Saturday, January 11
Oklahoma City, Okla. / Paycom Center
2:00 PM
University of Utah
196.800
vs
197.275
California
Neff Leads No. 4 Red Rocks Against Nation’s Top Competition on Saturday
1/11/2025 6:25 PM | Gymnastics
Freshman posts three scores of 9.90 or better against top-ranked Oklahoma, No. 2 LSU and No. 6 Cal at Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad
OKLAHOMA CITY—Freshman Avery Neff earned three scores of 9.90 or better and senior Grace McCallum tied for the event win on bars with a 9.975 to lead the fourth-ranked Utah gymnastics team on Saturday at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. Top-ranked Oklahoma won the event with a score of 197.950, followed by second-ranked LSU (197.650), sixth-ranked Cal (197.275) and the Red Rocks (196.800).
Utah's score topped the 196.775 it put up last week in a season-opening home win against Utah State.
"Obviously we would have liked a better score at the end, a different finish, but I definitely feel like we made big improvements from last week (by) not focusing on the actual number that we finished with," said head coach Carly Dockendorf. "I thought we showed a lot more confidence in our routines, as a whole. This was obviously a much bigger pressure meet than last weekend, so for us to come out here and continue to improve, even if it was just a little bit, I thought we improved. I feel like we made some good adjustments from our home meet last Friday."
Neff was one of two Utah gymnasts competing in the all-around, and tied for fifth in a star-studded field with a score of 39.600. She earned a 9.925 on vault, and a pair of 9.90s (floor and beam).
"She's the No. 1 recruit in the country for a reason, and I think she showcased that today," Dockendorf said. "I think that just speaks to her mental strength, being able to come out here with all eyes watching her. For her to just keep her mind tight and stay focused on what her job was today it speaks to the quality of athlete that she is."
The Red Rocks opened on the floor exercise and posted a score of 49.250. Neff was the top performer for the Utes with a 9.900 in the fourth spot, leading a group that also posted two 9.85 scores from Ashley Glynn, who went second, and Jaylene Gilstrap, performing fifth. Glynn's score was her best as a Red Rock on floor, and matched her career high set in 2023 while competing for Temple.
That score left the Utes in fourth place after one rotation, with Oklahoma (49.525) leading, followed by LSU (49.450) and Cal (49.325).
Moving next to vault, the Red Rocks opened with a 9.875 from Ella Zirbes, and in the third position received another boost from Neff, as she delivered a 9.925 to lead the team and tie for second among all competitors on the event. Smith followed with a 9.85, and Amelie Morgan closed out the event for Utah with a 9.825, substituting for Grace McCallum.
McCallum came up big for the Red Rocks in the anchor position on bars with the team's best score of the day, earning a 9.975 to share the event win with Oklahoma's Audrey Davis. Smith led off with a 9.85, and Neff added a 9.875 in the third position, contributing to a score of 49.275 on the event.
The Red Rocks were unable to make a move as they wrapped up the competition on beam, with Neff's 9.90 in the fourth spot being the top score the team would deliver, putting her in tie for third on the event.
Dockendorf elaborated on the standout performance by her star freshman on the biggest stage she has experienced early in her first collegiate season.
"She was just exceptional," Dockendorf said of Neff. "The practice day yesterday, and today, she was definitely determined and focused. It's so fun to watch her because you can tell she truly enjoys what she's doing. She loves competing, she loves going out there and being her best she can be, but there's a lot of enjoyment in it."
Utah went toe-to-tie with some of the nation's top programs in Session 2 of the Collegiate Quad, and came away with some performances to build on, and some lessons learned, as it prepares for its first Big 12 Conference meet. Smith was the only other Red Rock to compete in the all-around, posting a 39.125.
"I reminded the team at the end that it's OK to feel frustrated, because we all wanted something different, but this isn't the national championship," Dockendorf said. "We've got months before we need to be ready for that. Our whole goal was to continue to inch away and keep improving week after week, and not make the same mistakes, and I really do feel, overall, that we definitely made some good improvements."
The Red Rocks return home next Friday to take on Iowa State at the Jon M. Huntsman Center at 7 p.m. for their first Big 12 Conference meet. Introductions are scheduled for 6:45 p.m., and the meet will be televised on ESPN+. Fans can purchase tickets here.
OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF UTAH ATHLETICS – UTAH 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today to unlock a refreshed meet-day experience, from managing tickets to mobile concessions ordering, as well as video content, news and information, schedules, rosters and stats. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself meet-day ready.
UTAH EVENT-BY-EVENT RESULTS
Floor – 49.250
Vault – 49.200 (98.450)
Bars – 49.275 (147.725)
Beam – 49.075 (196.800)
Utah's score topped the 196.775 it put up last week in a season-opening home win against Utah State.
"Obviously we would have liked a better score at the end, a different finish, but I definitely feel like we made big improvements from last week (by) not focusing on the actual number that we finished with," said head coach Carly Dockendorf. "I thought we showed a lot more confidence in our routines, as a whole. This was obviously a much bigger pressure meet than last weekend, so for us to come out here and continue to improve, even if it was just a little bit, I thought we improved. I feel like we made some good adjustments from our home meet last Friday."
