Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
- Grace McCallum scored a perfect 10.0 as Utah's Red Rocks advanced.
- The Red Rocks overcame a challenging start to secure their 49th nationals.
- Utah's strong floor performance helped them surpass Denver and UCLA.
SALT LAKE CITY — All the pressure was on the fourth-ranked Red Rocks.
Not only was Utah hosting one of four NCAA regionals and was the highest-ranked team in Salt Lake City, but the pressure of continuing a 48-year streak of making it to nationals was always in the back of the mind of the coaches and gymnasts (and all who follow the team).
The only thing standing in the way was a difficult regional final Saturday night.
And for the first two rotations of the night, that pressure was getting to the Red Rocks a bit in a less-than-perfect start to the night. As such, the team found itself in third place at the midway point of the meet.
"I think some teams get to come to regionals and they don't have anything to lose; this is it. You just go for it, and it's a very freeing space to compete in," Utah head coach Carly Dockendorf said. "And for us, there is something to lose. We don't want to lose that tradition of excellence, we don't want to be the team that doesn't make it and end the streak."
The team with nothing to lose was Denver, who entered the meet as the only unranked team and the one with seemingly the longest odds to advance to nationals. But a strong showing on beam and floor put Denver in the lead after two rotations.
That is until the Red Rocks got to floor.
Ashley Glynn and Ella Zirbes started off the third rotation with back-to-back 9.850 scores before Avery Neff upped the ante with a 9.925 score that started a trend with the remaining Utah gymnasts.
Jaylene Gilstrap added a 9.950, Makenna Smith a 9.925 and then Grace McCallum closed out the event narrowly missing out on her second perfect score of the night with a 9.975.
It was the Red Rocks answering the call at the most opportune time — especially as the two teams above the host team couldn't keep pace.
Utah went into the event trailing Denver by 0.225 and in third place. But by the end, the Red Rocks controlled a 0.250 lead over No. 5 UCLA and Denver — a massive 0.725-point swing with Denver.
And then when freshman Zoe Johnson put an exclamation point to the night with a stick and ensuing career-high 9.950 score on vault as the final Utah gymnast to compete, there was no doubt the host team was advancing to its 49th straight nationals with a 197.825.
UCLA did just enough in the final rotation to claim the second spot to nationals, finishing with a 197.625. Denver (197.350) finished in third, while No. 12 Minnesota rounded out the scores with a 196.825.
"That was a competitive regional — like always. ... Regionals is always an exciting event and unpredictable, and the best teams are able to adapt and adjust and move forward," Dockendorf said. "But this group just came in tonight with a goal and a vision of what we're going to do, and at no point did we ever lose that vision and that goal. We just fought all the way to the end."
Makenna Smith said the team was able to "channel our nerves" and turn it into "energy," while McCallum added that there wasn't any "doubt or worry."
"We got excited and we let our competitive spirits out, which I think was the biggest change from anything we've experienced in the past," said McCallum, who won the all-around competition with a 39.725.
Despite the strong finish, the Red Rocks had a challenging start to the night, especially when freshman phenom Avery Neff missed the high bar on uneven bars and fell straight to the mat below.
It was an uncharacteristic mistake, but one that put some extra pressure on the Red Rocks just three gymnasts into the night.
"I think it was important to just give her a moment to breathe, kind of collect herself," McCallum said. "But I know Avery is one of those girls where if she makes a little mistake, she's going to use that to fuel her fire and just become more competitive throughout the meet. And so she handled it amazingly and did her job the other three events."
Dockendorf added: "She's like, 'I'm gonna get fired up.' And I said, perfect. I said, bar stays here, you leave bars, and now you go use that as fuel for your fire for your last three rotations."
Neff fought back and was key to Utah's comeback. The freshman star added a 9.90 on beam, a career-high 9.925 on floor and a 9.850 on vault.
The night belonged to McCallum, though.
Two days after getting her first 10.0 on bars at the Huntsman Center in the regional semifinals, McCallum went for the encore and followed up her performance with a 10.0 again to keep the Red Rocks close.
"I was feeling a little stressed, but I kind of let those nerves, I kind of set them aside and just went up and did what I know how to do," McCallum said of her vault performance. "Just really trusted my training and my — the practice I've put in, and just let it go."
"I think we all know, like in general, we have each other's backs, and we're going to be able to pick it up if something happens, but Grace is just so steady," added Smith. "We always know that she's gonna be there, and so it's really calming to see when she's able to bring it back for us and we're doing super great after."
The senior gymnast added a 9.950 on beam and a 9.975 on floor for a special performance in her final time competing in the Huntsman Center.
Team scores
No. 4 Utah
- Bars: 49.425
- Beam: 98.825 (49.400)
- Floor: 148.450 (49.625)
- Vault: 197.825 (49.375)
No. 5 UCLA
- Floor: 49.450
- Vault: 98.925 (49.475)
- Bars: 148.200 (49.275)
- Beam: 197.625 (49.425)
No. 12 Minnesota
- Vault: 49.125
- Bars: 98.300 (49.175)
- Beam: 147.650 (49.350)
- Floor: 196.850 (49.200)
Denver
- Beam: 49.550
- Floor: 99.050 (49.500)
- Vault: 147.950 (48.900)
- Bars: 197.350 (49.400)
Red Rocks scores
1st Rotation: Bars (49.425)
- Makenna Smith: 9.800
- Ashley Glynn: 9.900
- Avery Neff: 9.000
- Amelie Morgan: 9.850
- Ella Zirbes: 9.875
- Grace McCallum: 10.0
2nd Rotation: Beam (49.400)
- Amelie Morgan: 9.875
- Camie Winger: 9.800
- Makenna Smith: 9.875
- Grace McCallum: 9.950
- Avery Neff: 9.900
- Ana Padurariu: 9.800
3rd Rotation: Floor (49.625)
- Ashley Glynn: 9.850
- Ella Zirbes: 9.850
- Avery Neff: 9.925
- Jaylene Gilstrap: 9.950
- Makenna Smith: 9.925
- Grace McCallum: 9.975
4th Rotation: Vault (49.375)
- Ella Zirbes: 9.850
- Grace McCallum: 9.800
- Avery Neff: 9.850
- Ashley Glynn: 9.925
- Makenna Smith: 9.800
- Zoe Johnson: 9.950
Other notable scores
Vault
- Mika Webster-Longin, UCLA (9.950)
- Chae Campbell, UCLA (9.925)
- Emily Lee, UCLA (9.900)
- Jordan Chiles, UCLA (9.900)
Bars
- Jordan Chiles, UCLA (9.900)
- Kiley Rorich, Denver (9.900)
- Mia Hebinck, Denver (9.900)
Beam
- Bella Mabanta, Denver (9.950)
- Ashley Gallen, Denver (9.925)
- Momoko Iwai, Denver (9.900)
- Madison Ulrich, Denver (9.900)
- Lauren Pearl, Minnesota (9.900)
- Jordyn Lyden, Minnesota (9.900)
- Jordan Chiles, UCLA (9.900)
- Ciena Alipio, UCLA (9.900)
- Emma Malabuyo, UCLA (9.900)
Floor
- Brooklyn Moors, UCLA (9.950)
- Madison Ulrich, Denver (9.950)
- Bella Mabanta, Denver (9.925)
- Mika Webster-Longin, UCLA (9.900)
- Chae Campbell, UCLA (9.900)
- Cecilia Cooley, Denver (9.900)
- Mya Hooten, Minnesota (9.900)
Photos
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