Utah adds two future gymnasts

Following through with verbal commitments made last summer, Jacquelyn "Jacq" Johnson of Ohio and Kyndal Robarts of Texas have signed NCAA letters-of-intent to join the University of Utah gymnastics team. Their letters were returned to Utah Wednesday, the first day of the fall signing period.

Johnson was the alternate last month for the U.S. team in the 2006 World Championships in Denmark and traveled and trained with that team, said Utah coach Greg Marsden. Because she plans to make a bid for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, Johnson may defer her start with the Utes a year, depending upon her success internationally. She is in her second year on the USA national team.

Robarts is a two-time elite whom Marsden says has the abilities to still be on the international scene but chose to drop to a lower level because her home is far from appropriate training facilities and because she wanted a more normal high school experience.

She is a second-year member of the U.S. Junior Olympic national team and won floor exercise — she does the same double-Arabian skill as Ute Ashley Postell — and was second in the all-around and third on beam at the 2006 J.O. championships.

Johnson is from Michigan now living in West Chester, Ohio, to train at Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy. She was one of the country's top recruits, said Marsden, "and we're excited for whenever Jacq shows up. She's obviously very talented and has great experience."

Johnson was third in all-around preliminaries at the 2006 American Cup (only two advance to finals), and she was second all-around on the 2004 Junior Olympics. Her best and favorite event is bars, where she said in a June interview that she does a unique Khorkina release from a Stalder start that could be named for her if she completes it at a high level international meet. Robarts is from San Marcos, Texas, and trains at San Antonio's Aerial Athletics. "I know she is very talented. She has great skills on every event. She's going to come in and help us right away," Marsden said. She will be on the 2008 Ute team.

OUCH: The current Utes, who host the 2007 NCAA Championships at the Huntsman Center in late April, are a hurting bunch with nine weeks left before their first competition.

Four of their six freshmen are ailing.