The Red Rocks kicked their season off tonight with the annual Red Rocks Preview. The team finished third at the NCAA Championships in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and will certainly strive to return to the championships again this year. The Red Rocks are the preseason favorite to win the Pac-12 title for the fourth year in a row, finishing with 46 points and five first-place votes.
But it has been a long offseason for the Red Rocks, parting ways with former head coach Tom Farden after allegations of abuse. But it is also an exciting time for the Red Rocks as Carly Dockendorf starts her first season as head coach. She has been crucial to the success of the team, helping the Red Rocks become the best beam team in the nation.
Opening up on vault, Camie Winger and Ella Zirbes, both freshmen, got to perform in front of Utah’s crowd for the first time in their careers. Ashley Glynn, a new transfer from Temple, also got to impress the crowd. Olivia Kennedy, a freshman from Tennessee, also got to perform on the vault.
While no scores are given, the Red Rocks Preview is a good opportunity to show what may come in the season. The Red Rocks have a lot of experience, with three fifth years and two seniors. The team also has a bright future, with four freshmen and one sophomore transfer.
Moving on to bars, assistant coach Jimmy Pratt ran the show. Pratt serves as the primary vault coach but seems to have taken on more responsibility with bars. Grace McCallum and Maile O’Keefe put together beautiful performances back-to-back.
The Red Rocks then split up, taking on the beam and floor. Winger started the Red Rocks off on beam, going first in all three events until this point. Makenna Smith started off on floor, one of her strong suits. Smith scored 9.875 or higher in 11 of 14 floor routines last year.
O’Keefe finished it off for the Red Rocks, and the team looked strong throughout the night. Despite some mistakes, most routines had high-scoring potential. If this is any indication of what will come in the season, the Red Rocks will be a difficult team to keep up with.
The Red Rocks open the regular season against Boise State on Jan. 5 in the Jon M. Huntsman Center at 7:00 p.m. MST. The next two meets will take place in the Maverik Center in West Valley City, as the team competes in the ESPN Events Invitational and the Rio Tinto Best of Utah competitions.
The Red Rocks face a difficult season, competing against nine teams in the top-25 poll throughout the season. Despite the challenges, the Red Rocks are looking strong as they look to advance to their 48th consecutive National Championship appearance.
