Greg Marsden was eager to get the Red Rocks' first meet of the season over with so he could better assess what each of his gymnasts need to work on to improve. He likely didn't lose much sleep on how he can help Kristina Baskett improve, but rather how he can help her duplicate Friday's performance on a weekly basis.
Almost 27 years ago, the U gymnastics team began one of the most unparalleled streaks in college sports--a 170-meet home winning streak--when it beat the University of Arizona on March 3, 1979. Nearly four years ago to the day--on Jan. 10, 2003--the UCLA Bruins came into the Jon M.
With the exception of maybe Santa Claus, Greg Marsden and his gymnastics team are the only ones who know if they were naughty or nice last year. Judging from the lumps of coal that many of the U gymnasts brought back from the Christmas break in the form of injuries and lack of preparedness, apparently many of the Red Rocks showed up on the naughty side of Santa's list in 2006.
Usually, college students residing in Utah can only make it down to San Diego once a year-if they're lucky. Before this weekend, the women of the Ute swim team had already made two trips to San Diego, coming away with victories on both occasions. The outcome of their third and final visit of the season to San Diego proved to be no different as the Ute women won four of five relay events in the UCSD Relay Invitational over the weekend.
When training for upcoming gymnastic seasons gets underway each August, the Red Rock Preview can seem as far away as the end of Finals Week for most college students. Combine that wait with the plethora of new faces and injuries the Red Rocks have experienced this fall and the days leading up to Dec.
Ah, Finals Week-the time of year when students finally get to see that guy or girl they have eagerly been waiting to get to know since the syllabi were passed out, but wasn't seen in class since. It's also the time that Outtakes foods doubles its yearly profits with an influx of coffee sales alone, and the rest of the student body walks around like extras from the set of "Night of the Living Dead.
The U men's basketball team avenged one of its worst losses of last year and captured its most impressive win this year by beating Washington State 69-55 at home Saturday night, handing the Cougars (7-1) their first loss of the season. The Utes used solid defense, the hot hand of Shaun Green and a little help from the Godfather of Soul--James Brown--to stretch their winning streak to three games after the Utes dropped their first three games of the 2006-07 campaign.
With the Utes swimming in the Ohio State Invitational against some of the toughest competition of the season, senior Amber Walter knew she would have to be at her best. Not only did Walter's best in the 50-yard freestyle translate into a first-place finish and secure her a spot in the NCAA Championships next year, her time of 22.
As I began to count the fingers and toes on my son Carson's hands and feet shortly after he emerged from the womb last Tuesday, I found myself in a thankful state of mind two days before the rest of the country would officially be thankful. Of course, I was thankful for the willingness of my wife, my mother and women in general for being brave enough to go through the pain of childbirth in order to bring babies into this world (not surprisingly, I also found myself thankful that none of my bodily orifices had to stretch 10 centimeters for Carson to come into this world).
Ute swimmers will be heading east this weekend for a "who's who" pool party in the Ohio State Invitational. Familiar faces will be present for the Utes, as they will get to see the No. 18 Purdue Boilermakers and Denver Pioneers for the second time this year.
