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Cal's gymnastics team technically is hosting an NCAA Gymnastics regional, but the affair will have a definite Utah flavor as the third-ranked Utes, Utah State and BYU were all slotted into the April 4 event on Monday along with No. 10 Georgia and No. 15 Boise State.
The top two teams from each of the six regional competitions advance to the NCAA Championships, April 17-19.
SUU, ranked No. 22, will compete in the Norman, Okla., Regional along with the top-ranked Sooners, No. 12 Oregon State, No. 13 Penn State, Missouri and North Carolina State.
Utah coach Greg Marsden said the Utes' regional wasn't an easy one.
"Those are four really good teams," he said. "Cal is very good on its floor so we need to be at our best."
Georgia is the only team that has beaten the Utes this year, doing so in Athens, Ga., on March 14.
Getting another shot at the Gym Dogs is something the Utes like, said senior Corrie Lothrop.
"Floor was a fluke thing for us there," she said. "We've never had that many people mess up that rotation. We didn't let it linger on, and winning the Pac-12 title again was a confidence booster, so we are excited to compete against them."
Utah defended its Pac-12 title on Saturday, but the Utes said their celebrations have been tempered due to the serious injuries suffered by senior Tory Wilson during the meet.
Wilson, a constant in Utah's all-around lineup this season, ruptured her Achilles tendon in one leg as she took off on her first floor pass then suffered dislocations in the other foot upon landing,
She was scheduled for surgery late Monday afternoon and will be wheelchair-bound for an estimated eight weeks.
"She has been typical Tory, saying she went out with a bang," said fellow senior Becky Tutka. "It has been hard on all of us. It is cool to think we won back-to-back, but it has been emotional for all of us."
Getting the team focused and finding replacements for Wilson in the lineups is the Utes' task this week, Marsden said.
Kailah Delaney is the logical choice on beam since she has competed three times on the event this year, scoring 9.8 or higher each time.
Tiffani Lewis is expected to fill in on vault and floor. The freshman has earned 9.825 or higher in the four times she has vaulted and 9.725 or higher in her three floor routines.
The biggest question is the uneven bars lineup. Lewis is a possibility, but so too is fellow freshman Kari Lee.
The only thing that has prevented Lee from breaking into the lineup is her dismount, but Marsden said she is doing a better job with it now.
"The rest of the routine is gorgeous," he said. "But we have two weeks to look at those options."
Marsden said he isn't sure if Wilson will be able to travel to any of Utah's postseason meets because of the physical limitations she will have.
"We want to have her around as much as she feels like being here," he said. "It's one thing to replace her in the lineups, but we didn't talk about how hard it is to replace her in the locker room. She is an upbeat, positive, happy person who brings everyone along with her. We need people to step up behind the scenes because it changes the chemistry of the team."
Twitter: @lyawodraska —
April 4 NCAA gymnastics regionals
Norman Okla., 3 p.m. MDT • Oklahoma, Oregon State, Penn State, SUU, Missouri, North Carolina St.
• Auburn, Ala., 5 p.m. MDT • Alabama, Auburn, Minnesota, Iowa, Maryland, George Washington
Ames, Iowa, 3 p.m. MDT • LSU, Nebraska, Denver, Washington, Michigan State, Iowa State
Morgantown, W.Va., 2 p.m. MDT • Florida, Stanford, Illinois, Arkansas, New Hampshire, West Virginia
Columbus, Ohio, 4 p.m. MDT • Michigan, UCLA, Arizona, Central Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio State
Berkeley, Calif., 7 p.m. MDT • Utah, Georgia, Boise State, Cal, Utah St., BYU —
Top 25
1. Oklahoma 197.895
2. Florida 197.79
3. Utah 197.67
4. LSU 197.65
5. Alabama 1978.49
6. Michigan 197.27
7. UCLA 197.2
8. Auburn 197.045
9. Nebraska 196.99
10. Georgia 196.875
11. Stanford 196.72
12. Oregon St. 196.68
13. Penn St. 196.665
14. Illinois 196.515
15. Boise St. 196.495
16. Denver 196.455
17. Minnesota 196.45
18. Arizona 196.445
19. Arkansas 196.285
20. California 196.24
21. Central Michigan 196.19
22. SUU 196.1
23. Iowa 196.03
24. Washington 195.96
25. New Hampshire 195.86