This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Gymnastics • Utah's gymnastics team added four Junior Olympic national qualifiers to its future roster with the signings of Samantha Partyka (Katy, Texas), Maddy Stover (Fullerton, Calif.), Kari Lee (Peoria, Ariz.) and Tiffani Lewis (Las Vegas).
Partyka is a two-year, elite member of the Junior Olympic National Team and a three-time J.O. national champion while Stover won national JO titles on the beam in 2011 and all-around in 2013 in the Senior B Division.
Lee placed first in the all-around at the 2013 JO National Championships Senior A Division and Lewis placed eighth in the 2012 JO National Championship.
"This is an exceptional signing class that will help us remain nationally competitive," Utah coach Greg Marsden said.
"We'll be losing four senior members from our starting lineup after this season and we think Samantha, Kari, Maddy and Tiffani are all capable of stepping in and contributing immediately."
Mexico wins big in World Cup playoff
Soccer • Oribe Peralta scored twice and Mexico beat New Zealand 5-1 on Wednesday in Mexico City in the first leg of their intercontinental playoff to close in on a spot in the World Cup next year.
Paul Aguilar put Mexico ahead in the 32nd minute, and Raul Jimenez made it 2-0 before the break. Peralta scored his first goal 3 minutes into the second half, collecting a cross from the left and slotting home a shot from 6 yards.
He made it 4-0 with an 80th-minute header, and Rafael Marquez added a score in the 84th.
Chris James scored a minute later for New Zealand.
From wire reports