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
Utah Women's Gymnastics Hosts Minnesota
6/21/1999 12:00 AM | Gymnastics
Feb. 9, 1998
Utah vs. Minnesota Red Robin Invitational Fri., Feb. 13 7:00 p.m. Salt Lake City Huntsman Center Meet AT A GLANCE Utah: 3-1 Rank: No. 2 Minnesota: 5-1 Rank: No. 10 Series: Utah leads 13-0 coming up Feb. 20 at Washington, 7 p.m. Feb. 27 Utah State, 7 p.m. Mar. 6 at Stanford, 7:30 p.m.
QUICKLY The No. 2-ranked Utes (3-1) meet a new national power on Friday, when No. 10 Minnesota comes to town for the Red Robin Invitational ... Minnesota (5-1) is coming off the best NCAA finish in school history: The Gophers finished 10th at the 1997 NCAA Championships ... Bolstered by a season-best 196.825 score last week against Brigham Young, Utah should remain the nation's No. 2 ranked team when the new poll is released late Tuesday (Feb. 10) ... at No. 10, Minnesota is the second-highest ranked team Utah has faced this year, behind Michigan (No. 8) ... Utah Head Coach Greg Marsden, who has 656 career wins, earned his 330th regular season win against BYU last Friday ... Utah, which has won a record ten national championships, including four in the 1990s (1990, '92, '94, 95), placed seventh last year.
THEY'RE BACK Minnesota co-head coaches Jim and Meg Stephenson are in familiar territory in the Huntsman Center. Jim was Utah's top assistant from 1989-92 and Meg was a volunteer coach for part of that time. They helped Utah capture NCAA titles in 1990 and '92.
THE STREAK Utah's regular season home win streak stands at a national-record 142 after Friday's 196.825-194.875 victory over BYU. The Utes' last regular season home court loss was almost 19 years ago, on Feb. 20, 1979 to Cal State-Fullerton. Including postseason competition (regionals and nationals), Utah's all-time home record is 282-12 (96%). In the last 14 years, just two opponents have come within a point and a half of Utah during a regular season meet in the Huntsman Center: Utah defeated Oregon State by three quarters of a point in 1996 and beat Georgia by 1.4 points in 1991. Among the teams to fall by larger margins to Utah during that time span are the likes of national powers Alabama, UCLA, Michigan, Arizona, Arizona State, Florida, Penn State, Nebraska, Brigham Young, Washington and Minnesota.
PRACTICE TIMES & INTERVIEW POLICY Monday, Tuesday, Thursday (1:30-4:30) in HPER W106. All practices are open. Media interested in interviews should plan to be in the practice facility (HPER W106) by 1:00 p.m. All interviews must be completed by 1:30 p.m. Note: Head Coach Greg Marsden is available during practice, upon request. Interviews outside practice can be arranged by calling sports information director Liz Abel at 801-581-3511.
IN THE POLLS Utah, ranked No. 2 for the past two weeks, should remain there when the new poll is issued late Tue., Feb. 10. The rankings are based on average score through Feb. 24. Beginning March 3, the rankings will be determined by regional qualifying score (RQS). Georgia will remain No. 1 a position it has maintained all season. The Bulldogs were followed in the latest poll by Utah, Alabama, Florida and Penn State. The complete poll is found on page 5 of this release.
LAST WEEK Utah cracked 196.00 for the first time this season with its impressive 196.825-194.875 win over a very good BYU team, Feb. 6. The Utes, who hit all 24 routines for the first time this year, took the top three all-around spots. Freshman Shannon Bowles, who won the all-around with the eighth-best score in school history (39.60), became just the second freshman in Utah history to score a 10.0. She won beam with a perfect 10.0 and also won vault with a personal-best 9.925. All-around runner-up Angie Leonard scored a season-best 39.275. Denise Jones placed third with a career-best 39.250, aided by a personal-best 9.90 on bars. She tied for first on bars with Molly Northrop, who also hit a career-best. Theresa Wolf made it a Ute sweep by winning the floor exercise in a career-tying 9.85.
