No. 1 ranked Utah (2-1) hosts No. 4 Georgia (3-1) in a battle between the nation's two most successful gymnastics programs on Friday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Huntsman Center. Tickets can be purchased at UtahUtes.com, 801-581-UTIX and the box office. Free live video and scores are available at UtahUtes.com. A delayed telecast will air on Sunday at 11 a.m. on ABC-4.

Utah is ranked No. 1 for the first time since the 2009 season when the Utes were ranked No. 1 for three straight weeks in February (Feb. 2, 9, 16). The Utes went on to finish third at the NCAA Championships that season in a meet that went down to the final event. Georgia came out on top in 2009 with a 197.825 score, followed closely by Alabama (197.575) and Utah (197.425). Kyndal Robarts was a sophomore on that year's team and Stephanie McAllister was a freshman.

Utah and Georgia have each won a record 10 national titles (Utah has nine NCAA Championships and one AIAW title, while all 10 of Georgia's are NCAA) ... Utah and Georgia, along with Alabama, are tied for the most NCAA Super Six appearances with 17 ... Utah has finished second at the NCAA Championships to Georgia three times in recent years (2006, 2007, 2008) ... Utah trails the all-time series 24-21-1 but has won the last two head-to-head competitions.

This Friday's meet is the annual gymnastics alumnae night and former Ute gymnasts will be recognized in a pre-meet ceremony ... The first 4,000 fans in the arena will receive a promotional "Marsden Mustache" ... Freshman Georgia Dabritz leads Utah with four victories (2 on bars, 2 on floor). Stephanie McAllister and Corrie Lothrop have three wins apiece and both have won an all-around title. Freshman Kailah Delaney has been Utah's high scorer on vault in all three meets (9.9 vs. UCLA, 9.925 vs. Utah State and 9.95 vs. BYU) and has won the last two vault competitions ... The Utes have hit 68-72 routines this season. Gymnasts without a fall are: Stephanie McAllister (12-12), Corrie Lothrop (12-12), Cortni Beers (6-6), Kassandra Lopez (6-6), Kailah Delaney (3-3), Becky Tutka (3-3) and Tory Wilson (3-3) ... McAllister has hit 95 of her last 96 routines dating back to her sophomore season.

The Utes are ranked No. 1 in this week with a 196.992 season average and lead the nation on beam (49.208) and floor (49.358) for the second-straight week. Utah is No. 3 on vault (49.333) and No. 7 on bars (49.092). Utah's best individual rankings come from the following: Georgia Dabritz, No. 2 on floor (9.917 average), Kailah Delaney, No. 4 on vault (9.925), Stephanie McAllister, tied for seventh on floor (9.892) and tied for eighth on bars with Corrie Lothrop (9.867), and Lothrop, ninth in the all-around (39.383). See page 3 for complete national rankings.

Corrie Lothrop won two events and the all-around and Utah easily swept past rival Brigham Young 197.550-194.450. The fourth-largest crowd in Utah gymnastics history (15,310) saw the Utes post season highs on bars (49.45), beam (49.35) and floor (49.45) en route to its best overall score since the 2009 NCAA Regional meet. Cortni Beers tied for first on bars (9.90) and won beam (9.90), Kailah Delaney won vault (9.95), Lothrop won floor (9.925) and tied for first on bars with Beers, Stephanie McAllister and Georgia Dabritz, all with 9.90 scores.

Georgia leads this hotly contested rivalry 24-21-1 ... Utah has won the last two head-to-head meetings in Salt Lake City in 2010 and in Athens, Ga., in 2011. The total margin of victory in those two meets was 0.150 ... Utah leads 6-4 in Salt Lake City and 7-5 in regular season play.

SCOUTING GEORGIA

Coach: Jay Clark Coach's Record/Year: 34-20-2/3rd 2011 NCAA Finish: 9th-T 2012 Record: 3-1 National Rank: No. 4 Team Notes: Scored a season-high 197.250 in a win over LSU (195.750) ... only loss was at defending NCAA champion Alabama on Jan. 13 (196.475-196.325) ... Kat Ding was the 2011 NCAA uneven bar champion ... other All-Americans include Nicole Couch and Lindsey Cheek ... Couch is the team's only all-arounder (39.275 best).
 

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