Completed Event: Gymnastics versus NCAA Championship Final on April 19, 2025 , , 4th of 4 (197.2375)
Final Score
Gymnastics
4th of 4 (197.2375)
vs NCAA Championship Final
Red Rocks Show Off in Intra-squad Meet
11/4/2015 12:00 AM | Gymnastics
Nov. 4, 2015
SALT LAKE CITY -
The excitement of competing in an instra-squad meet last Friday has carried into this week's practices. According to co-head coach Megan Marsden, the Ute gymnasts came into Monday's workout inspired from the experience of going live before fans in what she coined a "Showoff Day."
"Sometimes there is a lull after a Showoff Day, but the gymnasts returned to the gym after the weekend very motivated to work," said Marsden. "They got a good idea of the areas where they need to clean up their technique from the meet. In addition, we put out a depth chart, which drove home where people stand in terms of the lineup and who performed well when people were watching. We had a great workout Monday."
Some 200 people crammed into the Dumke Gymnastics Training Center for Friday's Showoff Day, filling the bleachers and folding chairs, sitting on beam blocks and packing the balcony.
The Utes divided into two teams and performed full routines everywhere but on floor, where they did only their final tumbling pass.
"Floor is the last event to come around in terms of full sets because of the cardiovascular element," explained Marsden. "It's not something they train full routines in the offseason. At the final Showoff Day (Nov. 28 at 1:30 p.m.), we'll showcase some full floor routines," she promised.
Some jitters showed up early in the meet on vault and bars that led to execution errors and missed landings. "We'll be strong on vault and bars, but we didn't look as good on those events as we have in training," said Marsden. "Once we moved to beam and floor, people calmed down and we looked really good, especially on beam."
Asked to single out the top performers at Showoff Day, Marsden noted that senior Kassandra Lopez, junior Baely Rowe and sophomores Kari Lee and Tiffani Lewis were solid on all four events. Lopez and Rowe hope to make the all-around lineup this season, while Lewis is a projected starter on vault, bars and floor. Lee-after a sensational freshman season when she competed in the NCAA event finals on vault and floor-is a virtual lock for the all-around.
"Kari had a fall in first Showoff Day, but she was back to her old self on Friday and wasn't rattled at all," said Marsden.
On the topic of nerves, Marsden said the early chance to perform in front of a crowd was especially important to the four freshmen. "The intra-squad meets and Red Rocks Preview (Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Huntsman Center) allow us to see how the freshmen will respond to pressure sooner rather than later. They handled Showoff Day relatively well, but still need work on their mental approach."
Marsden said the Utes are a "couple of weeks ahead" of where they have been in recent years in terms of training full routines, which she said will also help with the mental aspect of the sport. "We'll need that cushion because we are so young and it will give the freshmen time to learn to deal with things like pressure," she said.
The four freshmen and nine returners face the monumental task of replacing one of the best senior classes in school history-a class that led Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 titles and last year's second-place finish at the NCAA Championship.
The desire is there says Marsden. "This team is definitely hungry and has a strong will to win. They want to defend their Pac-12 title and the fact that we came so close to winning nationals has made them determined to make the Super Six with a chance to win. Our upperclassmen are looking at the freshmen and seeing talent."
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