TRAINER'S TABLE Summer Reid will miss the upcoming Minnesota meet with a torn (right) calf muscle. Reid, who has also been slowed by two off season wrist surgeries, has done just one routine all year on floor exercise at Michigan. She is not expected to return to action for at least another two weeks. Sophomore Jenny Schmidt underwent surgery on Dec. 27 to repair the patellar tendon in her right knee and is doubtful to return this season.
UTAH COACH GREG MARSDEN Utah's Greg Marsden, the most successful coach in collegiate gymnastics history, is in his 23rd year at the U. He owns a 656-90-3 record (330-41-1 regular season). His ten national championships is triple that of any other coach. Four of those titles have come in the '90s (1990, '92, '94, '95). Fourteen of Marsden's teams have placed in the top-two nationally. The only coach in Utah's gymnastics history, Marsden is a seven-time national coach of the year selection.
SERIES SHORTS Utah leads 13-0 ... Series has been annual since 1994 ... First-ever meeting was at the 1976 national championships ... Utes have won last the two in Minneapolis, but by just smallest of margins (0.05) last year ... Utah is 4-0 in Salt Lake City ... Utah took the last meeting in the Huntsman Center, 196.300-190.650 in 1995.
COMMON OPPONENTS Utah and Minnesota have each met Michigan and Utah State this year. Utah is 1-1, losing to Michigan (195.850-194.350) and beating Utah State (194.950-193.400) both on the road. Minnesota is 2-0, defeating both opponents in Minneapolis. The Gophers beat Michigan, 192.800-190.400, and Utah State, 194.000-189.875.
UTE NOTES Utah is averaging 11,495 fans through its first two home meets ... Uneven bars has produced the highest scores in the first four meets, led by a 49.350 (tied with beam) on Feb. 6 ... After three meets as Utah's lowest scoring event, balance beam checked in with a meet-best (tie) 49.350 on Feb. 6 ... Utah set season bests on all four events against BYU and produced a 49.00 circuit for the first time of the season ... Freshman Shannon Bowles has won a team-best eight titles, including two all-arounds ... Bowles' 10.0 on beam last week is just the second ever by a Ute freshman. The other freshman to score a 10.0? Current Ute senior Traci Sommer on beam in 1995 ... Junior Molly Northrop is the only multi-event Ute without a miss this year (8-8).
TRACKING TRACI Senior Traci Sommer turned in her best effort of the year against BYU, posting season-highs on beam (9.875) and floor (9.800). She opened the night with a 9.700 on vault. The two-time All-American has recovered from the knee sprain she suffered in the season-opening meet. She missed Utah's meet at Michigan on Jan. 23 due to the injury, and has competed just eight routines through four meets. A three-year all-arounder, Sommer has not cracked this year's bar lineup. She has 18 career 39.00 all-arounds and owns the fifth-best score in school history (39.70, Mar. 7, 1997). In her career, she has hit 141 of 160 routines (88%). Her breakdown by year: 46-51 (1995), 42-47 (1996), 45-53 (1997), 8-8 (1998).
ALL-AMERICA ANGIE Junior All-American Angie Leonard received her third 39.00 all-around score of the year last week, when she finished runner-up to teammate Shannon Bowles, with a 39.275. It was Leonard's high score of the season and the 11th 39.00 of her career. She won the all-around against Arizona on Jan. 16 (39.050) and is second behind Bowles in wins this season (4). She had two season highs in Utah's most recent meet, scoring a 9.825 on beam and tying her previous best on bars (9.875). Utah's most consistent all-arounder in her first two-plus years, Leonard has hit 100 of 108 routines in her career (93%). On bars, she is a near-perfect 29 of 30.
SHANNON SHINES Freshman sensation Shannon Bowles tied the eighth highest all-around score in school history with her winning 39.60 against BYU last Friday. Bowles also became the first Ute of 1998 and just the second Ute freshman ever to score a 10.0 with her perfect effort on the beam. Utah's leader in individual wins this year with eight, Bowles has won two all-around and three beam competitions. The U.S. National Team member won her collegiate all-around debut in a January 23 meet with Michigan, scoring a 39.25. Her eight 9.875-or-better scores is a team best (three each on bars and beam; one on floor; one on vault).
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