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, February 1
Salt Lake City
7:00 PM
University of Utah
197.750
vs
194.100
Minnesota
Postell Leads No. 2 Ute Gymnasts To Rout Of Minnesota
2/1/2008 12:00 AM | Gymnastics
Feb. 1, 2008
SALT LAKE CITY -
Normally stoic Greg Marsden couldn't keep the grin off his face after his No. 2 ranked Ute gymnasts drilled Minnesota 197.750-194.100. And no wonder. His gymnasts not only performed their routines with ease and confidence, they stuck the vast majority of their landings for the first time this season.
The biggest stick came from Ashley Postell who scored a 10.0 on her difficult yerchenko half on, front pike with a half vault. Postell's vault, unique in college gymnastics, almost always features stunning amplitude, height and precision. But for the first time of her career, according to Postell, she stuck the landing.
"I don't remember ever sticking the landing completely. I've sort of stuck it, but not completely. Hopefully it's the first of many," said Postell.
Marsden, who coaches the event, said, "That vault is so complex it is very hard not to take a little step on the landing. Ashley just dropped out of the sky and nailed it. It is the best vault I've ever seen Ashley do."
He also saw the best all-around performance of her storied career. The two-time NCAA all-around runner-up scored a 39.80 - her career best and the fourth-best score in school history. She won or tied for first on every apparatus and improved to 4-0 on the season in both the all-around and the balance beam. Her line: 10.0 on vault, 9.925 on bars, 9.90 on beam and a career-best 9.975 on floor.
She needed every tenth to stay ahead of all-around teammates Kristina Baskett and Nina Kim. Baskett scored a season-best 39.60 to place second, while Kim - competing in the all-around for the first time since her freshman season - earned a career-high 39.55.
Baskett tied for first on the bars with Postell, and Kim tied for first on the beam with a career-tying 9.90.
The outcome was obvious from the moment Postell stuck her 10.0 vault. Her teammates had already set a nice table as four of the five preceding vaulters recorded season highs, including Baskett's 9.925 and Kim's 9.90. When the dust cleared from Minnesota's bar set, the Utes held a hefty 49.55-48.65 lead. The vault score was Utah's best on any apparatus this season until the final event, where the Utes also scored a season-best 49.55.
Rotation two was more of the same, with the Utes tying their season-best on the uneven bars, set just a week ago at Arizona State, with a 49.325. Baskett and Postell struck for gold from the last two positions - each scoring a 9.925. Also counting the total were 9.825s by Kim, Jessica Duke and Daria Bijak. After two events, Utah had blown the meet open, 98.875-97.300.
The Utes maintained their breakneck pace against the out-matched Gophers on the third rotation, and oddly, one of the biggest crowd reactions followed a mistake. After Jamie Deetscreek started the set with a career-best 9.875 routine, freshman Kyndal Robarts appeared headed for a fall. But she landed on the beam without touching her hands and struck an impromptu pose that brought loud laughter and cheers from the 10,133 in attendance. Her 9.50 result was tossed in favor of the routines that followed: a 9.85 by Baskett, a career-tying 9.90 by Kim, a 9.80 by Bijak and the typical 9.90 gem by Postell. Yet another season-best came out of the set, with the Utes scoring a 49.325 and expanding their lead to 148.200-145.450.
Utah refused to show mercy on its final event, scoring a season-best 49.55 on the floor. Postell nearly scored her second 10.0 of the night, finishing with a career-best 9.975 as Utah's final competitor. Leading up to her grand finale were crisp routines by the other five. .Especially notable was a 9.925 by Baskett, 9.90 by Beth Rizzo and 9.90 by Kim - all tying or setting new career highs.
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