USU, Utah Utes gymnastics: Red Rocks take down Aggies

LOGAN — Both teams started the night with an injury, but both the Utah and Utah State gymnastics teams made their way through the night pretty well.

"It's kind of been what it has been," said Ute coach Greg Marsden after a 196.55-193.15 win over the Aggies in the Smith Spectrum.

"They're (his team) just a gutty group of kids. We had Corrie (Lothrop) out of the lineup and Victoria (Shanely) out of the lineup, and other people stepped up and did a nice job.

"It wasn't perfect, obviously, but I just can't be disappointed in the amount of heart and never-give-up attitude that this group has."

Lothrop's bad ankle began acting up on her during the week, and Marsden fears she has something floating around in it that may require more than just rest. Shanley's back tightened up on her in warmups, so she was pulled from the Ute lineup.

The changes put senior Gael Mackie into the all-around for the first time this season, and she scored 39.025 with a 9.575 on the first vault she's competed in two years.

"It wasn't my best, but I think it was still pretty good," she said.

Beam had Mackie the most pleased, as she scored 9.875 and said she got her confidence back, partly because the team was counting heavily on her with a depleted vault lineup.

For the Aggies, Rebecca Holliday had to scratch on vault after hyperextending a knee in warmups. She thought she'd be able to do two other events, but coach Jeff Richards said he decided to pull her. That left USU scrambling. He did not replace Holliday on vault but used Amanda Watamaniuk on bars and Chelsea Marquardt on beam.

"We had some good stuff tonight, a couple of highs," Richards said, noting a 38.60 all-around career high, and Jacki Dillon, one of two Aggie seniors in their final home meet, had a career-high 39.025, finishing up with a career-high 9.85 on floor.

"She just always anchors us. What a rock," Richards said of Dillon.

Both teams helped themselves in the Regional Qualifying Score category.

Despite the scrambling, it was Utah's best road score, and the total for the Aggies was their second-highest of the season.