After finishing third in the first semifinals on Friday, the University of Utah gymnastics competed in the Super Six on Saturday, April 15 against Oklahoma, UCLA, Florida, Alabama and LSU. the Red Rocks finished fifth with a score of 196.5875 to close out their 2017 campaign.
Freshman MyKayla Skinner ended the night with an overall score of 39.55, and co-head coach Tom Farden is proud of the way she finished out this season.
“MyKayla has passed the point of unbelievable,” Farden said in a press release. “Even on the biggest stage, she never showed signs of pressure.”
The Red Rocks started the night on floor on the right foot when both freshman Missy Reinstadtler and sophomore Macey Roberts put a 9.825, but there were a few mishaps in this event. Sophomore MaKenna Merrell and junior Tiffani Lewis both stepped out-of-bounds, however, Skinner finished with a strong 9.925.
Heading to vault, the Red Rocks were sitting in second of the four teams that competed in the first rotation, but they struggled in the second rotation as their highest score was a 9.8875 from Skinner. Lewis scored a 9.8375 followed by Merrell with a 9.8125, and senior Baely Rowe finished with a 9.7750. After two full rotations, the Red Rocks dropped to fourth.
After taking a bye in the third rotation, the Red Rocks had better luck in their third event of the night as Rowe scored a 9.9 on her bar routine. Merrell followed suit with a 9.8750 score, and Lewis and Skinner both received a 9.85.
Sophomore Kari Lee’s ability to compete during the Super Six was questionable when she tweaked her ankle on her bars dismount at the semifinals on Friday morning. Lee found the strength to perform her routine though, and while she scored a 9.7 for the Red Rocks, it was ultimately the lowest score, so it was dropped.
In the last event for the Red Rocks, junior Maddy Stover put up a solid performance when she scored a 9.8375 as the leadoff on beam. Skinner finished with the highest score of the rotation with a 9.8875, and Reinstadtler followed with a 9.85. Rowe was unable to continue that success as she fell off the beam, and she received a 9.125. Sophomore Shannon McNatt closed out the event with a 9.7625.
“We came out with too much adrenaline on floor,” Farden said in a press release. “After how well we did last night in the semis yesterday, it took a little wind out of our sails, but we went on to have a pretty good vault and our bar set was great.”
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