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Show Mo4ar March s. 199 U. TIm Daily Utah Squeaks Out Victory Over BYU in Rivalry Thriller to use your the World Wide Web and the rest of the information superhighway!!! Plus earn 1 credit on your own schedule! Learn JAMES EDWARD Chranidc Assistant Sprats Editor - Now that's the way the gymnastics rivalry should be Two teams, cadi wanting desperately to beat the other in front of 5.030 fans acting like high school students at a basketball state championship game, all to the tunc of a tied meet after three rotations. That's thf .vay k should be. That is exactly what happened in the Utcs' narrow 195.075-194.85- 0 victory (att BYU Saturday night at the Marriott Center. "We both knew it was going to be a 2(kx1 meet, and I think both teams were a little nervous tonight," Utah Coach Greg Marsdcn said. Butterflies in their stomachs arc something that Utc gymnasts have usually had control of against die Cougars. It used to be a given that Utah was going to win. Midway through the meet, only one tiling was obvious Utah was in trouble because the Cougars had a significant PROVO Chrawde i Utah-BY- - lead. Barring any collapse, it appeared BYU would finally have in state bragging rights. Even though they were trailing by .7 heading into the thud rotation, the Utcs didn't panic "You can't do anything about it. If we're behind we're behind You still have to go out and do the same thing," Megan Caudle said. So that is exacdy what Utah did on its final two routines. The Utes scored a 48.675 on floor, while the Cougars stumbled to 48.025 beam score that set up the tie heading into the final rotation. With beam the only event remaining for Utah, it knew the pressure was on to avoid its second loss of the season. When Utah's first competitor, Angie 8 ItVTEHIMET Eo Psych Index 5OOR-3- 0 9712 One credit, independent study, electron cauy delivered. self-pace- RiGISTlK NOW SMUNO QUARTtK or Contact Nancy 581-524- ' " vk. )"k i ... .i r ... .v.v v .:.. Lombardo for more information. or nancy.lombardom.cc. utah.edu Need Extra Cash? Donate Plasma! ; " "JCUmw,... 1 v;. Chuonku Photo Jeff Becks (rand Utah's Alysa Frenz performs her floor routine in the Utes victory over BYU Saturday night The U. senior earned a 9.675 for her performance. Leonard, fell, the pressure increased The next four gymnasts all stuck their routines, which meant only Traci Sommcr remained. Any other night the meet was in the bag, but not on this night Sommcr had fallen on bars and vault earlier in the meet, and everybody had to be wondering what she was going to do. So she merely went out and tied her season best with a 9.925. "It felt good to finish on that," Sommcr said. "I started the night out slow and just wasn't feeling good in general." Her routine erased any hopes of the Cougars pulling off the upset. But no longer can the Utcs take BYU for granted. "If we can consistendy have these kinds of meets where it's going down to the last performer, it's great for gymnastics in the state," Marsdcn said "This is our natural rival." Utah at Minnesota - MINNEAPOLIS The Utcs overcame a new school record by Minnesota and a sprained ankle by Jennifer Mcrcicr to knock off the Gophers 195.550-194.70- 0 March 17. Mercier was scheduled to challenge Sommcr in the but that all twisted ankle dur-se- e she when her changed "Gymnastics on page Sera-Te- c Biologicals BOB S. State Street Salt Lake City, UT B41 1 14 0sbdlta a qno 9 REEBOK IVAV1SATOW BASKETBALL SHOES ARE AVAILABLE AT: FLEET FOOT - 801-532-70- 08 ROB'S RUNNING CENTER O 1996 REEBOK INTERNATIONAL, - 10 LTD. All RIGHTS RESERVED. REEBOK AND ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF REEBOK INTERNATIONAL, LTD. 1 |