With the No. 4 Red Rocks ranked in the top five in the country on three events thus far, it is hard to pinpoint only one strength for this squad.
In terms of rankings, the event Utah has excelled most in is vault, where it leads the nation with a season average of 49.508.
“This team has been vaulting better every year,” said Red Rocks’ co-head coach Megan Marsden. “We have quite a seasoned group of vaulters that tend to be a powerful bunch. Vaulting and tumbling on floor are our best qualities, so it’s not surprising to me that we are scoring record scores and doing career bests.”
One of the more experienced vaulters on the team is junior Tory Wilson, a three-time All-American on the event who has proven time and again that she is one of the nation’s best. She was undefeated on vault in the 2013 regular season — the only gymnast in school history to go without a loss on an event during a season.
Although some of Wilson’s teammates have topped her already in 2014, she is tied for sixth in the nation in the individual rankings to date.
“I have mixed feelings about it,” Wilson said of her ranking. “On one hand, it’s exciting, as it’s pretty high up, but on the other hand, it’s not where I was last year, so personally I know I can do better, but as a team we are doing really well, and it’s exciting.”
While Wilson has a well-documented history of being strong on vault, two Utah gymnasts are actually outperforming her thus far. Georgia Dabritz and Kailah Delaney are tied for second in the nation on the event with an average of 9.925.
“It’s really cool, especially since vault is my favorite event,” Delaney said. “I love competing in that event, and I always enjoy it. Every time I go out there, I just put it on automatic, and it’s always so much fun. I’m always so excited after I vault.”
Delaney was an All-American vaulter her freshman year in 2012 before missing the entire 2013 season because of an injury, but she clearly hasn’t missed a beat. Interestingly, she gives a great deal of credit to Wilson for her successful start.
“She’s an amazing vaulter,” Delaney said. “I’ve always looked up to her. I mean, she stuck every vault last season, which is my goal. She always tells me to vault like it’s the very first meet, which I use as my motto now. She’s helped me become the vaulter I am.”
Having four gymnasts who are averaging 9.900 or better is a testament not only to the athletic ability of the gymnasts, but to the coaching as well. From speeches about the importance of trajectory to drills that focus on sticking landings, gymnasts are taught everything is interconnected on vault.
“We are a powerful team, and we are learning how to use that on the vault,” Wilson said. “We are told to think of using the table on the way up instead of going to the table and then going off. If you have a good vault, then the landing will come easier.”
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