Missing from the lineup was Nina Kim (foot sprain) and Kyndal Robarts (sprained medial collateral ligament).

In their place went freshman Gael Mackie, who was competing on the event for the first time, and senior Jessica Duke, who was vaulting for just the third time this year in competition.

Turns out, the Utes had nothing to worry about Sunday.

The makeshift lineup produced a 49.4, their second-highest mark on the event this season. Mackie had a 9.725 and Duke had a 9.8. The lineup closed strong with Ashley Postell scoring a 9.95, Kristina Baskett a 9.925, Annie DiLuzio a 9.825 and Daria Bijak a career best 9.9.

It was enough to overtake the Bruins, who scored a 49.25 on the bars, and give the Utes the momentum they needed to stay ahead.

"That is what got us going and we kept it going," Utah coach Greg Marsden said. "We took that to floor and we were smart there. The floor felt a little mushy, so I told them if they needed to make changes they should. We wanted to hit all our routines in this meet."

Utah used a similar vaulting performance Friday to propel itself to a 197.2 in a win over Southern Utah and Utah State. The Utes scored a 49.45, led by Postell's 10.0 and Baskett's 9.975.

"We were shaky on the bars when we started out, but we recovered really well on vault and we were back to being ourselves the rest of the night," Marsden said of Sunday's meet.

lwodraska@sltrib.com