Utah Utes gymnastics notebook: Stephanie McAllister not letting injuries contain her

Stephanie McAllister had such a "bizarre preseason" — in the words of Utah gymnastics coach Greg Marsden — that many athletes in her situation would not have been ready to compete yet, said co-coach Megan Marsden.

But the sophomore from Indianapolis — who endured a concussion, two kidney infections and an ankle sprain in preseason and who still has kidney stones — has competed in all four meets so far.

And she was even ready when unexpectedly called upon last Friday at Washington to go all-around for the first time in her career.

"The way it worked out wasn't like I expected, but I was happy that I got the chance to do everything," said McAllister, who was scheduled to do three events but learned she would be vaulting in place of senior Annie DiLuzio just prior to the timed warm-up.

"Greg said, 'You're in.'

"And I said, 'OK,' " she said.

The vaulting springboard at Washington was softer than those the Utes usually use, and with DiLuzio doing a difficult Yurchenko 1 1/2, "She just was freaked out a little bit, and it wasn't worth not having her in a good place (mentally) and getting her hurt when we had other people ready to go," said Marsden.

So, in the second event of the night, McAllister got the call and scored 9.75 with her first vault of the season.

"It was good," she said. "I'm glad that I got the opportunity, but I really wasn't expecting it. I was the alternate, and alternates, they're always supposed to be ready, but I wasn't expecting that."

In her first all-around, McAllister totaled 39.10.

"I was just pumped," she said. "It didn't make me tired. I just tried to do one thing at a time.

"I just had to think of one event at a time."

The experience should help her. "I have been kind of inconsistent this year, struggling with getting back into everything. It was definitely a confidence booster for me because I know that I can do it, it's just a mental thing."

McAllister said the preseason was frustrating "because I knew I wasn't doing everything to my full potential because there was always something (another setback), but I just kept making progress.

"But in Seattle, I just felt confident that I was ready for everything, so it just all worked out the way I wanted."