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Show DAILY THE UTAH CHRONICLE ymnasts Striving for Improvement Driver's Death ras Tragic But ot Surprising RORY BRUNNER Chronicle Asst. Sports Editor team Coming off the second-higheArivs. weekend last in total history this think but zona State, one can't help bunch of gymnasts is among the best ever at the University of Utah. The more encouraging part is that coach Greg Marsden and the rest of the gymnasts do not think they have performed to their full capability yet "We know we have to continue to improve and get better throughout the rest of the year," Marsden said. No. 3 Utah (6-has increased score six meets, and will last the production have to do the same to keep the win streak against No. 7 Michigan Friday. st ERIC WALDEN Chronicle Sports Editor The deadly crash at Sunday's Day-to500 that took the life of NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt continues to generate Shockwaves throughout the nation. A private family funeral was conducted on "Wednesday in Charlotte, na 1) : . ,j? jj N.C. Thousands of fans gathered at the Atlanta Motor Speedway for an impromptu memorial service hosted by track president Ed Clark. And half the citizens of Utah's own West Valley briefly refrained from watching "WWF Smackdown!" to dedicate a moment of silence to the legendary driver (hey...it's my hometown; I am fully aware of and inherently qualified to comment roots). upon the city's white-tras- h I, for one, was not profoundly affected by this incident. Sure, I come from the west side, ground zero for the redneck entertainment world's fanbase, but unlike some of my brethren on the other side of State Street, I do not consider beer and cheese doodles a meal; I do not aspire to be the next Stone Cold Steve Austin when I grow up; and I do not consider auto well-balanc- Unsung Heroes If the Utes hope to make it to Athens, Ga., and the Super Six, the supporting cast will have to do its part. So far, so good Freshman Veronique LeClerc has been an unexpected force on the vault, grabbing six wins in seven meets. Melissa Vituj has seen significant time on every event except the bars. On the beam, Vituj is ranked 20th in the nation, the only Ute in the top 20. Vituj has yet to record a miss on an event this year. "I really like the personality of the team," said Marsden. "It's just a good - see GYMNASTICS,, page 7 tteldra Srahasi hasgroa tht most events f Jtny Utah gynsRast thus far this year. Women's Hoops Still Has Much to Play for ed racing to be a legitimate sport. However, before you confuse my sarcastic with trivializing a man's death, let me get to the seif-effaci- ng RANDALL HARRINGTON Chronicle Sports Writer point. I said I was not profoundly affected by Earnhardt's death, and I meant it. I am not now, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever be a fan of NASCAR. Consequently, I simply do not follow the personalities within the racing community and so do not have as adequate an appreciation of what his loss means to his profession as, say, what Bobby Phills' death The big game...again. BYU and Utah. The two teams are not always the best, and sometimes they are completely heinous and absolutely do not deserve your attention. No matter the sport, however, somehow, some way there is always a reason to root for one or the other. This year alone, a legendary coach decided to retire after one meant to the Charlotte Hornets and the NBA. Having followed professional basketball for my entire life, I have acquired a fairly extensive level of knowledge about the players involved, and therefore can feel some impact when one of its participants dies. Having devoted the same level of attention and interest to auto racing would to its parents' as a tax returns, though, I really don't differentiate between the death of Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR superstar, and any citizen of India who died in that country's massive earthquake earlier this month. Sure, they both are tragic and I see WALDEN, page 6 BASEBALL Utah at Arizona 223-2- 5 8 Tucson, Ariz. '. game. Keisy Stireman and the Utes have earned a share of the MWC season t!t!e. This weekend, "top dawg" of the Mountain West Conference will be decided in the men's game, while the women will decide...wcll, not much of anything will be decided in the women's game. It has already been confirmed that the Ute women are good. The No. 13 University of Utah women's basketball team has the MWC regular season title well in hand with three games left. The Utes have a conference lead over second-plac- e Colorado State and have defeated the Rams twice this year. So even if Utah lost its remaining GYMNASTICS SNDOOR TRACK Utah Michigan "Utah" BYU Utah MWC Meet 223 S 7 p.m. 223 WOMEN'S HQQPS at Provo, Utah CHRONICLE SPORTS EDITOR vs Huntsman Center ERIC "WALLY" WALDEN 223-2- 4 5 Fort Collins, Colo. three games and the Rams wron four straight, the Utes would still reign supreme in the Mountain West. The next big "challenge" for Utah will be the MWC Tournament (featuring supposedly the seventh-bes- t conference in the nation), in which the Utes will face teams they have already dominated this season. So, it would seem like the Utes have little to play for other than to extend their winning streak and protect their national reputa" tion. WRONG. . . Utah has its sights set a little higher: hosting games in the NCAA Championship, which would be a first here at Utah. "For us right now, we have a great opportunity to host, and I think that is a really big motivator for our team," junior forward Lindsay Herbert said. "So, even if we arc playing a team like Air Force, they are just, one team in our way to host the tournament. "That, right now, for our whole team is a big motivator," she added. "It would be great to stay in Salt see WOMEN'S HOOPS, page 7 MEN'S HOOPS SKIING Utah BYU at vs Utah Western Regional 223-2- 224 4 & Breckenridge, Colo. EWALDENCHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU ; 581-704- 3 1 1 p.m. Huntsman Center |