No. 1 Utah too much for Aggie gymnasts
The Aggies gymnastics team got their season’s second highest score in a 193.500-196.950 loss to national powerhouse, No. 1 ranked Utah.
University of Utah senior Kristina Baskett swept the Aggie’s third home meet by winning every event. Baskett, the 2006 national champion on the bars, finished the all-around with a 39.675. Her lowest score was a 9.875 which came in the third rotation on the floor.
USU started the meet on the vault where they scored 48.200, .225 higher than their season average. Sophomore Jackie Dillon continued to show her ability with a team-high 9.800.
On the second rotation, the bars, all but one of the Aggie girls scored above 9.700, with sophomore Nicole Simoneau wrapping it up with the team-high 9.875. The Aggies finished .075 off their season high on the bars with a 48.825.
By the halfway point in the meet, USU was in a big hole to the Utes, 98.675-97.025.
After struggling on the beam against CS Fullerton, coach Jeff Richards told his team to be aggressive, said junior Heather Heinrich.
“There’s a phrase in gymnastics that says ‘Attack the beam,'” Heinrich said. “(The beam) can be intimidating. You’re up 4 feet in the air on a 4-inch wide apparatus, flipping, jumping and spinning.”
Attacking the beam is important because it helps the team stay aggressive, Heinrich said. Nothing good can come from a tentative gymnast on the beam – a gymnast either gets a bad score or gets hurt, she said.
The Aggies beam score increased by more than a full point compared to their last meet, finishing the event with a 47.550. Freshman Rebecca Holliday picked up the high score for the Aggies at 9.775. Richards said this significant score increase came from the team being more aggressive.
“The big difference tonight was beam,” Richards said. “We were timid last Friday night. The whole thing for tonight was to attack and be aggressive. We made aggressive mistakes, and I would rather that than timid mistakes.”
On the third rotation, the Utes left the floor with a 48.925, their only team score on the night that was less than 49.300.
The fourth and final rotation saw USU on the floor and the Utes on the beam. The floor proved to be the Aggies strongest event last meet, allowing them to almost make a comeback against CS Fullerton. Monday’s floor was equally impressive, giving the Aggies their highest floor score this season, a 48.925.
“We are starting to pick it up on floor,” Heinrich said. “To get a high score was exciting.”
USU’s season high was a big step but not enough to take one of the event wins from Utah. The two teams tied for the floor with 48.925 each.
“Floor is really coming together for us,” Richards said. “We’ve made a couple changes, replaced and took out a few skills. So far it has really seemed to have made us sharper.”
The fight the Aggies showed against the in-state rival and nation’s top team encouraged USU’s young team. Dillon said her confidence is up after competing well against them.
“Our team has potential,” Heinrich said. “We are capable of getting a 194 or 195, we just have to put it all together.”
–c.h.j@aggiemail.usu.edu