Ute gymnasts defeat No. 1 UCLA, pass first test of season

SALT LAKE CITY — With six freshmen, Utah's gymnastics coaches had no concrete idea what to expect in their 2011 season opener Friday night at the Huntsman Center against top-ranked, defending NCAA-champion UCLA.

What they got was an upset victory, 195.70-195.30, that could be quite the springboard for the rest of the season and maybe beyond as the next time they're in a dual meet with UCLA, it will be as a member of the Pac-12 in 2012.

Utah nudged a UCLA team that was saving a little bit of itself for Sunday's Pac-10 Showcase meet with all seven conference gym programs competing — but still was trying to win Friday, said coach Valorie Kondos Field.

"We had to be very careful with our lineup," Kondos Field said, but she said the loss came "not intentionally, gee.

"There was nothing that I wasn't pleased with," she added, noting composure from her veterans "and the freshmen had a ball.

"This rivalry gets our team going. We almost had it, and then we let it go."

It was pretty much the same for the Utes, ranked fifth in the preseason, thought they didn't let it go.

"I can't even explain the feeling," said Ute junior Stephanie McAllister, who won the all-around with 39.175 to 39.025 for freshman teammate Corrie Lothrop's 39.025 and a 38.675 for the only Bruin who did all four events, Elyse Hoffner-Hibbs.

"I think it's fair to say we had relatively low expectations because we had so many freshmen and everything," said a bubbling McAllister, whose team led for most of the meet. "Our goal was also not to be perfect but do what we do every day in practice, and I think we did an awesome job of that."

Utah coach Greg Marsden wasn't about to get all giddy about winning. In fact, he said he expected it to be close and go down to the last event, even if 10 of his 24 routines were being done by freshmen.

"It's the first meet for both of us, and both of us did a good job," he said of the two rival teams. "Both of us have to get better.

Marsden added, "It's exciting. We're going to celebrate tonight —this is what you want to do — but we're not going to make more of it than it is. But we'll enjoy it."