Season Ends at Regionals

SALT LAKE -- The University of Utah took the North Central NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regional Championship by storm Saturday night, winning the meet with a score of 196.975 in the Huntsman Center.

The BYU Cougars finished sixth in the meet with a season-low 192.400, also marking season lows on bars (47.575) and the floor exercise (48.425).

"Tonight we just had a terrible meet at a terrible time," BYU head coach Brad Cattermole said. "We didn't make mistakes because we weren't trying, but because we tried too hard."

Stanford came in second with a 196.625 and will join the Utes at the national championship in Lincoln, Neb., April 24-16. Denver took third with a 195.350, California came in fourth with a 195.025 and Minnesota placed fifth with a 193.125.

Utah's Annabeth Eberle claimed the all-around title with a 39.450. Natalie Foley from Stanford took second and Denver's Michelle Kasuga placed third.

The Utes also managed to take first place on each of the individual events. Theresa Kulikowski from Utah took first on the bars with a 9.900 and on the beam with a perfect 10.0. Melissa Vituj tied for first on the vault with a 9.900 and placed first on the floor exercise with a 9.925.

One bright spot for BYU was Trisha Ashton, who tied for fifth on the vault with a 9.850 and also received BYU's highest score on the beam wit h a 9.800.

Coach Cattermole was happy with Ashton's performance.

"She's that kind of kid," he said. "We expect that kind of performance from her, that's why she was elected captain."

Despite the disappointment, Cattermole is optimistic about the future of BYU gymnastics.

"The good part in all of this is that we have some girls coming back next year that have felt this and know that it doesn't feel good," he said. "It was a good learning experience that we can build upon next year."

NCAA North Central Regional
Huntsman Center
Salt Lake City, Utah
April 12, 2003
FINAL TEAM SCORES
*1. Utah, 196.975
*2. Stanford, 196.625
3.  Denver, 195.350
4.  California, 195.025
5. Minnesota, 193.125
6. BYU, 192.400
* advances to NCAA Championships in Lincoln, Neb., April 24-26
VAULT
Stanford, 49.225
Utah, 49.225
Denver, 48.900
California, 48.625
Minnesota, 48.600
BYU, 48.250
BARS
Utah, 49.225
Stanford, 49.175
California, 48.800
Denver, 48.350
BYU, 47.575
Minnesota, 47.475
BEAM
Utah, 49.600
Stanford, 49.375
Denver, 48.825
California, 48.500
BYU, 48.150
Minnesota, 48.000
FLOOR
Denver, 49.275
California, 49.100
Minnesota, 49.050
Utah, 48.925
Stanford, 48.850
BYU, 48.425
TOP INDIVIDUAL FINISHERS 
VAULT
1.  Melissa Vituj, Utah, 9.900
    Natalie Foley, Stanford, 9.900
3.  Annabeth Eberle, Utah, 9.875
    Glyn Sweets, Stanford, 9.875
BYU Vault Scores:
Trisha Ashton, 9.850
Lindsay Butterfield, 9.650
Jaime Mabray, 9.650
Meghan Donahue, 9.625
Megan Pessoa, 9.475
Kirsten Pauga, 9.300
BARS
1.  Teresa Kulikowski, Utah, 9.900
2.  Kim Allan, Utah, 9.875
    Annabeth Eberle, Utah, 9.875
BYU Bars Scores:
Kari Lords, 9.675
Brogan Jacobsen, 9.650
Lisa Willis, 9.575
Lindsay Butterfield, 9.575
Jaime Mabray, 9.100
Kirsten Pauga, 8.750
BEAM
1.  Teresa Kulikowski, Utah, 10.0
2.  Melissa Vituj, Utah, 9.950
3.  Gritt Hoffmann, Utah, 9.900
    Lindsay Wing, Stanford, 9.900
BYU Beam Scores:
Trisha Ashton, 9.800
Kirsten Pauga, 9.750
Lindsay Butterfield, 9.700
Meghan Donahue, 9.600
Jaime Mabray, 9.300
Kari Lords, 9.200
FLOOR
1. Melissa Vituj, Utah, 9.925 
2. Karyssa Ancellotti, Denver, 9.900 
   Emily Bankhead, Denver, 9.900
   Alicia Opsahl, Minnesota, 9.900
BYU Floor Scores:
Brogan Jacobsen, 9.850
Candace Slater, 9.775
Kirsten Pauga, 9.700
Jaime Mabray, 9.625
Lindsay Butterfield, 9.475
Lisa Willis, 9.325
ALL-AROUND
1. Annabeth Eberle, Utah, 39.450
2. Natalie Foley, Stanford, 39.350
3. Michelle Kasuga, Denver, 39.325
BYU All-Around Scores:
13. Lindsay Butterfield, 38.400
17. Jaime Mabray, 37.675
18. Kirsten Pauga, 37.500