Though the postseason for Utah technically began two weeks ago at the Pac-12 Championships, that was more of a practice run for what will take place this weekend at the regional meet in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Utes admit they would like to have won the conference title, but that competition has little bearing on anything that happens from here on out.
Now the real fun begins for the Utes. There are no more freebies as the team heads into regionals with the second seed and expectations of advancing to the NCAA Championships starting on April 19. With the way the Utes ended the Pac-12 Championships meet on beam, they’ve had to put in some hard work to make sure they are prepared to perform their best.
Inconsistencies in the mental aspect of the sport have plagued Utah’s season thus far, and sophomore Georgia Dabritz knows this problem could be an issue that ends their season.
“We don’t want to be the team that doesn’t make it, but if we are not on for one night, we might get kicked out, and we might not make it [to nationals],” Dabritz said. “But that’s not what we’re going to focus on. We’re just going to do our best, and if the other teams happen to beat us, then that’s what happens.”
With no competition last weekend, the Utes have had time to rest and have been doing pressure sets in practice to simulate how regionals will feel from a mental viewpoint. These sets are essentially mock meets in which individual routines are performed in front of the entire team, which adds to the pressure of performing well. With focus on beam, they have been creating scenarios to help them get past the emotions of competition.
Adding to the potential for a mental letdown is the fact that more than half of Utah’s routines are done by underclassmen, including two freshmen who have never been on this stage before. Both Breanna Hughes and Taylor Allex got the opportunity to cut their teeth on postseason Pac-12 competition, and they agree the experience will help them mentally prepare to perform at regionals.
“It wasn’t too different or surprising to me,” Allex said. “I wasn’t very [nervous], and I knew we’d do fine. I was going into it with a positive attitude, and I just wanted to have fun.”
The Utes will need to take on Allex’s laid-back attitude to carry them into this weekend’s competition when they go up against two-time defending NCAA champion Alabama. Dabritz said the pressure sets have been helpful in this regard because of how nerve-wracking it is to have all the coaches at once watching each routine. She said the sets have been a major factor in helping her face some mental obstacles on beam, where she has a season-high of 9.9.
Co-head coach Megan Marsden said her team should be able to advance beyond regionals.
“We’d like to go to Tuscaloosa and hit all our stuff and see what that gets us,” she said. “I feel like we’re as good a team as many out there, including Alabama. And if we nail our stuff, we can hang with them.”