Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — There's been missteps along the way; the season has been far from perfect.
On Saturday night, though, the No. 4 Red Rocks held up the Pac-12 trophy at a raucous Maverik Center for the second time in consecutive seasons. The team had just pulled away from the competition and secured back-to-back conference titles — their fifth in nine years — and a top-four ranking ahead of regional pairings with a 198.000 score.
It's the third time this season the Red Rocks have topped the 198 mark, which ties an all-time program high set in 2015 — that happens to be the last time the Red Rocks claimed back-to-back Pac-12 titles and also finished the season as runner-ups at nationals.
But for all the high scores and individual and team successes, there's been numerous low points on a season where the Red Rocks have dropped three meets, including the program's first-ever loss to Arizona. The nation-leading beam team has been both amazing and baffling in the same season — all-time highs to uncharacteristic lows.
The losses and individual setbacks, though, have only made the team stronger, and the winning results all the better.
"We took some bad losses in the beginning, and those were hard," Red Rocks senior Sydney Soloski said Saturday night. "But we came back stronger from each setback. So I think that this team will not be out-toughed by any other team in the NCAA. And going forward that is our motto, and we're just gonna let our gymnastics happen and see what happens at the end of the day."
Each setback, as Soloski described it, only lifted the Red Rocks to greater heights, including a season-high 198.575 score a week after a season low (196.775) in a loss to Arizona. On Saturday, it was another such example as the team scored a 198.000 a week after dropping its third meet in a hostile road environment against LSU.
One step back, two steps forward.
It's what Soloski described after Saturday's performance, where Utah had to battle back from an early deficit after a "slow start" on vault, as just "the start of this team."
The Red Rocks are just getting started.
"Winning isn't everything, but it does kind of help to think about all the hard work that went into it; it does pay off in the end," Soloski said. "I'm extremely proud of this team. I mean, these girls have been — they're resilient, they've been through a lot. We faced adversity; they're tough, they're fun. I love each and every one of them.
"I think we all know what we're capable of, but it always helps when you see that score pop up to know like, no, we're really good and we're in this, and we're gonna keep fighting until the end because I think this is honestly the start of this team."
Red Rocks repeat as Pac-12 champions as Grace McCallum scores 10.0 on bars
The momentum shift was subtle. But once Abby Paulson stuck her landing on beam, everyone in the Maverik Center knew a Pac-12 championship was within reach.Built to compete at a high level with three Olympians and a diverse roster with years of experience performing at the highest levels, the Red Rocks have the depth, the mental fortitude and the gymnastics to prove their value on a national stage. Even when one event or one individual performance doesn't go as planned, there's no quit in the team.
"I think we've kind of just — we're focused on our fight; it's not over till it's over," Maile O'Keefe said.
It's a mentality that is innate with the current Red Rocks roster. There's no conversation needed from the coaching staff to help one gymnast pick up where the other left off — each knows what's at stake and their individual role within the team as it pursues a national championship.
"Nobody out-toughs us," Utah head coach Tom Farden said. "We're gonna go in there and try be mentally as tough as possible, and we're just gonna grind this out. It's gonna be a barnburner from here on out."
The Red Rocks are projected to be the top seed in the Seattle regional, which will begin on March 30 and go through April 2, and will face Alabama (5), Michigan State (12) and Oregon State (13), among five other teams that will be paired geographically. An official announcement on the regional pairings will be released on Tuesday at 10 a.m. MDT on NCAA.com.
