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Show ROWE RAISES THE BAR BY RYAN MILLER /ASST. SPORTS EDITOR eading into last summer the future didn't look very bright for Red Rock sophomore Baely Rowe. During her freshman season, Rowe hadn't lived up to her coaches' expectations, and concern was creeping in. "She really didn't do what we had hoped she'd do last year as a freshman': said Utah co-head coach Megan Marsden. "And this summer it wasn't looking good, it just wasn't looking good on her being a lot better." Since she was seven years old, Rowe had been a gymnastics star. Before ever stepping foot on the U's campus, she received a list of accolades that would make any coach take notice. She was a three-time Junior Olympic Champion — winning the all-around in 2013 and the bars in 2010 and 2012, she won the Washington state all-around, vault, bars and beam championship and she's been on all-star teams and competed in national competitions time and time again. She was a star, she was a champion — things weren't supposed to be this hard. "It was a reality check," said Rowe's mother, Sherri Kruzner-Rowe. The Utah coaches weren't shy in sharing what they wanted from Rowe. She hadn't been terrible her freshman season — far from it, hitting on 12 of the 13 routines she was scored in — but the Ute coaches expected more — they needed more. "It was a wake-up call': Rowe said. "I really needed to get my act together and come in this season and show the coaches that I can do this and that I can be a big part of this team:' Rowe was the only freshman a season ago, and though she said the upperclassmen were helpful, she mentioned it was difficult at times to not have anyone going through the same things she was. "It's hard transitioning from club," said senior Georgia Dabritz. "It's a big change, your coming from home where you don't have a lot responsibility, to coming here and you are on your own and you have to take care of yourself. It's a combination of things. I just don't think that transition came easy [for Baely]." Rowe went home and, using advice from her parents, wrote down some goals: Be more consistent, clean up her gymnastics, become part of the team and get back into physical and mental shape. The last one may have been the hardest. Kruzner-Rowe said she had never seen her daughter look so down. She wasn't carrying herself well, and she seemed closed off. "The biggest thing was to rebuild the confidence': Kruzner-Rowe said. "It was shaken, but she was more scared. She felt that she would never gain the trust back from [Utah head coaches] Greg and Megan [Marsden], in a sense that yeah, 'I can be the gymnast that you looked at for so many years and you recruited:" The Rowe family is full of athletes. Baely's older brother Kelyn was the 2011 Pac-12 Soccer Player of the Year at UCLA and now plays for the New England Revolution of MLS, her older sister Bree also competed in the Pac-12, playing soccer for Oregon and her parents both were college athletes as well. The family knows what it takes to be a top collegiate athlete, and they knew Baely was capable of more. "We didn't give her hugs and say, 'Oh, honey it's okay," Kruzner-Rowe said. "We said, 'They [your coaches] are right H — what are you going to do about it? And the challenge is, don't tell me you're going to do it. Go back and show it. Your actions are far more worthy than your words:" Baely's siblings led the charge, letting her know that she needed to outwork everyone. Rowe became more focused. She went to the gym with specific goals in mind, she went on runs and she became more conscientious about what she ate and when she went out with friends. Gone were the days of being the only superstar — she was now one of many talented gymnasts, all vying for spots in lineups, and she responded by working harder than she ever had. By the end of the summer, Rowe was holding her head high, ready for the challenge. A new confidence came back to Utah with Rowe, as the Utes began training for the upcoming season. That confidence not only made her better in the gym, but it also came with a smile — she was happy to be there, and her teammates noticed. "I think the biggest difference I saw was you could tell she wanted to be here': Dabritz said. "She was willing to put in that work this year. I mean, she worked hard last year, but she wasn't working to her full potential, but this year she definitely is." After only competing on beam as a freshman, Rowe has earned herself an all-around spot and has become one of the Utes' most consistent beamers, winning the event twice this season. She's come a long way from where she was just seven months ago. "It was a big challenge': Kruzner-Rowe said. "She's never had to fight for this before. I am so relieved and proud, and every time we see her we still see that confidence, that lady that has now matured so much into who she's going to be and what she wants to be. It's wonderful — there aren't words to describe it." After being let down