Completed Event: Gymnastics versus NCAA Championship Final on April 19, 2025 , , 4th of 4 (197.2375)
Final Score
Gymnastics
4th of 4 (197.2375)
vs NCAA Championship Final
Friday, January 6
Salt Lake City, UT
6:45 PM
University of Utah
vs
LSU
#3 Utah Gymnastics Opens 2023 Season Friday Night Against #6 LSU on ESPN2
1/3/2023 8:25 AM | Gymnastics
Red Rocks welcome Tigers for top-six matchup in Salt Lake City.
MEET WEEK
Preseason third-ranked Utah Gymnastics is set for the 2023 season opener on Friday, Jan. 6, hosting sixth-ranked LSU in Salt Lake City. Utah and LSU will compete in the Jon M. Huntsman Center with introductions set to begin at 6:45 p.m. MT.
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The home opener for the Red Rocks will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Bart Conner calling the play-by-play and Kathy Johnson Clarke serving as the analyst. Samantha Peszek will join the team as the reporter on the floor. The season debut on an ESPN2 marks the first of three regular season showings for Utah on an ESPN network, which marks the most ever in the regular season for the program.
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FAN FACTS
• Utah Gymnastics will be striping the Huntsman Center. Click here (PDF) to see which section will be wearing red or white, and make sure to wear accordingly based on your tickets.
• Doors open to the public at 5:30 p.m. MT.
• The Kids Zone will be in sections 11-15, and there will be a face painter, balloon artist, and other activities.
• Free Utah Gymnastics team posters and trading cards will be available in the concourse while supplies last.
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GETTING TO THE MEET
• Fans are able to ride TRAX for free with their meet ticket.
• There will be a new "Red Rocks Express" this season, which is a free shuttle service from the Guardsman Way Tailgate lot and Broadcast Center lot on Wasatch Drive. The shuttle will run continuously before and after the meet. Fans can view the 2023 parking map, including Red Rocks Express routes, here (PDF).
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QUICK STICKS
• Utah is 61-6 in season openers.
• Utah is 56-1 at the Huntsman Center during the regular season in the past 10 seasons. Utah is 486-27 all-time in Salt Lake City.
• Utah is ranked third in the WCGA Preseason Poll, marking its highest preseason ranking since the 2010 season.
• Utah was picked to win the Pac-12 title in the Preseason Coaches Poll. Utah owns the most Pac-12 Championships among Pac-12 institutions with a league-best five Pac-12 Championships (2014, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022).
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CHALK TALK
• Head coach Tom Farden enters his eighth year as head coach of the program and his 13th overall. Utah's coaching staff is in its second year as a whole together with associate head coach Carly Dockendorf heading into her sixth season overall, while assistant coaches Jimmy Pratt and Myia Hambrick begin their second years with the team.
• Utah returns 21-of-24 routines from last year's third-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
• Utah is coming off its third consecutive Pac-12 Regular Season Championship, second-straight and fifth Pac-12 Championship, and an NCAA Regional title.
• Jaedyn Rucker is the reigning vault national champion. Rucker became the fifth Red Rock in history to win the national vault title. Rucker's vault title marked the second year in a row a Red Rock won a national title after Maile O'Keefe won the uneven bars and floor titles in 2021.
• Utah's roster contains eight All-Americans: O'Keefe (11-time All-American), Cristal Isa (5x), Grace McCallum (5x), Abby Paulson (4x), Abby Brenner (1x), Kara Eaker (1x), Rucker (1x), and Sage Thompson (1x).
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SERIES STATS
• Utah leads the all-time series 34-8 against LSU, which includes a 10-0 record in Salt Lake City.
• This will be the first meeting between Utah and LSU in Salt Lake City since 2007, and the first regular season meeting in SLC since 2003.
• Utah dropped last year's regular season meeting 197.875-198.125 in Baton Rouge, but had won both meetings during the 2021 season at regionals and the NCAA Championships.
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TICKET TIME
Fans can purchase season tickets for the 2023 season now by calling the Utah Ticket Office at 801-581-8849 or purchase online. Single meet tickets and family passes are also available here. For a full look at the 2023 schedule, click here.