Neff was one of two Utah gymnasts competing in the all-around, and tied for fifth in a star-studded field with a score of 39.600. She earned a 9.925 on vault, and a pair of 9.90s (floor and beam).
"She's the No. 1 recruit in the country for a reason, and I think she showcased that today," Dockendorf said. "I think that just speaks to her mental strength, being able to come out here with all eyes watching her. For her to just keep her mind tight and stay focused on what her job was today it speaks to the quality of athlete that she is."
The Red Rocks opened on the floor exercise and posted a score of 49.250. Neff was the top performer for the Utes with a 9.900 in the fourth spot, leading a group that also posted two 9.85 scores from Ashley Glynn, who went second, and Jaylene Gilstrap, performing fifth. Glynn's score was her best as a Red Rock on floor, and matched her career high set in 2023 while competing for Temple.
That score left the Utes in fourth place after one rotation, with Oklahoma (49.525) leading, followed by LSU (49.450) and Cal (49.325).
Moving next to vault, the Red Rocks opened with a 9.875 from Ella Zirbes, and in the third position received another boost from Neff, as she delivered a 9.925 to lead the team and tie for second among all competitors on the event. Smith followed with a 9.85, and Amelie Morgan closed out the event for Utah with a 9.825, substituting for Grace McCallum.
Utah's 49.200 on vault brought its team score to 98.450 after two rotations, while Oklahoma increased its lead at 99.050 to LSU's 98.875 and Cal's 98.650.We're soooo back!??
— Utah Gymnastics (@UtahGymnastics) January 11, 2025
#RedRocks | #DROP pic.twitter.com/w0nicqvaxu
McCallum came up big for the Red Rocks in the anchor position on bars with the team's best score of the day, earning a 9.975 to share the event win with Oklahoma's Audrey Davis. Smith led off with a 9.85, and Neff added a 9.875 in the third position, contributing to a score of 49.275 on the event.
Through three rotations, Utah remained in fourth place, as Oklahoma maintained a slim 148.250-148.125 lead over LSU, and Cal remained in third at 148.000.WHAT A ROTATION FOR GRACE MCCALLUM ??
— espnW (@espnW) January 11, 2025
A 9.975 for the Olympic silver medalist ?? pic.twitter.com/rzBkwa9FWG
The Red Rocks were unable to make a move as they wrapped up the competition on beam, with Neff's 9.90 in the fourth spot being the top score the team would deliver, putting her in tie for third on the event.
Dockendorf elaborated on the standout performance by her star freshman on the biggest stage she has experienced early in her first collegiate season.
"She was just exceptional," Dockendorf said of Neff. "The practice day yesterday, and today, she was definitely determined and focused. It's so fun to watch her because you can tell she truly enjoys what she's doing. She loves competing, she loves going out there and being her best she can be, but there's a lot of enjoyment in it."
Utah went toe-to-tie with some of the nation's top programs in Session 2 of the Collegiate Quad, and came away with some performances to build on, and some lessons learned, as it prepares for its first Big 12 Conference meet. Smith was the only other Red Rock to compete in the all-around, posting a 39.125.
"I reminded the team at the end that it's OK to feel frustrated, because we all wanted something different, but this isn't the national championship," Dockendorf said. "We've got months before we need to be ready for that. Our whole goal was to continue to inch away and keep improving week after week, and not make the same mistakes, and I really do feel, overall, that we definitely made some good improvements."
UP NEXTArtistry in motion with Utah's Jaylene Gilstrap
— Inside Gymnastics (@InsideGym) January 11, 2025
?? Lloyd Smith for Inside Gymnastics pic.twitter.com/9cV5ODhHQG
The Red Rocks return home next Friday to take on Iowa State at the Jon M. Huntsman Center at 7 p.m. for their first Big 12 Conference meet. Introductions are scheduled for 6:45 p.m., and the meet will be televised on ESPN+. Fans can purchase tickets here.
OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF UTAH ATHLETICS – UTAH 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today to unlock a refreshed meet-day experience, from managing tickets to mobile concessions ordering, as well as video content, news and information, schedules, rosters and stats. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself meet-day ready.
UTAH EVENT-BY-EVENT RESULTS
Floor – 49.250
- Makenna Smith – 9.825
- Ashley Glynn – 9.85
- Ella Zirbes – 9.725
- Avery Neff – 9.90
- Jaylene Gilstrap – 9.85
- Grace McCallum – 9.825
Vault – 49.200 (98.450)
- Ella Zirbes – 9.875
- Camie Winger – 9.725
- Avery Neff – 9.925
- Makenna Smith – 9.85
- Ashley Glynn – 9.725
- Amelie Morgan – 9.825
Bars – 49.275 (147.725)
- Makenna Smith – 9.85
- Ana Padurariu – 9.80
- Avery Neff – 9.875
- Amelie Morgan – 9.775
- Ella Zirbes – 9.65
- Grace McCallum – 9.975
Beam – 49.075 (196.800)
- Ana Padurariu – 9.75
- Camie Winger – 9.825
- Makenna Smith – 9.60
- Avery Neff – 9.90
- Amelie Morgan – 9.80
- Grace McCallum – 9.80
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