Nobody knew how hard it would be to fill Ashley Postell’s shoes more than head coach Greg Marsden.
Between 2004 and 2008, Marsden watched Postell become the most decorated athlete in Utah gymnastics history. That’s a 34-year history in which Marsden has been at the helm since the beginning. In 1992, he said goodbye to Missy Marlowe only to see an All-American platoon made up of Kristen Kenoyer, Aimee Trepanier, Suzanne Metz, Missy Wells, Meredith King and Sandy Woolsey fall two spots short of repeating as national champions the next year.
In 2009, the Red Rocks aren’t looking to repeat the success they achieved with Postell as their standout performer8212;they’re looking to better it.
With a new group of gymnasts who have risen to the occasion, Utah is poised to challenge the dynasty that Suzanne Yoculan has built in Georgia.
At the beginning of the season, Marsden predicted it would take a group effort to get to this point and that’s exactly what he’s gotten.
“Now Ashley’s Ashley,” Marsden said. “You never completely replace someone like that, but this team has been great about rising to the challenge and you know, getting that done.”
Although she’s still struggling to find her consistency on beam, Kristina Baskett has been instrumental in filling Postell’s void. Baskett, who played a strong No. 2 last year to Postell, has come into her own and managed to slide into the No. 2 spot in the all-around rankings behind a gymnast Postell got familiar chasing during her career in Georgia’s Courtney Kupets.
It’s been everyone else, however, who has kept Utah in its familiar spot behind Georgia as the two teams enter nationals ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the country, respectively.
Senior Nina Kim has filled in as Utah’s anchor on beam8212;an event Postell shined in and eventually won a national championship in last season. She ranks No. 5 in the country on that event and has managed to shore up her all-around effort in the process. In past years, Kim has struggled to make Utah’s lineup on floor8212;this year not so much. She’s still outside the Top 25 on the event, but is consistent enough that she was able to capture a season high 39.6 in the all-around this season and enter nationals as the No. 6 all-arounder in the country. Combine Kim’s all-around regional qualifying score of 39.485 with Baskett’s 39.620 and Utah has the most potent one-two punch in NCAA gymnastics, just ahead of LSU’s Ashleigh Clare-Kearney and Susan Jackson, who are ranked No. 3 and No. 4 in the country, respectively.
Even Utah’s two seniors don’t tell the entire story of how Utah has been able to emerge as a better team, despite losing its best all-arounder.
The Red Rocks junior class has managed to be monumental in terms of both improvement and impact.
At one point during junior Jamie Deetscreek’s freshman season, Marsden said, “Her first year I was really concerned if she was going to make it or not.”
With Utah’s maintaining the team’s traditionally strong finishing cast on each event, Deetscreek and fellow junior Daria Bijak have added a depth to the earlier portion of the lineup that hasn’t been present for the Red Rocks in four years. During Deetscreek’s first year as an all-arounder she has managed to break into the Top 25 ranking with a 39.335 RQS. Because she competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics in China, Bijak was used sparingly in the all-around this season to allow her body to recuperate. The move seems to have paid off. Bijak had her top two all-around scores in college competition in the past two meets, including a career best 39.550 at regionals.
“We talked about early in the year, how we replace Ashley, big scorers at the end of the lineup and I said it was going to have to be through committee,” Marsden said. “Nina is having her best year without question. For Jamie to step up the way she has, has been a huge part of that. Daria is a big part of that. It has been by committee, but in a sense, we may be an even better team because I think we’re better in the beginning lineup and still strong at the end of the lineup.”
As the progression of filling shoes continues, Utah would not be where it is without the likes of Annie DiLuzio, Kyndal Robarts, Gael Mackie and Stephanie McAllister. Although Mackie is the only role player to compete in the all-around at any point this season, each gymnast plays a monumental job setting up the end of the lineup. McAllister has put up scores in the 9.8s, including two on bars and beam and a 9.850 on floor in an impromptu three-event appearance when Kim fell ill at regionals. Robarts has managed to score career best 9.9s on everything but bars this season and DiLuzio could very well be the team’s best vaulter and floor general as her 9.950 and 9.975, respectively, are team highs on each event.
Whether Utah finally shakes the No. 2 jinx this season or not, it’s been an accomplishment in and of itself for Utah to respond the way it has. At least 11 competitors, four coaches, a team doctor and team manager think they’ve got enough to get over the No. 2 hump.
Action for the afternoon session will begin at noon today with Georgia, LSU, Florida, Oklahoma, Stanford and Penn State vying for three spots in the Super Six before Utah, UCLA, Alabama, Oregon State, Illinois and Arkansas compete for the other three spots in the afternoon session starting at 6 p.m.
The Super Six will be at 5 p.m. on Friday, with nationals concluding on Saturday with individual finals at 5 p.m. on Saturday. All events take place at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Neb.