For Ute gymnasts, injuries piling up

Things keep crashing down around the University of Utah's gymnastics team.

The No. 5 Utes, 8-1, will face No. 7 Nebraska, 13-3, Sunday at 1 p.m. MST without senior team captain Nicolle Ford, freshman Annie DiLuzio and with sophomore Kristina Baskett limited to doing bars, if that much.

And coach Greg Marsden said Friday about Ford and DiLuzio, "At this point now, I just hope we get them back.

"For Queenie (Ford), I think it's going to be more like four to six weeks, and then I don't know where we are in terms of routine shape."

Baskett was injured in practice Thursday when she hit a foot on the balance beam and sprained it. Baskett has also been sick all week, and Thursday was the first day she practiced. Marsden called her "marginal" after Friday's practice. "She seems weak. I don't have her in the (tentative) lineup anywhere."

Ford injured an ankle in the last meet, Feb. 23, when she landed short on a floor routine, apparently causing a bone-on-bone bruise.

DiLuzio, who had been doing three events for the Utes, hurt an Achilles landing short on a vault at Georgia Feb. 16 and isn't progressing as quickly as it was thought she might.

"I'm sure Queenie can pick up bars, and Annie's doing a full beam routine now, other than the dismount, so I'm sure we can get her ready to do something, but right now I'm just not very optimistic with the pace of how things are going," Marsden said.

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