Top-ranked University of Utah faces its most difficult road meet of the season - at least until the NCAA Championships in Minnesota - tonight when the Ute gymnasts visit fourth-ranked Oregon State at Gill Coliseum. The meet begins at 8:30 p.m. MST. It will be taped and broadcast in Utah Sunday at 8 p.m. by cable station PSN, Ch. 19 in most locations.
Oregon State is the last team to defeat Utah in a dual meet. That was Feb. 15, 1991, when the Beavers took a 193.93-193.7 victory in Gill.Both teams are 4-0 going into this meet, but Utah is on a real high, coming off the third-highest road score in NCAA history. Utah beat sixth-ranked Penn State 195.05-190.65 last Saturday in University Park, Pa. Alabama holds the NCAA road record, 195.575 in the 1991 NCAA Regional at Auburn, and Utah also has the second-best road score in the NCAA, 195.25 at BYU March 16, 1991. It was also the third-highest score in Utah history.
"The score was satisfying, particularly since it came in the Northeast, where the feeling is the judging is tougher than in the West," says Utah coach Greg Marsden.
"We've really had some peculiar situations up in Corvallis," Marsden adds, recalling last year's meet in which Missy Wells injured her back and Jenny Donaldson hurt a foot during warmups, leaving the Utes scrambling for a lineup. "I think our people who have competed up there before think it's important that we win this meet," Marsden says. "It's our toughest road meet of the regular season."
Ute senior Missy Marlowe has won the all-around in both Utah meets so far, scoring 39.05 in the season opener and 39.4 at Penn State, the fourth-best all-around in Utah history. She was the first Ute to record two 9.9 scores in a single road meet, getting them on beam and bars.
Oregon State is led by sophomore Chari Knight, fifth all-around in the '91 NCAA Championships. She scored 9.95 on beam in the season-opening meet with UCLA and scored 9.9 on bars at University of Washington last week. In that meet, junior Amy Durham scored 9.9 on floor. Durham is one of two Salt Lakers on the OSU team. The other is Utah transfer Amy Keller, who has yet to perform because of a hip flexor injury.