The University of Utah's gymnastics team has signed a Canadian Olympian, Crystal Gilmore, to an NCAA letter of intent, but Gilmore, 17, will not join the Ute squad until she has completed her commitment to her country's national team.
"Crystal is an extremely talented athlete, and we are thrilled with her decision," said Utah coach Greg Marsden. "Even though she won't join the team immediately, it will be fun to continue to watch her progress and know that one day she will be a Ute. When she completes her commitment to the Canadian National Team, she will make an immediate impact on our program and on the collegiate scene. Crystal is a strong all-around competitor and her international experience will be invaluable."
The native of Cambridge, Ontario, helped Canada to a best-ever ninth-place team finish at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. She finished seventh in the all-around at the 2000 Canadian Olympic Trials and placed fifth in the all-around at the 2000 Canadian Championships.
Gilmore has represented Canada at numerous international competitions, including the 2000 Team Challenge and Mixed Pairs in France, the 2000 Moscow World Stars and the 1998 World Youth Games in Russia, the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg and the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia, where Canada won the bronze medal.
She attends Jacob Hespeler Secondary School and trains at Cambridge Kips Gymnastics Club for coaches Elvira Saadi and Vladimir Kondratenko, both former Soviet gymnasts and coaches.
Gilmore is the second international-level recruit signed by the Ute gymnastics team this year. In the fall signing period, Utah picked up the most highly recruited current U.S. National Team member, Annabeth Eberle of Reno, Nev.