Meet after meet and year after year, opponents have come into the Huntsman Center hoping to be the gymnastics team to end Utah's home winning streak. All have left denied, until the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal visited Friday.
The Cardinal (8-0) became the first team to beat Utah's gymnastics team at home since Florida did in 2007. Stanford earned a 196.825-196.5 victory over the No. 4 Utes (3-1) in front of 13,835.
The loss ended Utah's home winning streak at 20 meets. It was the second-longest home winning streak in the program's history, surpassed only by the 170-meet stretch from 1979 to 2003 that stands as the longest home streak in NCAA history for any sport. That run came to an end at the hands of the UCLA Bruins.
On Friday, it was another future Pac-12 opponent that trumped the Utes.
The disappointment of losing was lessened some for the Utes knowing they had posted their highest score of the season without seniors Kyndal Robarts (knee) and Jacquelyn Johnson (concussion).
"No one likes to lose a meet," said junior Stephanie McAllister. "But with Jac and Kendall both out, the freshmen had to step it up, and we had our highest score. Stanford is a really good team, and they hit beam at the end. We still had a lot to be proud of."
The teams were tied at 147.5 going into the final rotation. Normally, Utah is a lock to win meets at home on the floor, but they couldn't produce the big scores needed without Robarts and Johnson to beat Stanford. Their 49.0 tied the season high on the event, but the Utes needed much more to beat Stanford, which showed why it is the top-ranked team in the nation on balance beam by scoring a 49.325.
Rather than dwell on the loss, Utah coach Greg Marsden emphasized the positive, noting that the Utes held their own for most of the night against a team that will be a heavy contender at the NCAA Championships, judging by its recent showings.
"If you had told me a week ago that without Kyndal and Jac, and only six routines by seniors and 15 by freshmen, that we would be three-tenths behind Stanford, I never would have believed you," he said. "I think we did an incredible job tonight, and we can still do better."
Stanford hadn't competed in the Huntsman Center since 2005, but the Cardinal knew to appreciate a rare victory on Utah's floor.
"It's a huge win," Stanford coach Kristen Smyth said. "To compete in front of that crowd and against that team, it's a big deal. We just kept fighting and fighting."
lwodraska@sltrib.comTwitter: @lyawodraska,@sltributes —
Storylines
R IN SHORT • Stanford becomes the first team since 2007 to beat the Utes on their home floor, ending a 20-meet winning streak.
KEY MOMENT • Tied going into the final rotation, Stanford, ranked No. 1 on the balance beam, scores a 49.325 in the event to earn the victory.
KEY STAT • Utah ties its season high on the vault and floor and scores its season high on the balance beam, but still loses to the Cardinal. —
Scoring, by rotation
First rotation • Utah (vault) 49.275; Stanford (uneven bars) 49.15
Second rotation • Stanford (vault) 49.225; Utah (uneven bars) 49.075
Third rotation • Utah (balance beam) 49.15; Stanford (floor) 49.125
Fourth rotation • Stanford (balance beam) 49.325; Utah (floor) 49.0 —
Individual winners
All-around • Allyse Ishino (Stanford) 39.475
Vault • Shelley Alexander (Stanford) 9.9
Uneven bars • Allyse Ishino (Stanford) 9.9
Balance beam • Mary Beth Lofgren (Utah), Allyse Ishino (Stanford), Ashley Morgan (Stanford) 9.9
Floor • Ashley Morgan (Stanford) 9.925
