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Fort Worth, Texas • High winds and a fast-moving storm here have led to numerous tornado watches over the past few days, but the weather gods aren't the only ones serving up warnings.
So is Utah's gymnastics team.
The Utes might be down one of their best competitors, but they are a team that still believes it can win its first NCAA Championship since 1995.
The Utes looked every bit the part on Friday, scoring a 197.475 to qualify for Saturday's Super Six — and tying two-time defending champ and heavy favorite Florida for the high score in the afternoon session.
Pac-12 rival Stanford also qualified with a 197.175 while Michigan (197.025), Georgia (196.6) and UCLA (196.4) missed the cut.
Qualifying from the evening session were Oklahoma (197.4), Alabama (197.1) and Auburn (197.075). The Tigers, coached by former Utah assistant Jeff Graba, haven't been in the Super Six since a fifth-place showing in 1993. Failing to qualify were Nebraska (196.675), LSU (196.55) and Oregon State (195.875).
LSU's meltdown on the balance beam where it had three falls was the shocker, considering it was ranked No. 3 and finished second at the SEC Championships.
While winning a session doesn't mean anything for the seedings of the Super Six, the Utes took heart in their effort on Friday, believing it showed they remain a strong team despite the loss of senior Tory Wilson to season-ending injuries suffered in the Pac-12 Championships.
"We're in it to win it," senior Corrie Lothrop said. "A lot of people may have doubted us before, but we tied the defending national champion and we are here to show what we are made of."
Doubts were understandable after the Utes' poor showing at regionals, where they barely eeked into the NCAA championshikps with a 196.575, the lowest score of any of the 12 teams that qualified for the finals.
Utah co-coach Megan Marsden acknowledged after Friday's competition that the loss of Wilson affected the team more than it realized.
"We let some of those emotions slip in and we went through a rough week of training," Marsden said of the days leading up to regionals. "But we showed who we are today and I'm proud of the girls for coming back from a difficult situation and putting us in the Super Six. This has been one of the goals for the team."
Utah has not been a part of the Super Six since 2012, when it finished fifth. The Utes were ninth in 2013 and seventh last year.
"That two-year break wasn't fun," Lothrop said. "We are excited we get another chance to go out there and hit our routines one more time and see what happens."
Friday's meet gave the Utes one last boost of confidence.
Senior Georgia Dabritz lost her chance to win the all-around title when she fell off the balance beam, but that was the only major mistake the Utes made as they posted one big score after another to stay with Florida and Stanford, which had big scores to start the night.
Michigan and Georgia had their moments of putting pressure on the Utes, but in the end couldn't come up with the scores that were needed to upset Utah.
The critical point in the meet came in the fifth rotation, when Georgia struggled on the balance beam and posted just 48.9 to eliminate itself, while Michigan scored just 49.175 on the vault.
The Utes, who were on a bye during that rotation, went into the uneven bars where they are ranked No. 1 nationally with a 49.5 average knowing they only needed a 49.075 to beat the Wolverines.
Interestingly, Utah's low bars score of the year was a 49.075, which came during their disappointing regional showing.
But there was no repeat showing of that poor effort, The Utes posted a 49.5, capped off by a 10.0 from Dabritz, to put the Utes in a tie with Florida for first.
"We are so pumped after today, we can go out there and do even better," Dabritz said. "We know it's going to be tough but we know we are a good team and we can compete with the best."
The question now is, can the Utes be the best? —
NCAA Gymnastics Championships
Friday team scores
Afternoon session
Utah 197.475
Florida 197.475
Stanford 197.175
(Failed to qualify)
Michigan 197.025
Georgia 196.6
UCLA 196.4
Evening session
Oklahoma 197.4
Alabama 197.1
Auburn 197.075
(Failed to qualify)
Nebraska 196.675
LSU 196.55
Oregon St. 195.875 —
Storylines
In short • Utah hits 23 of 24 routines Friday to earn a spot in the Super Six for the first time since 2012, when it placed fifth.
Key moment • Needing a 49.075 on the bars to surpass Michigan for the third and final spot, the Utes earn a 49.5 and tie Florida for first place.
Key stat • Georgia Dabritz falls off the balance beam but battles back with a 10 on the uneven bars to get the weekend's first perfect score.