After nearly two weeks away from competition, the No. 12-ranked Red Rocks are back-and this time, they’re hitting the road. Utah gymnastics opens conference play on Sunday with a trip to Ames to face Iowa State, marking their first dual meet away from home this season.
Their last outing at the Best of Utah meet was a much-needed rebound. While the 197.300 score wasn’t their peak, it was a solid response after a rocky performance at the Sprouts Collegiate Quad. More importantly, it gave the team a chance to reset-and the bye week that followed couldn’t have come at a better time.
“Anytime we have a bye week, it's definitely in our favor,” said senior Ana Padurariu. “Just being able to come in here and put in more repetitions that we can't usually get in on a regular meet week has been really good.”
Padurariu, a key veteran presence on this squad, has seen a noticeable shift in the team’s approach during the break. “This team is capable of so much,” she said.
“And I feel like, in this past week, I've just seen so much grit in training and so much attention to detail. Those were little things we were missing early on.
It's been really cool to see people dialed in.”
The matchup with Iowa State will be the first time Utah competes in Ames, but the unfamiliar setting hasn’t caught head coach Carly Dockendorf off guard. She’s leaning into preparation methods that worked last season during the team’s trip to Morgantown-methods that go beyond just reps and routines.
“She literally printed out a photo of the Ames arena for us to do a visualization beam routine while looking at it,” Padurariu explained. “It helps train your nervous system to recognize that familiarity before we even get there. That’s a big advantage when you’re stepping into someone else’s house.”
This upcoming meet also represents the team’s longest road trip of the regular season, which adds another layer of challenge. But Dockendorf isn’t shying away from that. If Utah wants to be in the national title conversation, adapting to different environments is part of the job.
“The best teams have to be able to adapt and adjust to wherever you go,” Dockendorf said. “We’ve had conversations around that, and I printed out some pictures of the arena so the girls can have a bit of a visual.
But it really is gymnastics wherever we do it. Whatever equipment, whatever arena-we still have to go do our gymnastics.”
And part of “doing their gymnastics” means putting past performances in the rearview mirror. While Utah has looked sharp on bars and vault through the first three meets, beam has been a bit of a rollercoaster. That inconsistency won’t cut it down the stretch, and Dockendorf knows it.
“You can’t win a meet with three events. You have to be good everywhere,” she said.
“They understand that. So they’ve been working really hard in here.
We’ve been doing a little more inner squad stuff on beam to try to get them ready.”
The internal pressure on beam has ramped up-and that’s by design. No one’s spot is locked in, not even for someone as experienced as Padurariu.
“Even for me, as a veteran who’s competed beam all four years in college, it’s never a guarantee,” she said. “If I don’t put in the work, if I’m not mentally strong, Carly’s easily going to take me out.
It’s a daily competition. And that’s what’s so amazing about this team-we build each other up every single day.
There’s no room to slack off.”
Despite the challenges, Padurariu sees Dockendorf as a steadying force, especially on beam. “She’s a very stable coach,” she said.
“She rides the highs and the lows with us, but emotionally, she stays even-keeled. That’s really hard to do when so much is out of your control.”
Padurariu also pointed to the beam struggles at the Sprouts meet as a turning point-not just for the athletes, but for Dockendorf as well. The head coach used the bye week to introduce new pressure-based training methods aimed at building mental toughness.
“She’s had us doing assignments and pressure sets that she hasn’t done before with a Utah team,” Padurariu said. “It’s put us under pressure all week on beam. But I think that’s exactly what the beam team needs-to be able to step up under pressure.”
For Padurariu, watching Dockendorf adapt and evolve as a coach has been just as meaningful as the team’s own growth. “She’s a lifelong learner.
We all are,” she said. “And it’s really cool to see her put that into practice.”
The Red Rocks will put that preparation to the test on Sunday at 3 p.m. MDT when they take on Iowa State in a meet that will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. With conference play underway and the postseason inching closer, Utah’s margin for error is shrinking-but their focus, by all accounts, is sharpening.