The traditional hugs, tears and waves goodbye will be on display Friday night, as the Red Rocks say goodbye to five gymnasts at the annual senior night.
Prior to the U's home meet against BYU at 7 p.m. tonight, there will be a short ceremony to honor Dominique D'Oliveira, Natalie Nicoloff, Gritt Hofmann, Gabi Onodi and Kristen Riffanacht, who will all be making their final Huntsman Center appearances.
Ute coach Greg Marsden has been through his fair share of senior nights and says that it's always tough to say goodbye, but the team needs to make sure the moment doesn't affect its performance on the mat.
"It will be sentimental and emotional for a little while at the beginning and probably at the end on (Friday) night," Marsden said. "But beyond that, we really need to focus on what we need to get done and not get too caught up in all that. We need to relax and be aggressive and approach it the same way we would any other meet."
Among the five departees, the night might be most important for Hofmann, who has actually already been through the ceremony once before. Hofmann was a senior last year and earned an extra year of eligibility after the season because of prior injuries. With her parents and brother flying in from Germany to see her perform, Hofmann said she knows it will be an emotional night.
"It's hard saying goodbye to something you love," Hofmann said. "I've been doing gymnastics for 21 years now, and it's not easy to not do it anymore."
The Utes are definitely appreciative that Hofmann made it to 21 years, considering her impressive contributions on floor, beam and vault. Coupled with the retirement of All-American Rachel Tidd and various injuries befalling the Utes this season, Hofmann has been one of the most important Red Rocks in 2006.
"With the unexpected loss of Rachel Tidd, (Hofmann) has become huge for us," Marsden said. "Having Gritt back softened that blow a little bit. Obviously we would have been better if we had both of them together, but if we had lost both of them, I'm not sure we would have had the depth to be as competitive as we have been."
The year has been special personally to Hofmann, who had been plagued by injuries throughout her time at the U. But save for a head cold this week, she has been completely healthy this season, allowing the 25-year-old Berlin native to show what she's capable of.
"I'm so glad that I didn't have much trouble with injuries this year," Hofmann said. "I wasn't limited and could live up to my potential and upgrade my routines more than I did before. I'm really happy about that."
In addition to the lure of facing rival BYU and saying farewell to the seniors, Friday's meet also gives fans a chance to be a part of the U's 22nd NCAA attendance title in the last 25 years. If the Utes can draw a season-high 13,851 fans, they will pass Alabama for the 2006 average attendance mark. The Crimson Tide has already completed its home season, after averaging 12,654 fans per meet. Coming into tonight, the Utes are averaging 12,415, with a season-high of 13,809.
On the whole, the Red Rocks are healthy, save for Nicolle Ford's strep throat. The junior had a fever of 104 degrees earlier this week, but Marsden is hopeful that antibiotics can have her ready to go in at least every event except floor by meet time.
