By Stacy Johnson
The BYU gymnastics team will renew a long-existing rivalry this week, as they face No. 3 Utah at 7 p.m. today, Feb. 24, 2006, in the Marriott Center. Coming into the meet, the Cougars stand at 3-4 on the season, while Utah has an 8-0 record.
?The University of Utah traditionally has a good team,? said BYU head coach Brad Cattermole. ?I think this is probably one of the better teams they have had in a long time. They could win the National Championship, they are that good.?
Coming off their close loss to Boise State Monday, Feb. 20, 2006, where they scored their season high score, the Cougars hope to improve their routines to perform better against the difficult opponent.
?[At] the Boise meet we missed some golden opportunities to do really well, and hopefully we capitalize on some of those in this meet,? Cattermole said.
The team has high expectations for the meet, hoping that competing against a highly-ranked rival will bring the overall scores up. They are focusing more on their performance and potential for a high score that will hopefully pull them up in the rankings and improve their overall record.
?For both teams, the most important thing for Friday is to hit your routines like we have practiced and to progress,? Cattermole said. ?If we hit well and they beat us, I?m fine with that.?
For senior Jennifer Matthews, the Utah meet is one of the more memorable ones. After working with the team for three years, Matthews entered the lineup for the Cougars for the first time during the Boise meet, taking the place of injured Aimee Walker-Pond on bars. The meet versus Utah will be Matthews? first chance this season to perform in front of a home crowd.
?I am really excited to perform for a lot of people,? Matthews said. ?Anytime you compete against a high-quality team, it makes it really exciting.?
The BYU-Utah gymnastics rivalry is made more exciting every year with the greater number of fans that attend. As a home meet, the Cougars have the enthusiasm of their home fans pushing them. However, Utah fans also make the short trip to Provo. At each of their three home meets this season, the Utes have had more than 12,000 in attendance and traditionally bring a strong support from Salt Lake City.
?The crowd really adds to the enthusiasm,? said freshman Brittany Fischer. ?A lot of the girls on the team have told me how fun the meet is and I am really looking forward to experiencing it.?
