I haven’t really processed it yet, we were so close which is hard, but I’m so proud of what this team accomplished this year because we were the underdog. – Corrie Lothrop
FORT WORTH, Texas — Saturday’s Super Six ended with a final that was both thrilling and gut-wrenching for the Utah gymnastics team. With Florida and Oklahoma favored to take the title, Utah battled the entire meet and had a chance to thwart the Gators' third-straight title bid. The Red Rocks fell just short as Florida’s final bars competitor, freshman Alex McMurtry, hit a career-best 9.95 and bumped the Gators ahead of Utah 197.85-197.8.
It marked the ninth time Utah co-head coach Greg Marsden watched his team finish second.
“Close,” said Marsden. “What is not hard to take is I could not have asked any more from this group of gymnasts. They fought all through the meet, and ending the season with that meet makes me very happy.”
Utah did all it could to close out the meet strong. Its final three competitors, Kari Lee (9.925), Kailah Delaney (9.925) and Georgia Dabrtiz (9.975), recorded some of their best scores of the season as Utah hit for a 49.55 on vault. It’s an impressive score, and even more impressive considering it came without vault standout Tory Wilson in the lineup. But as good as the set was, Florida was doing its best to keep pace in its final event —- bars.
The key moment came when Bridget Sloan hit for a 9.95 before McMurtry to keep the Gators going after the previous four competitors went for 9.85 or lower. Sloan missed five meets on the season with a severely sprained ankle that left her return in question. The duo’s 9.95s and an outstanding floor of 49.65 were key in the win.
“I haven’t really processed it yet, we were so close which is hard, but I’m so proud of what this team accomplished this year because we were the underdog,” said senior Corrie Lothrop. “It was a nice feeling to be back.”
Utah had missed the Super Six the previous two seasons but tied with Florida in the opening session to advance and end the drought. Friday’s semifinal effort proved its first semifinal win since 2007 and was its best score in an NCAA championship, at the time, of 197.475. That score was wiped well away with Saturday’s 197.8. Meanwhile, Florida’s 197.85 was its second-best Super Six score.
“It was really emotional at the end, we were all in tears — the seniors, Megan (Marsden) and I,” said Marsden.
It had been an emotional few weeks for Utah as the team faltered in its first meet out, regionals, after losing Wilson in the Pac-12 championships to injury. The Red Rocks regional score had them seeded 12th for their 40th national championships. But, the response on Friday and in the Super Six was what Marsden and the team knew it could do because of the depth and talent it boasted about all season.
“We would have liked to go all the way, but we pulled off a great finish after some turbulent spots,” said senior Becky Tutka. “That makes this rewarding.”
Utah had the best opening rotation score in the meet with a 49.575 on bars. Dabritz matched her 10.0 in the semifinal with a 10.0 in the Super Six to highlight the set. Utah also saw strong scores from Corrie Lothrop, 9.925, and Kassandra Lopez, 9.9. Freshman Tiffani Lewis, who replaced Wilson, added a career-best 9.9.
The start was a major boost, and then Utah went for a 49.25 on beam. It was a solid beam set, but it didn’t match the Gators' effort of 49.3 that began their night. Utah’s best beam came from freshman Kari Lee at 9.875. But it was Dabritz’s hit that drew the most attention after the senior fell the previous night.
“I was so glad to hit my last beam of my career,” said Dabritz. “Tonight was an incredible night for us and we honestly gave it our all. I'm really proud of this team.”
Final results Florida (197.85), Utah (197.8), Oklahoma (197.525), Alabama (197.275), Stanford (197.25) and Auburn (195.625).