After a dominant win against Arizona, the No. 5 Utah Red Rocks (12-4, 6-1 Pac-12) returned to the Huntsman Center, facing Utah State and No. 20 Stanford in a tri-meet. As Utah’s last home meet, the Red Rocks held senior night.
With vault coming first, Camie Winger got things started for the Red Rocks with 9.850. Winger was followed by Ella Zirbes, another freshman. Zirbes scored a huge 9.925, followed by Ashley Glynn with 9.850 of her own. Makenna Smith came in with 9.900 before Jaedyn Rucker matched it. Grace McCallum came in as the anchor, scoring 9.925 to give the Red Rocks 49.500 and the early lead.
The Red Rocks moved to bars, with Smith leading off. Smith scored 9.875 before Winger scored a huge 9.900. Zirbes fell on her routine, but quickly recovered to score 9.000. Maile O’Keefe came in with 9.850, and McCallum had a team-high 9.975. Alani Sabado scored a career-high 9.900 in her last meet at the Huntsman. The Red Rocks once again scored 49.500, giving them 99.000 through two events. Abby Paulson came in with a beautiful non-scoring exhibition performance, one of many bittersweet moments on senior night.
Moving into the second half of the meet, Winger started the Red Rocks off on beam. Winger scored 9.800, followed by Smith with 9.875. Elizabeth Gantner matched Smith before McCallum delivered 9.950. Paulson made sure to make her final time in the Huntsman count, scoring a perfect 10, her first since Feb. 23, 2020. Amidst the roar of the crowd, a flood of emotion overtook the entire Red Rocks team. O’Keefe, reigning all-around champion, finished things off for the team with 9.900.
The Red Rocks finished beam with 49.600, totaling 148.600. Through three events, Utah was on pace for their second 198.000+ score of the season. With their top score being disregarded in the calculation of National Qualifying Score, another huge score could significantly impact rankings. That wasn’t the only good news, as the Red Rocks held a strong lead over the competition. Stanford tallied 147.350, and Utah State tallied 146.325.
Before moving on to the final rotation, O’Keefe appeared on the screen with a huge announcement. Over the cheers of the crowd, O’Keefe announced that she will be returning next year as a student coach.
Starting on floor, Smith tallied 9.900 before a trio of seniors performed. Paulson was the first, scoring 9.925. Rucker followed, matching Paulson and giving the Red Rocks back-to-back strong scores. Jaylene Gilstrap came in with a huge 9.950, and the Red Rocks were just 9.700 away from hitting the 198.000 mark. McCallum wouldn’t settle with 9.700, going nearly perfect for a 9.975. O’Keefe closed things out on senior night, scoring 9.925. Every gymnast scored at least 9.900, giving the Red Rocks 49.700 on floor. Sabado came in with an exhibition performance, getting the Utah home crowd on their feet one final time.
The Red Rocks finished with a season-high 198.300. Stanford finished second with 196.500, and Utah State finished third with 195.225.
McCallum led all teams in all-around competition, scoring 39.825. Smith finished second, scoring 39.550. Throughout the season Smith has proven herself as a versatile gymnast, competing all-around in nine of the last 11 meets.
After the meet ended, senior night celebrations began. The Red Rocks honored Paulson, Rucker, O’Keefe and Sabado. However, only three of them would truly be leaving the Red Rocks. O’Keefe will return as a student coach, and fellow senior Gilstrap announced she will be returning for a fifth year.
With the win, the Red Rocks now set their sights on the Pac-12 Championship. Utah has won the last three championships, looking to earn the second four-peat in Pac-12 history. Seven Pac-12 teams currently hold a top-25 spot, and the competition won’t be easy. The meet will be held on March 23 at the Maverik Center in West Valley City. Be sure to tune in at 1:00 p.m. MDT to watch the Red Rocks take on the Pac-12 Championship for the last time.
