Carly Dockendorf Injured

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Weekly notebook: Injury can't sideline UW gymnast's goal

If the No. 18 Washington gymnastics team is to knock off 2004 NCAA third-place finisher Stanford on Friday at Edmundson Pavilion, it will have to do so without its team leader and best all-around performer.

Senior Carly Dockendorf will be relegated to cheerleading duties after waking up Saturday in Tempe, Ariz., barely able to walk. The previous night, Dockendorf helped the Huskies defeat Arizona State at home for the first time in school history by sharing first on bars and finishing second in the all-around despite a partially torn groin muscle.

Dockendorf has won all four individual event titles earned by UW this season, including a team-record fifth career 10.0 on floor in the season-opening meet at Cal State-Fullerton.

Dockendorf is expected to only miss one meet and is confident that teammates, who include eight returnees and nine newcomers, can make up for her absence.

"I'm just another member of the team," said the native of Port Moody, B.C. "I'm not any more valuable than anyone else on the team."

Dockendorf, 5 feet 4, is one of two Huskies with NCAA championship experience, participating in the all-around in 2003 and on floor in 2004. She is a two-sport athlete who also has NCAA experience in track and field, finishing 14th in the pole vault in 2004.

Dockendorf says she would trade all the individual accolades for team honors. She is hungry to share the NCAA experience, where the Huskies last competed as a team in 1998.

"Just to have the whole team there would be the ultimate," said Dockendorf.

If the Huskies are to reach the NCAAs, Dockendorf acknowledges getting healthy will be key. The Huskies have already been without senior Molly Seaman against Cal State Fullerton and junior Kelly McDonald at ASU.

"The teams that make it are the teams that can fight through all the adversity of pain and suffering," Dockendorf said. "If you give up, you're not going to make it."