Utah Utes gymnastics: Injuries, illness continue to plague Red Rocks

PROVO — Friday night will see another adventure in lineup-making for Utah gymnastics coaches Greg and Megan Marsden. For yet another week, they have more injuries and illness to deal with as the seventh-ranked Utes complete the regular season in the Marriott Center at 7 p.m. against No. 26 BYU.

"I might have to wait until (pre-meet) warmups to know what kind of a lineup I can come up with," said Greg Marsden.

Beam leadoff specialist Fumina Kobayashi will miss the meet with back pain. She received an injection Wednesday.

Additionally, several Utes, including senior Gael Mackie, who won the all-around last Saturday at Oregon State, as well as freshman Lia Del Priore, were sick and missed practice early in the week. Junior all-arounder Stephanie McAllister and freshman all-arounder Mary Beth Lofgren were also sick.

Vault specialist Victoria Shanley remains out with back problems, and all-arounder Corrie Lothrop is probably only available for an event or two while she tries to get through the rest of the season with a floating bone chip that causes pain in her ankle. Senior all-arounder Kyndal Robarts remains sidelined with a knee injury.

Freshman Lofgren, a native Utahn, said her slight cold won't bother her as she makes her first appearance against the Cougars. Her mother, the former Deena Robbins, competed as a BYU gymnast in the early 1980s, having spurned Marsden's recruiting — something he never lets her forget. She later graduated from Utah's nursing school, and she and husband Dan, also a Utah grad, are long-time Crimson Club board members who have sponsored one of Utah's gymnastics scholarships for many years.

Oddly, Deena Lofgren can't attend her daughter's debut at the school where she used to compete.

"My mom won't be there because my little brother has high school baseball, but the rest of my family will be there in full support," said Mary Beth, who has another brother on the Cougars' soccer club team.

While half of Utah's team is freshmen this year, the Utes are well-versed in the Red-Blue rivalry because sophomore Kobayashi and freshmen Lofgren and Hailee Hansen grew up in this state.

"Obviously, they know the huge rivalry," said McAllister, a junior from Indiana who added that the other newcomers have been exposed to it through football and other sports, too. "I think by now they realize how big of a rivalry it is."

The Utes have had their usual "no blue" policy in effect in the gym this week.