Brigham Young's women's gymnastics team (6-10) enters its final regular-season meet tonight at third-ranked Utah's Huntsman Center at 7 coming off the second-best score in school history (196.05) as it attempts to qualify for the postseason.
Utah (11-1) enters its Senior Night meet coming off the nastiest practices of coach Greg Marsden's tenure there after the Utes were lackluster in a 196.175-194.975 win at New Hampshire.Marsden called Tuesday's practice "the toughest workout I've ever put a team through in my 24 years here. It was time for a wake-up call, and I needed to know they could handle a tough situation."
Marsden said he cracked the whip because the Utes need to be on all the time now with one final regular-season meet followed by an NCAA regional April 10 and, hopefully, competing at the 12-team NCAA Championships in their own gym April 22-24.
Utah has had a relatively healthy season, though all-arounder Theresa Wolf (subluxed kneecap) won't compete tonight. Angie Leonard, out most of the last two meets with back soreness, will likely go all-around after she and Molly and Sarah Northrop are honored pre-meet for Senior Night.
BYU, with tremendous injury problems all season, has gotten some of its better people back. Freshman Kelly Parkinson, after a month out, scored 39.425 all-around in Thursday's win over Southern Utah, and Natalie Broekman has had four 39+ meets since returning from an ankle injury. Kim Little has shouldered the all-around burden all season and is coming off Thursday's 39.35.
The Y. started the week ranked sixth in Region 2, and that's on the bubble for qualifying for the April 10 regional at Utah State.