Utah Red Rocks
(1981*,1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995)
(*AIAW National Championship)
2021, 2022, 2023
(1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018)
(1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023)
Pac-12 Conference: 2014, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023,2024
Pac-12 Regular Season: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
The Utah Utes women's gymnastics team, also known as the Red Rocks, represents the University of Utah and competes at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of the Pac-12 Conference. Home meets are held in the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. As of the end of the 2022 season, the Red Rocks have won 10 national championships, including nine NCAA Gymnastics championships, and been runner-up nine times. The Red Rocks are the only team to have qualified for every NCAA Championships and have never finished lower than 10th.[2] The team was coached from its inception by Greg Marsden until his retirement after the 2015 season. Carly Dockendorf is the current head coach, after the release of Tom Farden in 2023.
History
The Utah Utes gymnastics team first competed in 1976. The team first appeared on television in 1978 and has appeared every year since then.[2] The NCAA first sponsored women's gymnastics national championships in 1982. Utah is the only team to qualify for every national championship that has been held.[2]
Pac-12 Conference
The University of Utah became a member of the newly expanded Pac-12 Conference in 2011, and the Red Rocks became one of eight teams in the conference to compete in women's gymnastics. Utah has taken the Pac-12 Championships seven times since joining the conference, winning in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The Red Rocks have won or shared a portion of the Regular Season Pac-12 Championship since its inauguration - the 2020 season is the first time each of the eight Pac-12 teams competed against every other team in the conference.[3] The Red Rocks won outright in 2020 and 2021, and shared the title in a four-way tie in both 2022 and 2023.[4]
Utah gymnasts have won the individual all-around title at the Pac-12 Championship five times:
| Year | Gymnast | Score[5] |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Corrie Lothrop | 39.625 |
| 2014 | Tory Wilson | 39.450 |
| 2015 | Georgia Dabritz | 39.775 |
| 2016 | Breanna Hughes | 39.550 |
| 2021 | Maile O'Keefe | 39.700 |
Nickname
The nickname "Red Rocks" has its origins in the Utah Gymnastics 1992 media guide cover photo.[6][7] At the time, all Utah women's sports teams used the moniker "Lady Utes". The name is a combination of "how rock solid they are, but also the red rock of southern Utah.” [7] The 1992 team won the NCAA championship, with the name sticking.[8]
Roster
| Name | Height | Year | Hometown | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Gantner | 4-11 | FR | Indianapolis, IN | JPAC |
| Jaylene Gilstrap | 5-4 | SR | McKinney, TX | Metroplex |
| Ashley Glynn | 5-2 | SO | Hockessin, DE | First State Gymnastics |
| Olivia Kennedy | 5-3 | FR | Maryville, TN | Georgia Elite |
| Sarah Krump | 4-10 | SO | Las Vegas, NV | Brown's Gymnastics |
| Grace McCallum | 5-3 | JR | Isanti, MN | Twin City Twisters |
| Amelie Morgan | 5-6 | JR | Bristol, England | The academy |
| Maile O'Keefe | 5-2 | SR+ | Las Vegas, NV | Salcianu Elite |
| Abby Paulson | 5-3 | SR+ | Anoka MN | Twin City Twisters |
| Jaedyn Rucker | 5-3 | SR+ | Mesa, AZ | Desert Devils Gymnastics |
| Alani Sabado | 5-2 | SR | Temecula, CA | SCEGA Gymnastics |
| Makenna Smith | 5-3 | SO | Albuquerque, NM | Gold Cup Gymnastics |
| Camie Winger | 5-3 | FR | Orem, UT | Bold Gymnastics |
| Ella Zirbes | 5-3 | FR | Stillwater, MN | Flips Gymnastics |
National records
- Utah has won a record 10 national championships[9] (tied with Georgia). Nine of them were NCAA Women's Gymnastics championships and one was an AIAW Women's Gymnastics championship in 1981 before the NCAA adopted women's gymnastics.
- Utah ties with Georgia for the record of the most consecutive NCAA national championships with 5 (1982–1986).[9]
- Utah qualified for every AIAW championship between the team's creation 1976 and 1981. After gymnastics was adopted by the NCAA in 1982, Utah is the only team to have qualified for every NCAA national championship.[9]
- Utah has the most All-American gymnast awards of any school with 398.[2]
- Utah gymnastics set the longest regular season home win streak of any NCAA sport at 23 years (1979–2002) and 170 meets.[2]
- Utah has led the nation in gymnastics attendance 37 times and has won eleven all-women's sports attendance titles.[2]
- On March 6, 2015, Utah had an overflow crowd of 16,019 on hand for its win over Michigan, setting the NCAA gymnastics record for largest crowd in a single meet.[10]
- In the 2020 season, Utah averaged a record 15,273 fans per meet. Between 2010 and 2020, Utah averaged more than 14,500 fans a meet.[11]
Coaches
Head coaches
| Name | Years | Record |
| Greg Marsden | 1976 - 2015 | 1048-208-8 |
| Megan Marsden | 2000–2019 | 151-54-3 |
| Tom Farden | 2016–2023 | 101-33-1 |
| Carly Dockendorf | 2024–present |
Greg Marsden was hired in 1976 to begin the gymnastics program. Marsden coached Utah for 40 straight years. He is the only collegiate gymnastics coach to amass 1,000 wins and earn Coach of the Year honors seven times.[9] He has never had a team finish worse than tenth place overall.
