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Show DAILY Wednesday, April 23, 2014 GYMNASTICS Continued from page 6 one on floor at Michigan and one at the Pac-12 Championships on bars. "It's always great to get a 10," Dabritz said. "So many people are deserving of it, so seeing it actually happen was amazing to have." Behind Dabritz, the Red Rocks were able to regroup after the loss of Lopez and put together a magnificent regular season. Utah finished that part of the year with a 10-3 record, including a picture-perfect ending in the last home meet against Georgia. Against the Gym Dogs, the Red Rocks registered one of their highest scores in recent memory, a 198.025. The meet was punctuated by a perfect io.o on the last routine of the night from senior Nansy Damianova. "We knew it was going to be a tough meet," Dabritz said. "We were going out there with a lot of emotion. We just wanted to do it one last time for our fans and for our seniors, so it was an emotional night for us. But we pulled ourselves together well, and we showed it out there." After the spectacular performance against Georgia, it seemed as if Utah was poised for a magical postseason run. That became more evident as the Red Rocks competed at the Pac-12 Championships in Berkeley, Calif. They had fallen short of the conference title in the two previous seasons but rode their strongest events — vault and floor — to catapult them to Utah's first ever Pac-12 championship in any sport. Senior Hailee Hansen said winning the title was the highlight of the season. "We worked really hard all season long to get to that point to take home that championship, and we did that," she said. "I watched every girl put together their routines, and we did so amazing that night. It was so much fun to experience with everyone." After winning the conference championship, the Red Rocks received the top seed at their regional meet in Fayetteville, Ark. In that regional were a few familiar foes in UCLA and Arizona State, but Utah continued its postsea- MILLER Continued from page 6 to a South division crown or even a bowl season, the victory that night is without a doubt the biggest moment in Utah sports this year. Some teams won titles (gymnastics), some made the NCAA Tournament (soccer, volleyball) and some were rediscovered (men's basketball), but the conquering of Stanford on the gridiron is the game Ute fans can turn to for hope. It can stand as a beacon of light when things are dark. Going to the Pac-12 was first and foremost about football. Success and failure in the conference starts with, UTAH CHRONICLE son tear by winning the regional and qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the 39th consecutive year. Because of their success at the conference championships and regionals, it seemed as if the Red Rocks had momentum and were ready to put the icing on the cake by contending for the national title. Co-head coach Greg Marsden even said during warmups and practices leading up to nationals that his team looked stronger than ever and ready to go. Despite all the preparation and practices, Utah's run ended in the semifinals as it fell short of the Super Six for the second consecutive year. In the end, Marsden said a lot of positives have come from this season, but the sting of not finishing among the top six teams is still raw. "It was a great season that ended in disappointment," he said. "I think as time goes by, we can put it in a better perspective, but right now, it's just disappointment of not finishing it off like we wanted." The end of the season marked the conclusion of four seniors' and in a way, ends with how well the Utes perform in Rice-Eccles Stadium. A conference title by the Red Rocks doesn't erase the sour taste of not going to the bowl. A big win against BYU in the Huntsman doesn't change the fact that football finished the season with a losing record. College football has turned into a year-long sport. With recruiting, spring ball and fall camp, it's rare that the football team is not the first thing on many Ute fans minds. That's why the win against Stanford was so important. It validated the time invested in the program. It gives those fans minds a reason to keep caring. r.miller@chronicle.utah.edu 7 careers, Hansen, Damianova, Mary Beth Lofgren and Lia Del Priore. Even though things didn't end the way she wanted, Hansen feels her final year as a Red Rock was still one full of great memories. "I think that it was the most successful season I've personally had here at the U," she said. "[Not qualifying for Super Six] can't overshadow the whole season. The whole season was amazing. I'm so proud of everyone and what they did and what we accomplished this year." Marsden credits his seniors for creating the culture that he wants on his team. With new freshmen coming into the program next year, one challenge will be to see how Marsden will be able to replace the leadership and production left by those four departing seniors. "That's the big question," he said. "We're gonna need our junior class, and perhaps others, to step up and provide some leadership and continue the same type of culture we've had." g.adams@chronicle.utah.edu CHRIS AYERS/The Daily Utah Chronicle Nansy Damianova celebrates with her teammates after scoring a perfect 10 on her floor routine during the Red Rocks' meet against Georgia at the Huntsman Center. ADAMS PLOUFFE Continued from page 6 Continued from page 6 in the Pac-12 and NIT Tournaments. In the end, these first few years in the conference may prove to be an afterthought. Maybe Utah will become one of the better schools in the Pac-12, competing and winning titles in many sports. But only one team can look back in time and say that it was the first Utah team to even win a title in the Conference of Champions — the Red Rocks. The feat of winning the school's first conference title is head and shoulders above any other accomplishment in Utah athletics this year. g.adams@chronicle.utah.edu support through her leadership and her efforts on and off of the court. "When you got that behind you, you are able to take that and give it to your teammates," Laurie said. "Those are what helped her through her struggles." With a newer perspective, Plouffe is ready to move on to a new portion of her life. However, Plouffe said her time at Utah has taught her so much, and she will forever cherish the lessons she learned in Salt Lake City "It was definitely a learning experience because every team was different, every year was different," Plouffe said. "I think I have matured as a person and a player because of how I dealt with things on and off the court over the four years. It has been the best four years of my life. I am so happy I have learned so much since I have been here. I took something away from everything, every experience, and every good or bad situation." b.barlow@chronicle.utah.edu cer .tter need more tweets? tweetertvyeet tw ittertweet tweetlemaniac tweeter speak twitter heard on ttl-le et■kweelr maltweeted twqtwa ker RT twittertweet?wqeng INgrder tweet a little ha raerspeak twitter University Surplus for Sale need more tweets? .1, , heard on the twkR/ ittertweel need more tweets itter twitter speak twitter twidiot • maltweeted tW altwee d d twitter news can be inspiring, too. onl t w .ttwitter -, twitter reweet ts? twee c e need t tW I r er w tweet a !the hare 'iaktwi tter need more tweets? .1-, „, twittertlatter twd.eitv ter tweets Contact c.tanner@chronicle.utah.edu for information about being a news writer for The Daily Utah Chronicle. ee eee mal weetec speak twitter tweelemagiac speak twitter tweet alittle har need more tweets? ewittertattgr tw tweetle erspeaktwitter tertweet ni twidiot weet tweet tweet speak twitter eard on RT ma ltweete twittert et a litt tweet a li le har ersper need more tw :wittercept nts? twittert need mor speak twitter twidiot ma Itweete ma Itweete weeet t eet er t ter t itter heard- n the twqett, need more t A 4111■ ittee eeee eets?tweetwalkerm weeted lemaniacggt tertw ets hear. on the t speak twitter twat ma Itweete a Itwee eet eetle dee eaK twitter d ore tweet ets earcl on he tweetttvvv,geec Wrwly (wire cieeInd 11P any eeeadiew! 157 S. 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