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
Friday, April 14
Boise, Idaho (NCAA Championships)
7:00 PM MT
University of Utah
196
at
197.300
Super Six - Team Finals
Ute Gymnasts Take Second At NCAA Championships.
4/14/2000 12:00 AM | Gymnastics
April 14, 2000
BOISE, Idaho -
The University of Utah gymnastics team couldn't have picked a better time to have a "perfect" meet. For the first time all year, the Utes hit all 24 routines and the result was a runner-up finish at the 2000 NCAA Championships in Boise, Idaho. In the closest NCAA Championships ever, top to bottom, Utah scored a 196.875 to finish second to UCLA (197.300). In third was Georgia at 196.800, Nebraska was fourth (196.725), Alabama fifth (196.500) and Michigan sixth (195.725).
It was the highest score ever by a Ute team at the NCAA Championships and was the best finish by a Ute team since it won two straight from 1994-95. UCLA was favored to win its second NCAA title, but the 10-time NCAA champion Utes were picked to finish nowhere. Plagued by injuries, including season-enders to 1999 NCAA all-around champion Theresa Kulikowski and All-America teammate Shannon Bowles, Utah struggled until late in the season. At that time, the senior class of Denise Jones, Ashley Kever, Jenny Schmidt and Angelika Schatton took over. But, despite a late-season surge and an NCAA Region 2 title, the "no name" Utes were huge underdogs going into NCAA Championships competition.
After placing second in their session Thursday night, the Utes won a few believers for their tiny team. They made a bunch more on Friday with their second-place finish. They took a somewhat odd route to their national record 15th top-three finish. Utah started on bars, its best event, and everyone looked great, but the scores were disappointing (49.00). On beam, where Michigan became the only team to count a fall all night right before Utah took its turn, the Utes were nothing short of spectacular. Again, the scores were not reflective of the best beam effort by Utah all year, but a 49.125 would hold up as the best score on that apparatus by any team. After taking a bye, in the thick of the title chase after two rotations, Utah came back smoking on floor. Jones' 9.90 highlighted a 49.350 effort, solid, but not enough to stay ahead of Alabama. Amazingly, just two tenths of a point separated teams 2-5 after three events. And vault, Utah's "weak" event loomed.
But nothing was weak for Utah this night. Freshman Kim Allan, Theresa Wolf and Denise Jones all scored 9.90s. For Allan, it was a career best. Utah knocked out a 49.400, its best score of the night and its best all year on vault. Assured of no better than sixth place going into their bye, the Utes watched three teams take a shot at their score only to fail.
While Utah's roster was small (only eight people competed, six performing 22 of 24 routines), heroes were plenty. Theresa Wolf, who fell twice the night before, rebounded with a career-tying 39.425 all-around score, Utah's best of the night. All four Ute all-arounders scored 39.00 or better: Wolf (39.425), Jones (39.375), Deidra Graham (39.325) and Schatton (39.225).
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