After the afternoon session of the 2009 NCAA Gymnastics Championships went how it was designed on paper, Utah nearly ended its season early.

It was a close call for Greg Marsden and his Red Rocks on Thursday night. But with the first night of Nationals behind them, Utah will now turn its attention to the Super Six.

The Utes have been invited to compete in the fourth annual Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship in Riverside, Calif., along with seven other top programs from around the country.

With UNLV and San Diego State coming to town, the Utes know their postseason hopes could live or die this weekend.

The Ute baseball team (13-18, 3-9 MWC) is on a six-game slide, with a tough series ahead of them against rival BYU (20-15, 7-5 MWC) starting tonight.

Being one of the favorites to snag the NCAA Championship, the Red Rocks have been preparing all season to make sure the beam isn't their downfall at this stage.

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Utah showed its depth when three underclassmen stepped up in Nina Kim's absence. Whether his team is completely healthy or not, head coach Greg Marsden might need much of the same this weekend when Utah tries to win its first NCAA championship since 1995.

The 2009 Red Rocks gymnastics team insists that things are going to be different this year. It's a renewed dedication to success that the team hopes will propel them to the top at the 2009 NCAA National Championship in Lincoln, Neb.

Teams on the hill have grown easily accustomed to being written off at any time, but as so many have proved, 2008 was a year of supremacy, growth and fearlessness.