by her performance a season ago, Utah coaches are grinning from ear to ear about what Rowe has 8 { THECHRONY I NEWS I OPINION I ARTS I SPORTS I THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2015 } Utes need to win rebound battle against Beavers AD BY GRIFFIN AMS /SPORTS EDITOR hen thinking of some of the best rebounders to ever play the game, there's one player in history that no one can deny was one of the greatest — Dennis Rodman. Standing at just 6-foot-7, the Hall-ofFamer was able to battle it out with much larger players his entire career, dominating the glass and going after the rock by all means necessary. After No. 9 Utah's win over California on Sunday, Ute head coach Larry Krystkowiak mentioned how his big men, specifically Chris Reyes and Jakob Poeltl, had that Rodman mentality as they grabbed three and six offensive rebounds respectively against the Golden Bears. Krystkowiak challenged his big men before the game to really get after it on the boards, and while the offensive rebounds were good for both Reyes and Poeltl, the Utes still got outrebounded as a whole, 35-34. That didn't sit too well with the head coach, who said he was "disappointed." Reyes has started at the power forward slot the entire season and is currently averaging 4.4 rebounds per game. According to him, it's not just the coach that gets upset when Utah doesn't win the rebounding battle. "We take that really personally Reyes said of getting outrebounded. "Only a couple of teams have outrebounded us this year, so if we win the rebounding battle, we usually win the games': In order to shore up some of the rebounding woes, Reyes said Krystkowiak has been working with the big men for the last few weeks during practice. One thing Krystkowiak has preached time and time again is making initial contact, getting a body on the players' matchups and exploding to the ball. Reyes said it's essentially a do-or-die moment going for rebounds, as Krystkowiak is not afraid to use Utah's well-documented depth. "We're always trying to get that rebound. If we get blocked out, we already know Coach is probably gonna take us out,' he said. "That's our mentality, either rebound or get pulled out' The Runnin' Utes hit the road again this weekend to take on Oregon State on Thursday evening, and they will need to rebound well in order to walk out of Corvallis victorious. W been able to accomplish in 2015. "She can do all-around for us each week': Megan Marsden said. "She's one of my stellar beam performers that I can count on 9.90 each week, and that's been kind of fun to watch. It gives me goose bumps thinking where she was and how she was looking at herself to where she is among this group. So it's quite an inspirational sports story in my mind:' r.miller@chronicle.utah.edu @millerjryan you may need a crystal ball to see the ture. or) D o but for current, breaking news, look into www.dadyutahchronicle.com tir . l inek. "This is a company that brings its audience pure joy." —The Seattle Times I5 "We've watched a little bit of film on [Oregon State], their big men crash the boards hard," Reyes said. "That's going to be key for us this weekend:' Leading the way in rebounding for the Beavers is point guard Gary Payton II. The do-it-all guard has made a name for himself at Oregon State, but Salt Lake City natives may recognize the name for another reason — and not as NBA legend Gary Payton's son. Payton got to Corvallis by way of Salt Lake Community College, where he competed for the Bruins for two seasons and led them to a 27-7 record his sophomore year. Currently Payton is leading the Beavers in points scored, minutes played and steals, as well as aforementioned rebounds at just 6-foot-3. Utah guard Delon Wright said its like looking in a mirror when talking about his OSU counterpart. "He kind of reminds me a little of myself, getting steals, and [he] just does a lot of things for his team," . Wright said. "It'll be fun to play against a guy like that:' Payton and the Beavers are currently undefeated at home in Pac-12 play, meaning the Runnin' Utes will need to tread lightly when they walk into the Gil Coliseum. An interesting aspect to the game will be three-point shooting. As of Thursday, the Utes are the current Pac-12 leaders in three-point percentage while the Beavers lead the conference in three-point defense. Thanks to the funky zone defense it uses, Oregon State could cause fits for Utah on offense. "They are a good defensive team, that zone is kind of detrimental to teams': said Utah's Brandon Taylor. "We know we have to get dialed in on both sides of the ball." Tip-off between Utah and Oregon State is scheduled for 9 p.m. g.adams@chronicle.utah.edu @GriffDoug Les$ allets Trockadero deMonte Carlo TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 I 7:30 PM Nancy Peery Marriott Auditorium TICKETS: 801-581-7100 I WWW.KINGTIX.COM U of U Discounts Available OKUED 7 tr* THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH U ed& ART WORKS. KINGSBURY 9 |