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Show SPORTS Page 7 Thursday, March 29,2007 COMING UP SCOREBOARD '^' ^ Baseball Gymnastics Men's Tennis Track Women's Tennis Baseball UNLV (11-19) @ Utah (9-15) March 30. 2OO7 7 2p.m. B> Franklin Covey Field Utah (12-3) @ BYU (13-7) March 30. 2CKJ7 7 p.m. y Prove Utah Utah (10-6) (a Utah @ Stanford Invitational Mofch30. 2007 All Day '."uPaloAlio.Qilil. Utah {10-6} @ Colorado State (5-6) March 30. 2007 TBA !? Foil Collins, Colo. UNLV(11-19)@ Utah (9-15) March 30, 2007 1 p/n. & Franklin Covey Field • TCU(4-8) M,irth3U.?OG7TBA ^•San Diego, Gilil. ymnastics team inches closer to the start of postseason competition BYUis all that's left between Red Rocks, NCAA Regional Tony Pizza Arizona State, respectively. The 1road scores used in the Utes RQS were the 196.575, the Real gymnastics season 196.100 arid the 196.675 that the about to begin team scored against Utah State, Nebraska and Oregon State, Even though the U gymnas- respectively. For the Utes to tics team's season officially be- increase their RQS, they need gan nearly three months ago, a score higher than 196.100 realistically, it is just about to against BYU. begin. The highest the Utes' RQS It's not that the meets haven't could be by the end of the seacounted up until now; the Utes son is 196.675. wouldn't be ranked No. 6 in the This means the Utes' No. country and they wouldn't be 6 ranking is the highest they poised for a No. i seed at the could hope to have at the end NCAA Regional if they hadn't. of the season. But at this point and 1through the weekend, the Utes record A class of their own is basically irrelevant. Unlike college football or basThe Florida Gators and the ketball, there is nothing subjec- Georgia Gym Dogs seem to tive about postseason gymnas- be the favorites for capturing tic invites. Teams either have a a National Championship this high enough Regional Qualify- year. ing Score or they don't get inFlorida and Georgia are the vited to one of the six NCAA only two teams with an RQS Regional sites on April 4. over the 197-point mark. FlorGiven the fact that the Utes ida has topped the coveted have qualified for all 26 NCAA 197-point plateau seven times Regionals, the regular season while Georgia has done it eight has basically been preparation times, including an impressive for the postseason for the Red 198.00 meet against SEC rival Rocks. and No. 3 seed Alabama. The Utes have one more regIf Florida were to go on to ular-season meet against rival win the National Championschool BYU this weekend be- ship, it would be the first time fore the Utes find out April 2 in NCAA history that a team where they will be headed for not named Utah, Georgia or Regionals. UCLA would win the women's National Championship in gymnastics. What is a Regional Qualifying Score? Top-ranked Red Rocks The RQS is the score that determines the teams that get Junior Ashley Postell is curinvited to the NCAA Region- rently ranked ninth in the al. The score is calculated by country in the Ail-Around with adding up a team's six highest a 39405 average. Kristina Basscores—three of which have to kett is ranked 15th on floor with be road meets—and subtract- a 9.895 average. ing the top score, then averagBaskett and Nicolle Ford are ing the remaining five scores. also third and fourth, respecThis score is also used to com- tively, in terms of national rankpute rankings throughout the ing on uneven bars with 9.925 season. and 9.915 national averages. The home scores used to Baskett is also tied for No. compute the Red Rocks' RQS 4 in the nation on vault with a of 196.545 were the 196.725 9-930 RQSand the 196.650 that the team t.pizza@ scored against Washington and chronicle.utah.edu Chronicle Asst. Sports Editor TYLER COBB/ The Dulv Ut>ih Chronicle Ashley Postell transfers from the high bar during Utah's win over ASU at the Huntsman Center on March 23. The few, the proud, the Mariners Historians will say Seattle slew the competition I t just doesn't make any sense. I've been trying to make heads or tails of it for years now, but it just doesn't make sense. CHRIS And I can't let it go, BELLAMY I need things to be neat and orderly. Alphabetized if at all possible. Symmetrical. Even. This way, things make sense to me. And so, when I look at the MLB standings and see four divisions with five teams apiece and then, inexplicably, one division with six teams and an- this inexcusable miscarriage of justice. Why must teams in the National League Central fight against five other opponents for a playoff spot, while those in the AX. West have only three such foes? The answer is there is no answer. It's just pure stupidity. You're telling me we couldn't move the Astros down to the N.L. West, then shift the D-Backs over to the A.L. West? You're telling me that's not a possibility? Be a man, Bud Selig—just tell the owners you're realigning and have at it. Please, provide a cure for ' Preview o t h e r my irrational anxiety. Now with only if you'll excuse me, I have to four, it makes me very, very go call my sponsor from my anxious. obsessive-compulsive supNo one has ever offered a satisfactory explanation for See MARINERS Page 7 U softball to receive one more warm-up for regular season Tom Quinn play." Although the preseason is almost in the books, no With the beginning of the Mountain West Conferconference schedule loom- ence team has managed ing large on the horizon, to separate itself from the the Utah softball team has pack. Like the Utes, most exactly one more chance to teams have endured both get it right before it has to highs and lows, leaving the start defending the title it title race every bit as even won a year ago. as it was at the beginning This weekend, the Utes of February. "As far as it are off to the bustling me- seems, it could be anyone's tropolis that is Reno, Nev., year in the Mountain West for their final tune-up of Conference," Jacobs said. "Based on the non-confery^^k^:?P^>>i^^ the preseason. After suffering three ence schedules, I've seen straight losses over Spring some great wins and some Break, the Utes are hop- surprising losses. It's going ing to rediscover the mojo to be an exciting conferthat helped them win eight ence season and we're anxstraight games earlier this ious to get it started." month. With parity running ram"Our most important goal pant in the MWC, a fast for this weekend is to con- start could go a long way tinue to play as well as we toward helping the Utes have these last six weeks," defend their crown, a fact said head coach Angie Ja- that makes building moUSA TERAN / The Daily Utah Chronicle cobs. "If we do that, then mentum at this weekend's The U softball team plays BYU on April 22,2006, at Ute Field. The Utes will we'll be where we want to play in the Nevada-Reno Tournament this week in Reno, Nev. be heading into conference See SOFTBALL Page 10 The Daily Utah Chronicle \ |