Corvallis, Ore., is no easy place to get a win, and everyone in the Dumke Gymnastics Center knows it.
Utah has not traveled to take on Oregon State in Corvallis since March 2006, when it edged the then-No. 10 Beavers 196.675 to 196.6. But head coach Greg Marsden, who has a 14-6 all-time record in Corvallis, knows it’s never a walk in the park.
“(Oregon) has a good team this year,” Marsden said. “And they always compete well at home. Sometimes in the past they haven’t always done as well on the road, but they are consistent and well-coached and they have a really loyal fan base. So they will try to intimidate us with their home crowd.”
Utah senior Kristina Baskett was only a sophomore the last time Utah made the trip to the Oregon coast, but competed in the all-around and came in second on the team to then-junior Ashley Postell. But a lot has changed during the past two years and Baskett is not only ready, but also excited to go back into hostile territory.
“We’re getting just as motivated as we were to go into Georgia,” Baskett said. “We know we need to have a good competition and be mentally ready to go in there and get our stuff done. We’re really excited for another road meet8212;nationals will be on the road, so this is just another opportunity to get into a different setting and focus on our team.”
Utah is continuing to look at the big picture8212;a long and grueling regular season.
The Red Rocks have improved in team score in each of their first three meets of the year, including a trip into Athens, Ga., and they will look to do the same tonight in Corvallis.
Although there have been improvements each week, Baskett knows it is still too early to make any judgments.
“We have had mistakes every meet,” Baskett said. “But we have had girls on events they have never done before and we have had freshmen out there, but we know this isn’t where we’re going to be at the end of the season, so it’s better to make mistakes now and work through it before we get to nationals.”
Gymnasts and coaches alike have noticed these early-season mistakes. In the first meet against UCLA, it was floor that the Red Rocks struggled with. More recently, beam has been a point of emphasis in practice. Although three weeks into the season, this might seem inconsistent, Marsden sees it as reassuring.
“Each meet there have been improvements,” Marsden said. “And each week there’s been things we need to work on. The good thing is, it’s not the same thing over and over again. There’s no one single problem we’re having; there’s just some things we need to address. But I feel like those problems should resolve themselves as we get deeper into the season.”
The Red Rocks are coming off a week during which they competed twice in five days. They’ll be forced to do it again early next month when they host BYU on Feb. 6 before traveling to Utah State University on Feb. 9.
But the Utes aren’t letting the long week affect them, knowing they won’t be getting any sympathy until nationals.
“We didn’t skip a beat,” Baskett said. “It’s only natural during the season to get tired, but we’re used to it and we know the aches and pains are something we will have to deal with. But us being able to push through it is what makes us one of the top teams.”
The Red Rocks left for Corvallis on Thursday and all the action will get underway tonight at 8 p.m.
b.chouinard@
chronicle.utah.edu
Thien SokKristina Baskett and the rest of the Red Rocks know they face a challenge when they take on No.11 Oregon State tonight. Despite the challenge the Utah is excited to have another road meet to test themselves.