Utah gymnastics fans who watched the meet against Washington last Saturday saw new faces in different places that helped the Red Rocks beat their Pac-12 foes. Senior Kassandra Lopez showed well in her first appearance on the vault since her freshman year, and sophomore Maddy Stover brought the crowd to its feet after her floor routine at the end of the night.
These two are just typical examples of how good Utah’s squad truly is — especially for such a young team. Co-head coach Megan Marsden says depth is one of the main keys for staying consistent every week.
“I do think we have some depth on some events right now,” Marsden said. “It allows us to trade people out here and there, and all the girls are working hard to be ready for their opportunity.”
Depth has always been a contributor to the Red Rocks’ success, and this season is no exception. Marsden makes sure every gymnast on her team has the ability to compete well in more than one event in case something happens.
“With our team, there are certain expectations that everybody has a competitive routine that they are training for,” Marsden said. “As a coaching staff, we talk to all the young and new girls on how long the season is and how much we depend on everybody. Sometimes they will be ninth or 10th on the depth chart, but there is a chance that we will use them in certain events, so they should always be ready for opportunities.”
This proved helpful when sophomore Kari Lee sustained a season-ending injury a few weeks ago, forcing the coaching staff to change their plans and use the team’s depth to their advantage.
So far, these changes have been successful.
“You don’t always wish to use those who are so far down the depth chart, but because we preach being ready at all occasions, I do think it helps when situations and injuries occur to show that these things happen and they have to be ready for that,” Marsden said.
Partyka back on the floor after rest
When Stover took over on the floor, Samantha Partyka was forced out of the final rotation lineup due to a sore leg.
Even though Partyka performed well on the other three events, the coaching staff decided to not take any chances. After a few days’ rest, Partyka is excited to get back on the floor and prep for a tough match away at Stanford this weekend.
“[My leg] is feeling pretty good,” Partyka said. “It will be better to get back out there though, so I can’t wait till this weekend [against Stanford].”
Prepping for Regionals
With Utah heading into its final stretch of the regular season, things are about to change for the Red Rocks and programs across the country. Rankings will now be determined by team’s regional qualifying score (RQS), which determines what teams are the best from the rest.
The RQSs include Utah’s best scores of the season and must include three road scores as well. Coincidently, the Red Rocks’ next three meets are on the road against teams who are all in the Top 15 after last week’s round of meets.
In order for Utah to show they are still a top contender in the country, it will have to put in consistent performances in each of these three road meets, which begins against in-conference rival Stanford. The No. 12 Cardinal have always been one of the better programs in the Pac-12 and will sure to give the Red Rocks a run for their money on Saturday.
It’s do-or-die time for this young Utah team, and the gymnasts will give everything they have in order do well to finish the regular season off.
@chad_marquez