The injury bug bit Utah big time last season as it lost two valuable pieces in All-Americans Corrie Lothrop and Kailah Delaney. Lothrop went down four meets into the campaign with a torn Achilles while Delaney missed the entire season after undergoing knee surgery.
“It was really hard not to be out there on the floor,” Delaney said. “I still felt like I had a job by helping my teammates stay relaxed, but it was definitely a long year.”
One of the main struggles the Utes had in 2013 was on the balance beam. It was their Achilles’ heel all season long — no pun intended— and was the event that essentially knocked them out of contention in the first round of the NCAA Championships. The team is hoping that having Lothrop and Delaney back will help them make that weakness a strength in 2014.
“I am really hoping to be part of the beam lineup the whole season,” Delaney said. “I want to help out as much as I can on that event. Last year, it was a tough event for us, but this year we seem a lot more confident and are doing a lot better.”
While Lothrop is looking forward to getting back into competition, she admitted she is somewhat apprehensive about it.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been out there, so I am kind of nervous,” she said. “It’s been a lot of rehab and working slowly. I don’t want to push it too hard and set myself back. The coaches are there by my side telling me that I should take it easy from time to time to make sure I come back stronger. I am really excited though, and hopefully I will be back at full strength soon, but we aren’t pushing it.”
While Lothrop and Delaney are happy to be back competing, their teammates may be even happier.
“I think it’s definitely a huge benefit,” said junior Tory Wilson. “They are talented, great gymnasts, and they add depth to the team. It makes us stronger as a whole and gives us more options each week.”
Perhaps the happiest people of all to have Lothrop and Delaney back are co-head coaches Greg and Megan Marsden.
“With Corrie, this team has moved through their career with her as a part of their entourage,” Megan Marsden said. “Because of her accomplishments before she got here and her freshman year, everyone else feels a lot of confidence having her back on the floor with them. They were all honest last season after she went down and said they felt lost without their rock. Kailah is going to provide depth to our lineup, and she is looking good everywhere, and we are really excited to have her as an option.”
After missing the Super Six for the first time since 1999 last season, the top priority for the Utes in 2014 is making it back, and Delaney and Lothrop are sure to be two important pieces to that puzzle.