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Show 6 Thursday January 23, 2014 SPORTS UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS TODAY: Men's Basketball www.dailyutahchronicle.corn GYMNASTICS Hansen: a natural-born leader Utah @ Arizona State 7:00 p.m. Tempe, Ariz. FRIDAY: Women's Basketball Utah vs. Arizona State 7:00 p.m. Huntsman Center Swimming & Diving Utah @ BYU 5:00 p.m. Provo, Utah Track Utah @ Cherry and Silver International All Day Albuquerque, N.M. NCAA TOP 25 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL 1.UConn 2.Notre Dame 3.Duke 4.Stanford 5.Louisville 6.Maryland 7.North Carolina 8.Oklahoma St. 9.Kentucky 10.South Carolina 11.Tennessee 12.Baylor 13.Penn St. 14.Arizona St. 15.LSU 16.Vanderbilt 17.Texas A&M 18.West Virginia 19.Cal 20.Iowa St. 21.Nebraska 22.Purdue 23.NC St. 24.Florida St. 25.Gonzaga Griffin Adams ASST. SPORTS EDITOR As one of the top gymnastics programs in the nation, Utah doesn't often bring in walk-ons, since coaches are able to attract the cream of the crop around the country. Senior Hailee Hansen didn't let that idea sway her from wanting to join the Red Rocks. Now, as a senior, she is looking to build on a résumé that already includes being named an All-American and team captain. That latter honor is one that had previously never been bestowed upon a walk-on at Utah. In the beginning it didn't appear Hansen would take up gymnastics, a sport in which getting started early in life is just about an absolute must for success. Rather, Hansen was into dance, and even played for a boys' baseball team. When she was io, her parents put her in gymnastics, and she was immediately hooked. "When my parents put me in gymnastics, I kind of just had that natural talent for it even though I started late," Hansen said. "I fell in love with it." As Hansen reached her high school years, she started to be recruited by some schools but wasn't too sought after. It didn't help her cause that she was injured throughout this time, but her mother had recorded some of her meets, which she sent to college coaches. Hansen eventually received some scholarship offers, but she had her sights set on Utah even though no offer had come from the Red Rocks. Coming to Utah without a scholarship was a gamble, but one she felt she had to take. "I've always loved Utah gymnastics," Hansen said. "I've said this before, but I always thought the girls were robots. I thought they were amazing and that they couldn't do anything wrong. I was always naïve See HANSEN page 7 BRENT UBERTY/The Daily Utah Chronicle Hailee Hansen competes on the bars at the Deseret First Duel last week at the Huntsman Center. MEN'S BASKETBALL COLUMN Bachynski bros to face off in ASU game Recruiting woes point to dismal Ute future Ryan Miller STAFF WRITER RYAN MCDONALD Sports Editor J anuary can be a bleak month for college football fans, as Saturdays filled with staring at the television from sunup to sundown give way to trying to find purpose in life again. But a ray of sunshine will return Feb. 5, and plans for that great day are entering their final stages now. That's Signing Day, the time when coaches, players and fans alike can look forward with optimism to the time when the recruits they sign will lead them to green pastures. It's a good day — unless you're the Utes this year, that is. There's no denying the program is in a tough place right now, and the team won't end up with as good of a recruiting haul as I'm sure head coach Kyle Whittingham would have liked. Two top local prospects in particular who the Utes were targeting have decided they will sign elsewhere on Signing Day, signaling the idea that recruits aren't viewing Utah as an overly desirous destination right now First is Bingham High School tight end Dalton Schultz, who will be signing to play at Stanford. Schultz is regarded as one of the top tight ends in the country and was recruited by many big-time schools in the country. It is entirely understandable that as one of the best players at his position in the entire nation, Schultz would opt to join one of the elite teams in the See MCDONALD page 7 BRENT UBERTY/The Daily Utah Chronicle Junior center Dallin Bachynski jumps for the basket at the UCLA game last week at the Huntsman Center. When the Utes travel to Arizona State tonight, one of their players will see a familiar face on the opposing bench. Utah big man Dallin Bachynski will get the chance to go up against his older brother Jordan when the Utes tip off against the Sun Devils. This won't be the first time the two brothers have gone head-to-head at the collegiate level, but this time their matchup could go a long way in factoring the outcome of the contest. Last season in two games against Arizona State, Bachynski only garnered six minutes combined, with all of them coming in the first outing. If recent games are any indication, he'll get a bigger opportunity this season. "I am excited for this game because last year I really only got, like, five minutes against him," Bachynski said. "This game should be io or more minutes playing against him." Bachynski's playing time has fluctuated as the season has gone on. Some nights, the big man sees 25 minutes on the court, while others are less than io. His usage has gone up in recent games, and he has made the most of it. Bachynski provides a big presence in the paint for the Utes, and with senior big man Renan Lenz likely still out from an ankle sprain, he looks to get extended playing time against Arizona State and his brother. Competing against each other will be nothing new for the brothers. "We butted heads tons on and off the court," Bachynski said. "Everything was a competition, whether that be eating, watching movies. Literally everything was a competition." Last season, a week before the Utes and Sun Devils played, the brothers refrained from communicating with each other. That is not the case this time around. "We're trying to make it a little different than last year," Bachynski said. "We decided we'll talk, but just not talk basketball. It's nice, so I still have a brother." Jordan Bachynski has proven to be a tough opponent for many this season. The senior for Arizona State is playing 3o minutes per game, averaging 12.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.9 blocks. Dallin expects the game to be physical, as most things with brothers are, but is hoping they will both be able to stay on the court. "I'm hoping we don't get into too much foul trouble, and he doesn't get too much either," Bachynski said. "It will be fun. It will be exciting to see how it goes with more of the game against us." The younger Bachynski feels there won't be any additional nerves facing his brother but does think his brother might have more to lose. "There's a little more pressure on him," Jordan said. "There will be a little 'I have to show my little See BASKETBALL page 7 |