SALT LAKE -- The No. 15 BYU women's gymnastics team finished the regular season Saturday night with a hard-fought loss to No. 4 Utah, 198.425-195.250. With 14,285 fans in the Huntsman Center, the Cougars were led once again by Kelly Evanson, who notched the second-best all-around score in BYU history with a 39.675.
The Cougars knew they were going to have to have the best night possible to knock off the Utes, but fell short of accomplishing that feat. Just like BYU did last week in its final home meet, the Utes set a new school record with their 198.425. The Utes have not lost a home meet since 1979. It just was not BYU's night, as several Cougars suffered injuries and others failed to stick their routines.
"This is the first time I've seen our heads get the best of us," BYU head coach Brad Cattermole said. "There just isn't any reason for it."
Things started off rough for the Cougars on the uneven bars, as three gymnasts broke form and one was unable to perform. Junior co-captain Brooke Craig injured her back in warm-ups and could not compete the rest of the night. Evanson notched a 9.900 and Jeni Lopez scored a 9.850 on the event to highlight the Cougars' performance in the event.
"I thought we came in calm and confident and then we just lost it on bars," Evanson said.
BYU's second injury of the night came in the second event, as Megan Shupe landed hard on her left ankle trying to stick her vault. Senior Angie Hickman scored well with a 9.875 and Evanson kept up her high scoring with a 9.900.
On floor, a heartbreaking injury to Candace Cosgrave overshadowed an otherwise excellent event for the Cougars. Cosgrave, a junior co-captain, landed wrong on her left ankle in the middle of her routine and twisted it badly. Cosgrave suffered at least a severe sprain, or possibly even a break. She will most likely miss the postseason.
The Cougars fought hard on floor though and scored a 49.400. Lopez and Evanson each scored a 9.925, while sophomore Kari Dye scored a 9.900 to pace the Cougars. Hickman filled in for Craig in the floor lineup and scored a solid 9.800. Freshman Jaime Mabray also scored well with a 9.850.
Dye tied the school record with a 9.975 on balance beam and Evanson notched her career high with a 9.950 to finish things off strong for the Cougars. Dye's score ties Kelli Rose's 9.975 from 1997. Dye received a 10 from one judge, but the other judge awarded her a 9.950. Unfortunately, two Cougars fell off the beam and one came very close to doing the same. The 48.550 on beam, combined with the other scores, was not enough to overcome the Utes.
Theresa Kulikowski, one of Utah's several former U.S. National Team Members, led the Utes by scoring a 39.800 in the all-around. Kulikowski scored a 9.950 in each event. Deidra Graham had the second-best all-around score of the night with a 39.725, followed by Evanson's 39.675. Lopez's score of 39.300, the second-best mark of her career, was good for fifth place at the meet.
BYU will have next weekend off before heading to Denver for the NCAA Regional meet. The meet will take place Apr. 6, with the top two teams at Regionals advancing to the NCAA National Championships in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
PROVO -- The No. 15 BYU women's gymnastics team concludes its regular season Saturday at 7 p.m. against in-state rival Utah. BYU hopes to pull off the upset and finish the season on a high note.
Utah, the No. 4 ranked team in the country, regularly packs nearly 10,000 people into the Huntsman Center for home meets. The Cougars are excited for the chance to perform in front of the huge audience again this year.
"This is a meet that everyone looks forward to," BYU head coach Brad Cattermole said. "Outside of a home meet, this is about as fun as it gets."
BYU lost to Utah earlier in the season at the Marriott Center, 197.250-195.525. In that meet, BYU had several falls and stumbles on balance beam and other events, but the Cougars are coming off a confidence-building meet last week against Southern Utah.
The Cougars are peaking at the right time of the season, scoring a BYU record-tying 197.375 against SUU Friday night. The team record score was only one of several records the Cougars tied or broke at SUU.
As a team, BYU also broke the floor exercise scoring record, with a 49.650. The floor score is the highest by any team in the nation. BYU's vault score of 49.175 also tied the school record in that event.
Individually, All-American Kelly Evanson broke her own all-around record with a 39.700 in her last home meet as a Cougar. Evanson tied the record on bars with a 9.950. Sophomore Kari Dye, who notched a career-high 39.475 in the all-around, tied Kim Little's 9.975 on floor for the BYU record.
BYU needs to hit in this meet as well to take its confidence into the postseason. Even though it is a road meet, the Cougars are comfortable competing with Utah in the Huntsman Center.
"We feel like we have a lot of support up there and the fans cheer for us when we do something good," Cattermole said. "We know what to expect. We know the equipment. We know who the judges are going to be. We're real excited about it."
Evanson and Dye lead the Cougars in the all-around, but Jeni Lopez and freshman Jaime Mabray are not far behind. Lopez notched a career-high 39.425 in the all-around against Southern Utah, and only four days prior to that, Mabray scored a 39.350 in the all-around against Boise State.
Utah is led by three-time NCAA champion and former U.S. National Team member Theresa Kulikowski. Kulikowski has scored a 10 three times this year, twice on bars and once on beam.
The final meet of the regular season will be a great experience for the Cougars, one that they hope they can build on for the postseason. The Huntsman Center, with fireworks, spotlights among other things, should be a nice environment for both teams to score high.
"They do a really good job with the meets up there," Cattermole said. "They put on a good show."
BYU is currently ranked No. 5 in the North Central Region behind Utah, Iowa State, Minnesota and Denver. Denver will be the host of the North Central Region meet Apr. 6.
Live stats for the Utah meet will be posted on Utah's official athletic web site, www.UtahUtes.com. Video streaming is also available for people with high-speed internet access.