By Stacie Searle
Four BYU senior gymnasts will be honored Friday, March 28, at 7 in the Marriott Center as the Cougars host in-state rival, No. 9-ranked Utah in the last regular-season meet.
BYU Coach Brad Cattermole said emotions are high as seniors Candace Slater, Brooke Haskett, Mindi Hilton, and Lindsay Butterfield face the end of their gymnastics careers.
“The gymnasts know the last meet means retirement,” said coach Brad Cattermole. “After this they know they”ll never compete again. The last meet is hard.”
Although this is the last regular season meet, the Cougars still have a chance to advance to regionals and nationals for a couple of final competitions.
Slater”s love for the floor shines through the smile on her face during every performance. Her career high is a 9.925.
Haskett usually competes on bars, beam, and floor but will be unable to compete because of a torn ACL she received just before a four-way meet on March 7.
Hilton, who has been unable to compete all year, due to an injured wrist she received midway through the 2002 season, will also be recognized.
Butterfield is a strong competitor in the all-around. She took first place in the all-around last Friday against the Missouri Tigers with a score of 39.400, a career-high.
“They”re excited,” Cattermole said. “It”s the meet they look forward to all year, especially the seniors.”
The Cougars opened their season against Utah on Jan. 17, in Salt Lake where Utah defeated the Cougars 196.800-194.700.
“Utah is a powerhouse,” Cattermole said. “They own more national championships than anyone else, so they”ll give us some strong competition.”
The Cougars are coming off a strong win against Southern Utah with a score of 196.050 -195.475, a score that will help BYU move up in the rankings.
“Our score at SUU will definitely help us towards regionals,” coach Brad Cattermole said. “We received a 196 plus that will replace a 194, so that is a really big plus for us. I”m happy with that.”
In order to qualify for regionals the Cougars must count three away scores and three home scores. They will drop their highest score before averaging the five remaining scores. The averaged score will determine where the Cougars are seeded for regionals.
Utah is coming off a 197.125-196.150 loss against Florida in Gainesville last Friday. Falls on beam and mistakes on floor dropped Utah from No. 6 to No. 9 in the national ranking.
The meet will be televised on KBYU.
