Fresh off of the program’s first Pac-12 title since joining the conference, the No. 5 Red Rocks are already looking forward to the NCAA regional meet.
The team gathered around a TV Monday afternoon at the Dumke Gymnastics Center to watch the NCAA Selection Show, anxious to find out where it would go. As the regions were being revealed, chatter among the gymnasts began to get louder and louder, as they hoped to land in certain regions over others. They weren’t overly enthused to find out they’ll be the top team in the Fayetteville, Ark. region.
“It’s a place that we’ve never been before, so that’s exciting, going to a new place,” said senior co-captain Hailee Hansen. “We would have liked it to be somewhere closer. I think that’s probably our biggest concern is that it’s so far.”
Unfortunately for Utah, it will be traveling nearly 1,500 miles to get to its regional. Many of the Red Rocks were hoping to go to Seattle, but despite their displeasure, they realize they are locked into going to Arkansas and aren’t overly concerned about competing there.
“At this point, we mostly care about going where we are going and doing a great job,” said co-head coach Megan Marsden. “I feel like we have a team that if we hit our stuff, we shouldn’t have to worry about too much what region they’ve sent us to.”
Joining Utah in Fayetteville will be Pac-12 rival UCLA, along with Arkansas, Arizona State, Utah State and UC Davis. Despite dominating and winning the conference championship, the Red Rocks were placed into arguably the toughest region.
“It’ll be tough,” Hansen said. “Anywhere you go for regionals, it’s going to be tough.”
Utah has already faced the No. 8 Bruins three times this season, going 2-1 in those meetings, including last weekend’s win at the Pac-12 Championships. While these two teams are all too familiar with one another, one squad both will have to look out for is No. 17 Arkansas. Since only the top two teams in the region advance to the NCAA Championships, at least one of the three ranked squads within this region will be sent packing.
“Arkansas is an excellent team, especially at home,” Marsden said. “There is no question that Arkansas is one of the better third-seeded teams in regionals, so both UCLA and us need to be at our best to not have them knock us off.”
Since six teams will be at the meet on April 5, the Red Rocks will start with a bye and then make their way to bars. Utah will then move to beam, followed by another bye, and will finish on floor and vault, its two strongest events.
“Every away meet we start on bars, so it’s something we are used to, something we are comfortable with,” Hansen said. “I think that we’re going to go in there and have a grind mindset from the beginning.”
If the Red Rocks can manage to be one of the top two teams at regionals, they’ll go to nationals in Birmingham, Ala.
Utah has not missed nationals once in program history.
“I feel good about being able to move out of this region if we hit our stuff,” Marsden said.
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