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Show 6 SPORTS Tuesday January 7, 2014 UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS WEDNESDAY: Men's Basketball Utah @ Washington 8 p.m. Seattle, Wash. FRIDAY: Swimming & Diving Utah @ USC 3 p.m. Los Angeles, Calif. Women's Basketball Utah vs. Stanford 6 p.m. Huntsman Center TOP 25 MEN'S BASKETBALL Rank Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Arizona Syracuse Ohio St. Wisconsin Michigan St. Wichita St. Baylor Villanova Iowa St. Florida Oklahoma St. Louisville San Diego St. Kentucky Colorado Duke Oregon Kansas UMass Iowa Missouri Gonzaga Illinois Memphis Kansas St. www.dailyutahchronicle.com GYMNASTICS Gearing up for 2014 comeback Ryan McDonald SPORTS EDITOR The Red Rocks found themselves in rather uncharted territory a season ago, and it's not a place they want to return to in 2014. For the first time since 1999, Utah failed to make the Super Six in 2013 after problems on beam doomed it in the first round of the NCAA Championships. The fact that the group didn't participate in team finals in April has been on the minds of gymnasts ever since, and as they prepare to begin the 2014 campaign this weekend, getting back is at the forefront of their minds. "I think all summer and all preseason we were still kind of upset with how we finished last year, so we've definitely made it a goal this year to fix our weaknesses," said junior All-American Georgia Dabritz, adding that special emphasis has been placed on fixing the woes on beam. "We're clearly a good enough team [to make it to the Super Six], and we show it 99 percent of the time. It's just doing it every time we get out on the competition floor." Senior Corrie Lothrop feels that making sure the team has a positive morale heading into the season is just as important as being physically prepared. "Last year was hard," she said. "At least [the seniors], we've never felt like that because we've never missed a Super Six, so I think that really hurt our confidence a little bit. This year, we've been working really hard with the mental preparation, so I think that's helping. Slowly we're building our confidence." Despite not making the Super Six last year, co-head coach Megan Marsden said her gymnasts aren't feeling too much pressure to get SWIMMING & DIVING The Daily Utah Chronicle File Photo The Red Rocks wave to the crowd in the Huntsman Center after their match against Stanford last season. back. Rather, there is a sense of relief after expectations had risen so high over the previous decade. "They just feel drive," she said. "They're showing it every day in the way they're training." Based simply off personnel, getting back to the Super Six seems to be a reasonable goal. Utah will be returning all 24 routines from a season ago and will add freshman Baely Rowe to the mix. Perhaps most importantly 1- though, All-Americans Lothrop and Kailah Delaney will be back after being sidelined with injuries in 2013. Lothrop missed most of the season after rupturing her Achilles in February, and Delaney missed the whole campaign with knee problems. "I don't know if they completely realize that when you have the same group assembled for another year, they grow, mature and become much better with their decisions, with ad- dressing their weaknesses," Marsden said. "This group of athletes seems really motivated. They know the game. They've been here long enough to kind of understand how college gymnastics works and especially to be at the highest level of that." The Red Rocks will begin the season on Saturday in a quad meet against BYU, SUU and Boise State at the Huntsman Center. The meet is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. r.mcdonald@chrnicle.utah.edu THE GREAT DEBATE -1 Swim team Which spring sport will have the most success? dominates Red Rocks promise of entertainment Swim team deserves fans' support Sun Devils W Ian Smith STAFF WRITER The Utah swim and dive team started the new year on a good foot Sunday as it won its latest dual meet against Pac-12 foe Arizona State. The meet, which was senior day for the men's team, came after an intense winter break full of practice. That, however, didn't slow anyone down as both the men and the women handled the Sun Devils. The women won 159-137 and the men's victory was even more decisive as they took the meet 195-105. Overall, the Utes won 18 events to ASU's io. "It's been a crazy ride and just getting here and getting to the senior meet, it was amazing," said Karson Applin. "I had so many emotions and so many feelings. In fact, I was standing up there shaking. I was so excited to be a part of this last swim meet here." Not only does Applin feel a part of something special, he feels like the team is a family. "You realize who you are as a person," he said. "You build friendships that last forever. This is a family. If you ever need help or need someone to