Two meets.
At Arizona this Friday night and home against Stanford and Utah State on March 15.
That is all that remains between Utah gymnastics and the postseason, which begins with the Pac-12 championships March 23, followed by NCAA regionals starting either April 4 or April 5, depending on which regional the Red Rocks are placed.
“We are exactly where we always are. ... I think it is pretty typical of Utah gymnastics at this time of the year.”
— Utah coach Carly Dockendorf
In what should come as little surprise, Utah has been one of the best teams in the country this season.
The Red Rocks are ranked No. 5 behind only No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Cal, No. 3 LSU and No. 4 Florida after nine weeks of competition. Event to event, Utah ranks in the top 10 across the board — No. 4 on balance beam, No. 6 on floor exercise, No. 7 on uneven bars and No. 9 on vault.
Utah has scored a 197.700 or better five times this season and boasts a national qualifying score of 197.725.
All of that is fairly in line with what the program has done in recent years. Not since 2015 has Utah ranked better than No. 4 in the country at the end of the regular season, and the Red Rocks have ranked sixth overall twice in the last five years — 2019 and 2021.
In each of the last three seasons, each of which ended with Utah finishing third at the NCAA championships, the Red Rocks finished the regular season ranked No. 6 (2021), No. 4 (2022) and No. 5 (2023).
The Red Rocks have only been the top seed entering the Pac-12 championships twice since 2017, despite winning the conference title each of the last three seasons.
“We are exactly where we always are,” Utah coach Carly Dockendorf said. “... I think it is pretty typical of Utah gymnastics at this time of the year.”
Following the loss at No. 2 Cal last weekend, though, Utah wants to be better.
The Red Rocks have been consistently great this year, but have struggled to put together complete performances — i.e., competed to their potential and capabilities on all four events in the same meet — outside of their showing against Stanford at home two weeks ago.
And that bothers them.
So going forward, Dockendorf and her assistant coaches, Jimmy Pratt and Myia Hambrick, have decided to hold their team to an even higher standard.
“Not that our meet was not great on Saturday (against Cal), but it definitely wasn’t one of our best,” Dockendorf said. “And sometimes I feel like you have to have that in order to give you a better idea of what is missing. I know moving forward that we as a staff are going to raise our expectations in practice. The level of accountability for each turn and each routine that we do.
“Because we have been really consistent around the 197.7 (mark) and though all the mistakes may not be made by the same person every time, we are still making mistakes and losing meets and points on landings and handstands — the small little details. And I think that that can come back on us,” she continued. “As a staff, as coaches, and what we are allowing in practice to be acceptable. That is an adjustment that we have talked about making. Holding our expectations to a higher level as to what is an acceptable beam routine and what is an acceptable bars routine.”
Dockendorf added: “We can’t expect them (the gymnasts) to have those expectations if it doesn’t start with us. That is what we are going to focus on this week, to not be a 197.7 team every single week and be closer to the 198 mark for the next two regular-season meets, Pac-12s and the postseason.”
Specifically, Dockendorf noted that landings have hurt Utah this season, on vault to be sure, but also on bars and beam. The Red Rocks have simply struggled too much to stick their dismounts. And it has been random, which event will see the struggles week to week.
“We are giving up tenths (of a point) on our landings,” Dockendorf said.
It is more than just that, though.
“It is also in some of the small execution,” she said. “Handstands and knees on some of our beam stuff. Some of our legs on vault and some of our leaps on floor. Everyone has them. I mean, Oklahoma is the cream of the crop but they are human. There are little things in there (that even they can improve on). But the (deductions of) half-tenths and tenths add up.”
Utah has designs, still, on winning the Pac-12 championship, despite the loss at Cal.
The regular season conference title — a share of it — will depend on Utah defeating Arizona this weekend, and Cal losing to Stanford.
The Pac-12 championships, though, will be held in West Valley City and Utah will have every opportunity to walk away with a fourth-straight conference crown. Only if it takes that next step, though. From great to elite.
“I think those types of meets (like the loss at Cal) can sometimes be the most helpful,” Dockendorf said. “That fire does burn a little bit more. I know they want to win the Pac-12 championships. So we are going to have to clean that stuff up if that is what we want to do. Sometimes, you have to feel that sting to be able to move forward and make those changes.”