In July 2009 Megan Marsden was named co-head coach of the Red Rocks.[12] Megan, in addition to being Greg's wife, is a former member of the squad and has been an assistant coach since 1985.[13]
After the 2015 season, Greg retired and his wife Megan and assistant coach Tom Farden were named co-head coaches.[14] On 22 April 2019, Megan Marsden announced her retirement, and it was confirmed that current co-head coach Tom Farden would continue as the sole head coach.[15] Farden left his position in November 2023 after numerous people came forward with allegations of abuse.[16]
Coaches for the 2023-2024 season
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Carly Dockendorf | Head coach |
| Jimmy Pratt | Assistant coach |
| Myia Hambrick | Assistant coach |
Post-season history
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NCAA Champions
As of the end of the 2023 season, 16 different Utah gymnasts have won a total of 32 individual event championships.
| Event | Winner/Year |
|---|---|
| Team | 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995 |
| All Around | Sue Stednitz 1982 Megan Marsden 1983, 1984 Melissa Marlowe 1992 Theresa Kulikowski 1999 Maile O'Keefe 2023 |
| Vault | Elaine Alfano 1982, 1983, 1985 Megan Marsden 1984 Kristen Kenoyer 1992 MyKayla Skinner 2018 Jaedyn Rucker 2022 |
| Uneven Bars | Melissa Marlowe 1992 Sandy Woolsey 1992 Angie Leonard 1999 Kristina Baskett 2006 Georgia Dabritz 2015 Maile O'Keefe 2021 |
| Balance Beam | Sue Stednitz 1982 Melissa Marlowe 1991, 1992 Summer Reid 1996, 1997 Theresa Kulikowski 1999, 2001 Ashley Postell 2007 Maile O'Keefe 2023 |
| Floor Exercise | Lisa Mitzel 1985 Melissa Marlowe 1992 MyKayla Skinner 2017 Maile O'Keefe 2021 |
Team records
Top team total[17][5]
Top event totals[17]
Top Individual All-Around[17]
|
Past Olympians
- Missy Marlowe (1988)
- Daria Bijak
(2008) - Nansy Damianova
(2008) - Corrie Lothrop (2008 alternate)
- MyKayla Skinner (2016 alternate, 2020)
- Grace McCallum (2020)
- Amelie Morgan
(2020) 
- Kara Eaker (2020 alternate)
References
- ^ University of Utah Athletics Brand Guide (PDF). August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "University of Utah Gymnastics - A Tradition of Success". University of Utah Athletics. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
- ^ "Utah claims inaugural Pac-12 Gymnastics regular-season crown". Pac-12 Conference. 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2020-04-08.;
- ^ "Utah Gymnastics Earns Share of 2022 Pac-12 Regular Season Championship". Utah Utes Athletics. 2022-03-06. Retrieved 2022-03-20.;
- ^ a b "Team: Utah". Road to Nationals. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
- ^ 1992 Utah gymnastics media guide. University of Utah, Athletics Department 1992
- ^ a b Miller, Ryan - Gymnastics notes: the origin of the nickname “Red Rocks”. The Daily Utah Chronicle, Feb 23, 2015, Notes: The article incorrectly states 1993.
- ^ Hamilton, Linda - ROCKS' HELD TOGETHER LIKE GRANITE DURING TOUGH SEASON. Deseret News, May 1, 1992
- ^ a b c d "College Chat: Utah's Greg Marsden". Inside Gymnastics Magazine. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ^ "Record Crowd of 16,019 Sees No. 4 Ute Gymnasts Beat No. 5 Michigan". Utah Utes. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
- ^ "University of Utah Gymnastics - Red Hot Ticket". University of Utah Athletics. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
- ^ Lya Wodraska. "Megan Marsden named co-head gym coach of Utes". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
- ^ Lya Wodraska. "Utah gymnastics: Marsden has new, old role". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
- ^ "Greg Marsden Announces Retirement after 40 Years as Utah Gymnastics Coach". Utah Utes. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
- ^ Wood, Trent (2019-04-22). "Longtime Utah gymnastics coach Megan Marsden retires after 35 years". DeseretNews.com. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
- ^ "Tom Farden out as Utah gymnastics coach". ESPN. November 22, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Records and Awards". Utah Gymnastics. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
External links
- Official website
- Utah Gymnastics on UtahUtes.com
- v
- t
- e
University of Utah
Located in: Salt Lake City, Utah
- Founded: 1850
