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SALT LAKE CITY â Red Rocks coach Tom Farden isn't going anywhere.
The University of Utah announced Thursday that it had signed a contract extension with Farden, locking in the gymnastics coach through June 2026. Details of his contract were not made available.
Utah Athletics Director Mark Harlan told KSL.com that a contract extension with Farden was a "no brainer" after leading the Red Rocks to consecutive Pac-12 regular season championships, a 2021 Pac-12 championship and placing third at last year's NCAA Championships.
"Tom has just done a fantastic job leading the program, certainly putting us in that spot to chase national championships every year," Harlan told KSL.com. "His recruiting has been extraordinary, his staff choices have been elite, and the kind of students he's brought in is incredible. It's a very pressure filled job to lead the Red Rocks and Tom has the makeup, the intestinal fortitude and the intelligence to be very, very good at it.
"Just very grateful that he's going to remain here as coach for many years ahead."
Farden, a Minnesota native, took over the program as co-head coach with Megan Marsden in 2016 and shared the duties with Marsden until her retirement in 2019 after 35 years with the program. Her husband, Greg Marsden, started the gymnastics program at Utah and spent 40 years coaching the Red Rocks until he retired in 2015 with nine national championships.
Farden, who joined the program in 2011, became the full-time head coach in 2020 and has worked to create a competitive program that competes from national championships each season. Farden has kept Utah's national championship appearance streak alive at through a record 45 consecutive trips.
"I am very thankful for Mark Harlan's confidence in me to continue leading this program for many years to come," Farden said in a statement. "There truly is no place like Utah and I cannot thank our administration enough for the support that our entire program receives. The legacy of this program was built beginning 46 years ago and I am so honored to continue being a part of it moving forward."
Coming off a third-place finish last season, Farden brought in four freshmen to join the 2022 roster. Three of the incoming gymnasts were selected as Olympians in the most recent Summer Olympics and add international experience to an already talented unit. That depth has allowed Farden to create the lineups he believes will help the Red Rocks win a national championship.
The Red Rocks started off the 2022 season with a win at the Best of Utah meet against BYU, Southern Utah and Utah State at the Maverik Center in West Valley City on Friday. No. 4 Utah welcome the reigning runner-up champions, No. 3 Oklahoma, on Friday (7:30 p.m. MST, ESPN2) to the Huntsman Center.