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UP NEXT
Utah will stay local and make the short drive to the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah, to compete in the Rio Tinto Best of Utah. The Red Rocks are set to take on BYU, Southern Utah and Utah State at 7 p.m. MT on Friday, Jan. 13. Fans looking to catch the quad meet at the Maverik Center can purchase tickets here.
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Preseason third-ranked Utah Gymnastics is set for the 2023 season opener on Friday, Jan. 6, hosting sixth-ranked LSU in Salt Lake City. Utah and LSU will compete in the Jon M. Huntsman Center with introductions set to begin at 6:45 p.m. MT.
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The home opener for the Red Rocks will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Bart Conner calling the play-by-play and Kathy Johnson Clarke serving as the analyst. Samantha Peszek will join the team as the reporter on the floor. The season debut on an ESPN2 marks the first of three regular season showings for Utah on an ESPN network, which marks the most ever in the regular season for the program.
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FAN FACTS
• Utah Gymnastics will be striping the Huntsman Center. Click here (PDF) to see which section will be wearing red or white, and make sure to wear accordingly based on your tickets.
• Doors open to the public at 5:30 p.m. MT.
• The Kids Zone will be in sections 11-15, and there will be a face painter, balloon artist, and other activities.
• Free Utah Gymnastics team posters and trading cards will be available in the concourse while supplies last.
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GETTING TO THE MEET
• Fans are able to ride TRAX for free with their meet ticket.
• There will be a new "Red Rocks Express" this season, which is a free shuttle service from the Guardsman Way Tailgate lot and Broadcast Center lot on Wasatch Drive. The shuttle will run continuously before and after the meet. Fans can view the 2023 parking map, including Red Rocks Express routes, here (PDF).
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QUICK STICKS
• Utah is 61-6 in season openers.
• Utah is 56-1 at the Huntsman Center during the regular season in the past 10 seasons. Utah is 486-27 all-time in Salt Lake City.
• Utah is ranked third in the WCGA Preseason Poll, marking its highest preseason ranking since the 2010 season.
• Utah was picked to win the Pac-12 title in the Preseason Coaches Poll. Utah owns the most Pac-12 Championships among Pac-12 institutions with a league-best five Pac-12 Championships (2014, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022).
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CHALK TALK
• Head coach Tom Farden enters his eighth year as head coach of the program and his 13th overall. Utah's coaching staff is in its second year as a whole together with associate head coach Carly Dockendorf heading into her sixth season overall, while assistant coaches Jimmy Pratt and Myia Hambrick begin their second years with the team.
• Utah returns 21-of-24 routines from last year's third-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
• Utah is coming off its third consecutive Pac-12 Regular Season Championship, second-straight and fifth Pac-12 Championship, and an NCAA Regional title.
• Jaedyn Rucker is the reigning vault national champion. Rucker became the fifth Red Rock in history to win the national vault title. Rucker's vault title marked the second year in a row a Red Rock won a national title after Maile O'Keefe won the uneven bars and floor titles in 2021.
• Utah's roster contains eight All-Americans: O'Keefe (11-time All-American), Cristal Isa (5x), Grace McCallum (5x), Abby Paulson (4x), Abby Brenner (1x), Kara Eaker (1x), Rucker (1x), and Sage Thompson (1x).
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SERIES STATS
• Utah leads the all-time series 34-8 against LSU, which includes a 10-0 record in Salt Lake City.
• This will be the first meeting between Utah and LSU in Salt Lake City since 2007, and the first regular season meeting in SLC since 2003.
• Utah dropped last year's regular season meeting 197.875-198.125 in Baton Rouge, but had won both meetings during the 2021 season at regionals and the NCAA Championships.
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TICKET TIME
Fans can purchase season tickets for the 2023 season now by calling the Utah Ticket Office at 801-581-8849 or purchase online. Single meet tickets and family passes are also available here. For a full look at the 2023 schedule, click here.
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UP NEXT
Utah will stay local and make the short drive to the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah, to compete in the Rio Tinto Best of Utah. The Red Rocks are set to take on BYU, Southern Utah and Utah State at 7 p.m. MT on Friday, Jan. 13. Fans looking to catch the quad meet at the Maverik Center can purchase tickets here.
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Players Mentioned
/ Gymnastics
/ Gymnastics
/ Gymnastics
/ Gymnastics
/ Gymnastics
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/ Gymnastics
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