In a sport defined by tenths of points, Utah's gymnastics team knows reaching the big mark of 197 is saying something.
That they've reached that mark two meets in a row is sending the message loud and clear — the Utes believe they have what it takes to win a national title in 2012.
What was most impressive about Utah's 197.55-194.45 win over the BYU Cougars Friday was how effortless the Utes seemed in reaching the score.
The key point came when Nansy Damianova fell off the uneven bars as the second gymnast in the lineup. Instead of allowing the fall to lead to other mistakes, Utah's gymnasts responded with four straight 9.9s.
That is the kind of performance that can win national titles.
The Utes aren't ready to proclaim they are among the nation's elite just yet, but are they on their way? No one can argue that they aren't.
Individually, Utah's rookie class is proving to be as good as it was billed to be with all of them playing key roles Friday. Kailah Delaney won the vault with a 9.95, Georgia Dabritz had a 9.9 on the uneven bars and Kassandra Lopez led off the bars and balance beam rotations with 9.85s.
— Lya Wodraska
