The way last season ended still lingers for Utah gymnastics, not as a burden but as motivation. The Red Rocks left the NCAA Championships with a fourth place finish, even after delivering the top score of day one with a 197.7625.
For head coach Carly Dockendorf, that semifinal performance carries more weight than the final ranking. “It did not end the way any of us wanted,” Dockendorf said. “But a lot of really good things happened last year, and day one of Nationals showed what we are capable of.”
Dockendorf said the offseason quickly turned into a period of honest evaluation. “We took the tough ending as a learning opportunity,” she said. “Each of us, including the staff, looked at what we can do better.”
A major boost came when all freshmen spent the entire summer in Salt Lake City, giving Utah months of extra training, bonding and clarity in routines. “That was huge,” Dockendorf said. “Getting to know them early and seeing their skills really helped our team chemistry.”
Offseason reset
That chemistry has already become one of the defining traits of the 2025 roster. Several athletes have told Dockendorf that this feels like the closest team they have been part of. She credits that to both senior leadership and significant growth from the sophomore class.
“Poppy-Grace Stickler did not compete at all last year. Clara Raposo and Zoe Johnson only competed a couple of times. Avery Neff, who we obviously saw but also got hurt,” Dockendorf said. “But they have elevated themselves across the board. I am really excited to see them on the floor.”
Neff, who returned late in the season from injury and delivered key scores, was named a captain alongside seniors Makenna Smith and Sarah Krump. Dockendorf said her leadership role reflects her steady presence in the gym. “Avery has natural leadership skills,” she said. “Her teammates respect how she holds herself to a high standard and how she holds them to it too.”
Training adjustments this fall were deliberate. Dockendorf said the team intends to peak earlier and rely less on needing a perfect performance at the end of the year. “When we reached nationals in the past, it sometimes felt like we needed our absolute best day to win,” she said. “We want to get to a place where a normal day puts us right where we need to be.”
Fans will notice upgrades immediately, especially on the floor. Utah carried a 49.525 Team NQS last season, which ranked sixth in the nation and first in the Big 12. Dockendorf believes the lineup has added even more power for the 2025 season.
“We are pushing E-tumbling, the double layouts,” she said. “Clara, Poppy, Zoe and freshman Sage Curtis are all doing them. Olivia Kennedy, who has never competed on floor for us, is working a Double Arabian that looks awesome.”
The bars lineup is also seeing upgrades, including a new double-layout dismount from Ashley Glynn that Dockendorf expects to stand out.
What’s next
Utah will get its first look at competition routines during the annual Red Rocks Preview on Dec. 12. The regular season opens on Jan. 2 with a home meet against Minnesota and Iowa before two major early tests. Utah competes at the nationally televised Sprouts Invitational on Jan. 10, a four-team meet featuring Oklahoma, LSU, UCLA and Utah. Two days later comes the Best of Utah showcase on Jan. 12. “Those first three meets will tell us a lot,” Dockendorf said.
Even with championship expectations surrounding the program, Dockendorf keeps her definition of success grounded in effort and mindset. “Success is knowing we have given 100 percent in every area,” she said. “If we stay focused on what we can control and go all in, that is success to me, whether we are on the podium or not.”
Utah enters the new season deeper, healthier and more connected than the group that walked off the floor last April. For Dockendorf, redemption is not pressure. It is progress. “The goal is always the national title,” she said. “But the dream is the process. We get to live that dream every day.”
