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Even when she makes a mistake Utah freshman gymnast MyKayla Skinner is phenomenal.

Skinner, who helped the Utes beat Stanford 197.5-196.275 Friday, earned a huge ovation, and a decent score, for one of the most ab-libbed routines ever performed in the Huntsman Arena.

Skinner had a rare bobble on the balance beam that caused her to flail her arms as she tried to regain her balance without falling off the 4-inch apparatus. Once she had her balance back, Skinner turned the flail into her own brief dance move that brought the crowd to its feet.

It was a moment of gusto, a moment of defiance and a moment of pure joy from an athlete whose freshman season has surpassed all expectations.

No doubt, the competition floor is Skinner's, even when she is flirting with a fall.

"I had trouble in warmup and I was thinking too much on the beam," Skinner admitted. "I got tight after MaKenna (Merrell) fell and didn't want to fall. I was trying my hardest to do whatever it takes to stay on the beam so I added moves.

"Hopefully it will be in my beam routine next year," she joked.

Moments later, Skinner finished her night with a perfect floor score.

In their own way the two routines exemplified just how special an athlete Skinner is. She can turn near disaster into a memorable moment just as well as she can deliver perfection.

"Her tenacity to stay on the beam was special," Utah coach Tom Farden said. "On floor, she is bound and determined to be the best. She has a chip on her shoulder and I think she will for the rest of her gymnastics career. She knocked it out of the park tonight."

Beam focus

Farden was overall pleased with the effort on Friday, save for the beam set and a few moments on the uneven bars. Friday's effort was the first in which he said he noticed the team was affected by a fall as the Utes seemed to tighten up after Merrell fell.

"The last four were trying to not make mistakes," he said. "I gathered them after beam and told them I appreciated how they showed a lot of fight on the balance beam and we needed to muster that kind of fight for one more event. We went to floor and I thought it was exceptional."

Of note

The Utes finish the regular season next week at Georgia. … Friday's win is the 100th victory for Farden. … The Utes have won the last eight meets against Stanford, which hosts the Pac-12 Championships on March 18.