For No. 1-ranked Utah, tonight's final High Country Athletic Conference gymnastics championship at the Huntsman Center at 7 is a tuneup, a chance to get back on track after two blah outings and time to rehearse for nationals, since the six-team, two-bye format is the same as in the NCAA championships.
The Utes will qualify for the NCAA regional at Utah April 7 and will likely be top seed in that seven-team field.But for Utah State and Brigham Young, the second and third seeds tonight, this is a critical opportunity.
They should make the regional, though neither is a lock yet, but both are on the bubble for invitations to the NCAAs at Corvallis, Ore., April 20.
Twelve teams go to nationals - six region winners and the six with the next-best National Qualifying Scores. The NQS is two-thirds regional score and one-third Regional Qualifying Score.
If the Aggies and Cougars, ranked 13th and 14th nationally by average, can improve their RQS tonight and earn good regional seeds, they enhance chances of qualifying for the NCAAs for the first time. USU missed by .01 last year.
The RQS is made up of a team's five best scores, two at home, two from away meets and a wild-card score. Utah's RQS is 192.9, Utah State's 188.44 and BYU's 188.08. Denver University is 187.07, New Mexico 186.73, and Boise State 186.71.
"It's a road meet for them," says U. Coach Greg Marsden, whose team can be expected to be within a point or two of its 193.1 home average, "and they have the potential to score pretty well." An average Utah score would open up scoring for other teams.
The Aggies think they need to be 188+ and no less than second tonight. Their season high is 189.15 at home last week against Utah, a school record, and their road best is 188.15 at Brigham Young.
They're coming off two of the three best scores in school history - last Saturday's against Utah and Monday's 188.85 (to 186.5 for New Hampshire in the Spectrum). Monday's was accomplished with only five vaulters and floor exercisers, due to injuries. Stephanie Green and Lori Brady had career-best all-arounds of 38.2; Tana Davis is 15th nationally in all-around at 38.27.
BYU, hit with midseason injuries, hasn't been as consistent as the 13-3-1 Ags, whose only losses are to top-three teams. But the 14-12-1 Cougs have a high of 189.6, a school record set last week, and a road-best 188.15.
Marianne Squires is 17th nationally in all-around at 38.16, 12th on balance beam at 9.66, and Korie Jackman is defending HCAC all-around and vault champion. Both had season-high 38.45s at Utah. Jackman was the state's first to score 38.95. She did it last year.
The state high now belongs to Utah's Missy Marlowe, 39.05. Marlowe is No. 2 in the country at 38.79. She was ill the past few weeks and is just now getting well. Shelly Schaerrer led Utah's last two meets at 38.8 and 38.95.
Utah, studying for final exams, had 193.1 and 191.45 scores in those meets but had four falls in one and six in the other, its poorest outings. Kristen Kenoyer, fourth nationally, fell twice at Logan, her first of the season, but is dealing with it well, Marsden said.
Senior Kris Takahashi injured a shoulder at Utah State and will compete only on beam tonight.
After tonight, the HCAC is out and the Western Athletic Conference is in.