As competition continues to heat up heading into the end of the regular season, the Utah gymnastics team continues to deal with extra pressures that have shaped the team over the course of this season.
With injuries to key gymnasts piling up, including losing three All-Americans in the lineup the past two meets, the Red Rocks have gained a lot of credit for dealing with constant changes to rotation lineups.
Although no team wants to lose a top competitor, opportunities have risen for the younger bunch to show their worth.
This includes freshman Ericka Muhaw, who earned her competitive debut on vault over the weekend against Cal. The young gymnast, who’s been constantly training, was finally given the nod from the coaching staff to compete for the first time — filling in for an absent Kailah Delaney and Samantha Partyka.
Even though the two top gymnasts are expected to return by the time postseason rolls around, Muhaw is seizing her opportunity and was very excited to see her work pay off when she jumped out of the gates for her first counted vault.
“It was really cool to just finally get out there,” Muhaw said. “I’ve been working really hard, so it was really great. There’s always room for improvement, but I just went out there and did the job.”
When she earned a 9.800, the whole team and coaching staff was impressed and excited for Muhaw. Co-head coach Megan Marsden was also excited to see the freshman get the job done with few mistakes.
“I was excited because that was her first time to count,” Marsden said. “She has been doing some vaults in exhibitions, but she did her best vault in competition, so that’s a good quality to have. Maybe it was ironic or possibly she knew it really counted so she stepped it up.”
With vault number one out of the way and Partyka and Delaney expected to be out again for Michigan this Saturday, expect to see Muhaw back in the vault lineup once again as she hopes to improve on her score.
But with the 2016 campaign winding down in the next few weeks, many expect to see Muhaw as the future face of the program.
Teammates and coaches consider Muhaw to be a powerful gymnast, and she is expected to shine on vault and floor because of that quality. This is especially the case on vault, which Marsden definitely noticed when Muhaw completed her first routine.
“I think she has a nice future on vault and floor for Utah Gymnastics,” Marsden said. “Those two events tend to lend towards her style. She’s powerful, so the power events are her best.”
With her first event out of the way, Muhaw is looking forward to training for future events, where she will star for the Red Rocks in the near future.
@chad_marquez