Saturday, April 15
Fort Worth, TX
2:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
NCAA Final
Utah Gymnastics Places Third In NCAA Final
4/15/2023 5:11 PM | Gymnastics
FORT WORTH – The Utah Gymnastics team ended another incredible season finishing third in the nation for the third-straight year. The Utes posted a 197.9375, which is the second-best score at an NCAA Final in program history, to finish behind national champions Oklahoma (198.3875) and runner-ups Florida (198.2375). LSU rounded out the Final Four in fourth place with a 197.525.
Utah drew the same rotation order as the semifinal round, beginning on floor. Abby Brenner and Jaylene Gilstrap rattled off 9.875s to start the competition, and Abby Paulson recorded a 9.90 in the third spot. Makenna Smith continued the momentum with a 9.925 before Utah closed out the lineup with consecutive 9.90s from Jaedyn Rucker and Maile O'Keefe. Utah's solid effort on floor earned a 49.500, which sat in third place behind Oklahoma's 49.5625 (vault) and Florida's 49.525 (beam).
On vault, Utah struggled to find its landings, which led to just a 49.150. O'Keefe kicked off the rotation with a 9.7375, but Brenner looked to change momentum after scoring a 9.90 on her last career vault. Jillian Hoffman followed with a 9.7625, and the Utes collected consecutive 9.8375s from Smith and Rucker. Rounding out the rotation, Jaylene Gilstrap scored a 9.8125 to drop O'Keefe's score.
The bars team opened the rotation with a 9.85 from Amelie Morgan and a 9.875 from Brenner. The momentum continued building with a huge performance from Sage Thompson, who scored a 9.9375, and O'Keefe followed with a 9.925. Cristal Isa began her night with a 9.875 on bars, while the lineup was anchored with a 9.9375 from Grace McCallum.
Although recording a strong effort on bars, Utah's 49.550 maintained paced with Oklahoma and Florida, forcing the Utes to have a miraculous comeback in the final rotation after sitting behind the Sooners by 0.5125.Â
Utah couldn't have asked for a better start after receiving a 9.9125 from Morgan in the leadoff on beam, which was followed by a massive 9.9625 from Paulson. The beam team was in the zone per usual and couldn't be stopped, seeing Kara Eaker add a 9.9125 and Isa wrap up her Ute career with a 9.95. O'Keefe was perfect on beam as she was for most of the season, scoring her sixth 10.0 of the season on beam and second in a row at the NCAA Championship. Rounding out the lineup, McCallum closed out the day with a 9.8875.
Utah's 49.7375, the highest beam score at the NCAA Championships in program history, pushed the team score to a 197.9375, which is the team's second best score in an NCAA Final in program history. The Utes finished third in the nation for the third year in a row, and walk away with another NCAA Regional title, Pac-12 Championship title, and Pac-12 Regular Season title.
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Utah drew the same rotation order as the semifinal round, beginning on floor. Abby Brenner and Jaylene Gilstrap rattled off 9.875s to start the competition, and Abby Paulson recorded a 9.90 in the third spot. Makenna Smith continued the momentum with a 9.925 before Utah closed out the lineup with consecutive 9.90s from Jaedyn Rucker and Maile O'Keefe. Utah's solid effort on floor earned a 49.500, which sat in third place behind Oklahoma's 49.5625 (vault) and Florida's 49.525 (beam).
On vault, Utah struggled to find its landings, which led to just a 49.150. O'Keefe kicked off the rotation with a 9.7375, but Brenner looked to change momentum after scoring a 9.90 on her last career vault. Jillian Hoffman followed with a 9.7625, and the Utes collected consecutive 9.8375s from Smith and Rucker. Rounding out the rotation, Jaylene Gilstrap scored a 9.8125 to drop O'Keefe's score.
The bars team opened the rotation with a 9.85 from Amelie Morgan and a 9.875 from Brenner. The momentum continued building with a huge performance from Sage Thompson, who scored a 9.9375, and O'Keefe followed with a 9.925. Cristal Isa began her night with a 9.875 on bars, while the lineup was anchored with a 9.9375 from Grace McCallum.
Although recording a strong effort on bars, Utah's 49.550 maintained paced with Oklahoma and Florida, forcing the Utes to have a miraculous comeback in the final rotation after sitting behind the Sooners by 0.5125.Â
Utah couldn't have asked for a better start after receiving a 9.9125 from Morgan in the leadoff on beam, which was followed by a massive 9.9625 from Paulson. The beam team was in the zone per usual and couldn't be stopped, seeing Kara Eaker add a 9.9125 and Isa wrap up her Ute career with a 9.95. O'Keefe was perfect on beam as she was for most of the season, scoring her sixth 10.0 of the season on beam and second in a row at the NCAA Championship. Rounding out the lineup, McCallum closed out the day with a 9.8875.
Utah's 49.7375, the highest beam score at the NCAA Championships in program history, pushed the team score to a 197.9375, which is the team's second best score in an NCAA Final in program history. The Utes finished third in the nation for the third year in a row, and walk away with another NCAA Regional title, Pac-12 Championship title, and Pac-12 Regular Season title.
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