turn to, you have these people." On a day that saw plenty of Utah swimmers place first in their respective events, the standout swimmer was junior Nick Soedel, who won both events he was entered in, the 50- and ioo-yard freestyle. "That was the best I've ever done in a See SWIMMING page 8 hen a team finishes in ninth place in the nation and that's the worst it's done since 1977, it's clear that squad is doing something right. That is exactly what happened with the Red Rocks last season, as it failed to make the Super Six for the first time since 1999. Such a great result would be pretty exhilarating for just about any other squad on campus, but it was a disappointment for Greg and Megan Marsden's team, because being elite is what is expected. This year, though, the Utes will be back and stronger than ever, and will see the most success out of all of Utah's sporting teams this spring. Experience matters, and the Red Rocks will have. All of the gymnasts who went through that disappointing finish last year at the NCAA Championships are back, and will be hungry to redeem the squad. Included in that squad are the team's schoolrecord nine All-Americans. More importantly than bringing everyone back will be the return from injury of Corrie Lothrop and Kailah Delaney. Lothrop missed most of the 2013, and Delaney sat out of all of it. Both are All-Americans and will provide this year's team with that much more power in their respective events. In a case of the rich getting GRIFFIN ADAMS Asst. Sports Editor richer, the Utes are welcoming one freshman onto this year's team, Baely Rowe. While only a freshman and still yet to compete on the collegiate level, if her accolades before getting to Utah mean anything, she will be able to help this team reach its ultimate goal of going back to the Super Six. Rowe was a three-time Junior Olympic champion and the all-around champion in 2013. With the squad being so experienced, we may not get to see a lot from Rowe this season, but having her there in the wings in case something happens is not a bad luxury to have. From experience to a wealth of returning talent and some good incoming talent, the 2014 Utah gymnastics team has a lot going for it. Will there be other Utah sports that will be successful this spring? I certainly hope so. It is hard to compete, though, with a team that is ranked sixth in the nation in the preseason and hungry to win another national championship. VS g.adams@chronicle.utah.edu ith football now thankfully in the rearview mirror, it's time to turn attention elsewhere. The swim and dive team often flies under the radar, but it'll be the most successful Utah squad this semester. Sure, the gymnastics and men's basketball teams will draw the most attention over the next few months, but Joe Dykstra's bunch is unfairly going unnoticed. The Utes have shown they are capable of going toe-to-toe with some of the top teams in the nation, and what's even more impressive is that they are having success under a coach who is in his first season in a conference like the Pac-12. • The team's potential was on full display in October as it took on national powerhouse Arizona at Ute Natatorium. Utah was a big underdog, but hung with the Wildcats throughout the meet, and with the final race of the day, the Utes seized the win by four points. The excitement and noise that the final race produced from the capacity crowd was incredible. The intensity of each race as the Ute swimmers dive into the pool and race through the water is truly an athletic feat. The 1650-yard race has to be one of best displays of endurance I have ever witnessed. Swimming a mile nonstop at the speed in which they do — ranging from 14:30 to 16:00 — is baffling. On the other end of the spectrum, swimming is the most DOMINIC GARCIA Staff"Writer exciting spring sport because of the great short course swimmers at the U. In particular, the Utes are represented well by Nick Soedel and Traycie Swartz. Soedel had a great outing at Utah's meet on Sunday against Arizona State, winning both of his races. And if swimming's not your thing, go for the diving. The highspeed flips and spins the divers perform as they plummet toward the pool is something that demands the entire crowd's attention. The gymnastics and men's basketball teams are usually the most talked-about squads on campus during Spring Semester, but the feats the swim and dive team produces are amazing, and meets are a spectacle sports fans should look forward to. With Utah boasting a solid team, that is especially the case. Besides, what Utah fan doesn't like to see one of their teams win? I'm not saying fans should stop attending gymnastics meets or basketball games. Utah fans love to support all of their teams. But the swim and dive team is definitely worth checking out this spring. Vote on who won this week » www.dailyutahchronicle.com d.garcia@chronicle.utah.edu |