’s not the same as the team being there.”
While the other two Utah State gymnasts had first-rotation byes, Kilpatrick kicked the meet off for the Aggies with a 9.700 on vault.
Moving into the second rotation, it was Nelson and Parenti’s turn. Nelson performed a solid routine with a good landing, but didn’t get any help from the judges with a 9.600. Parenti scored 9.575 on the floor.
Although the Aggies definitely weren’t getting scores they were used to, things started to look up a bit in the third rotation.
Kilpatrick put up a 9.675 on bars, Parenti recorded a 9.650 on vault and Nelson posted a 9.750 on the balance beam.
Halfway through the meet, host Utah (98.150) held a slim lead over Stanford (98.075), but the next team, California (97.425), was more than one-half of a point behind.
Going into the second half of the meet, the Utah State scores remained similar. In the fourth rotation, Kilpatrick was able to stay on the beam and score a 9.675.
But while the field remained steady, the Utes (147.375) began to pull away. With a 49.225 on bars, Utah extended its lead going into the beam, its final event.
If there was any doubt about the Utes qualifying for Nationals, they removed it on the beam.
Led by Theresa Kulikowski’s 10.0, the Utes put up a meet-high 49.600.
With a bye in the last rotation, Utah just had to sit back and see if its 196.975 would hold up. Minnesota, the other finished team, was back at 193.125, and of the teams with an event remaining, Stanford (147.250) was the only team that could possibly catch Utah, but would have to score a 49.725 to do it.
The Cardinal came close, but recorded a 49.375 on beam to finish second overall.
In Utah State’s final two rotations, Nelson only stumbled once on the floor to score a 9.775 and also put up a 9.750 on the vault.
After a delay due to an equipment problem, Parenti suffered a fall on the bars and scored an 8.950.
“I didn’t let go of the bar. If you don’t let go, you don’t catch,” she said.
Parenti closed out the meet strong, though. She posted a 9.800 on beam, Utah State’s highest score of the meet.
“I’m so proud of her,” Corn said.
The final competitor, both for USU and the meet, was Kilpatrick on floor. She had a solid routine going, but on her final tumbling pass, slipped and fell forward, having to put her hand down to catch herself. She finished with a 9.300.
“I don’t know exactly what happened. I was kind of shocked when I put my hand down,” Kilpatrick said.
Despite his gymnasts receiving lower scores than they normally averaged, Corn said the scoring was expected.
“This was a great officiated meet,” he said. “I thought it was very consistent. All the dual meets should be judged this way. If you make a technical error, you’re going to get the deduction. No rampant scoring.”
Nelson said, “The scores were a lot harder here, and we expected that, but when you have a different-colored leotard on than the six girls that go ahead of you, you’re judged even harder.”
For next season, the Aggies will be looking to change that, vowing to qualify as a team.
“Never again are we not going to Regionals as team. I say no more,” Parenti said.
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USU SENIOR NICOLE KILPATRICK performs her beam routine at the Huntsman Center. (Photo by John Zsiray)
AGGIE MEAGAN NELSON competes on the beam during Regionals in Salt Lake City. The freshman posted a 9.750 on the event. (Photo by John Zsiray)