Gymnastics reigns at the University of Utah. The average home
attendance at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City has been nearly
11,000 since 1992.
Many NBA teams find it difficult to fill that many seats, and
the average attendance for UCLA men’s basketball has been
well below that mark eight home games into the season.
The reason why so many faithfully support the Utes is fairly
simple : they win.
The UCLA gymnastics team will attempt to defeat the Utes when it
faces them this Friday night at the Huntsman Center.
Having consistently finished in the top 10 since women’s
gymnastics became a varsity sport 28 years ago, the Utes have also
secured a record 10 national championships.
In the past 23 years, Utah has not lost a dual meet at home,
winning 170 in a row.
Utah head coach Greg Marsden has been there since the beginning,
and fully recognizes how good the No. 1 Bruin squad is.
“It’s always a good thing to measure yourself early
against a team of UCLA’s caliber so you have a good idea of what
you need to do to be among the best at the end of the
season,” Marsden said. “On paper, we don’t match up
with UCLA, but I know our team is determined to perform well so it
should be exciting for everyone involved.”
In the face of a strong Utah squad, the Bruins will have to
strive for nothing less than perfection if they hope to end the
streak.
Friday’s meet will feature a showdown of three NCAA
all-around champions.
Utah’s Teresa Kulikowski started her collegiate career by
winning the individual title in 1999, and the Bruins’ Onnie
Willis and Jamie Dantzscher earned the title in 2001 and 2002,
respectively.
Now a fifth-year senior, Kulikowski is clearly a team leader,
though she is not expected to compete in the all-around Friday
night.
UCLA not only returns with its all-around champions Willis and
Dantzscher, but has gained some fresh talent. Freshman Kate
Richardson had an impressive college debut in the Bruins’
victory over No. 13 Oregon State.
Richardson finished third in the all-around against the Beavers
behind two of her teammates and had especially standout
performances on the floor and beam exercises, earning a 9.95 on
each. Her all-around score of 39.6 was the best ever all-around
debut at UCLA.
UCLA head coach Valorie Kondos Field was not surprised by
Richardson’s performance.
“Seeing Kate perform so well was refreshing because she
was nervous early on competing at the college level,” Kondos
Field said. “She knew how important her performance was and
wanted to do well for the team. She is a great competitor with
unique qualities ““ she literally floats.”
Acknowledging the subjectivity of gymnastics, Kondos Field is
confident in her team’s ability to perform well.
“This year we have as good a chance as any to beat Utah at
home. We are ready with a sense of calm and confidence.
Talent-wise, this is the best group of gymnastics talent ever
assembled.”
A win at Utah, simply put, would make history. The Utes are just
one of nine top 25 teams the Bruins will face this season, but with
such a streak on the line, this coming meet could well be the most
dramatic of the regular season.