Upcoming Event: Gymnastics versus Red Rocks Preview on December 12, 2025 at 7:00 PM
7:00 PM
Gymnastics
vs Red Rocks Preview
Friday, January 17
Salt Lake City, UT
7:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
Iowa State University
No. 4 Red Rocks Welcome Iowa State Friday for First Big 12 Meet
1/13/2025 4:00 PM | Gymnastics
Character Day meet begins with introductions at 6:45 p.m.
SALT LAKE CITY -- The fourth-ranked Utah Gymnastics team returns home on Friday to welcome the Iowa State Cyclones to the Jon M. Huntsman Center for the first Big 12 meet for the Red Rocks. It is Utah's second home meet of this 50th season of Utah Gymnastics, and comes one week after the team's biggest early-season test at the Sprouts Farmer's Market Collegiate Quad, where the Red Rocks met top-ranked Oklahoma, 2nd-ranked LSU and 6th-ranked Cal, and finished fourth.
Introductions for Utah's Big 12 opener against Iowa State will begin at 6:45 p.m. MT, and with the competition set to start at 7. The meet will be televised live on ESPN+ with Jim Watson on play-by-play and Alisa Mowe providing the analysis.
FOR THE FANS
Utah will have little time to rest after Friday night's clash with Iowa State, turning around three days later to compete in the Best of Utah meet at the Maverik Center in West Valley City on Jan. 20 against BYU, Southern Utah and Utah State. Competition is set to begin at 6 p.m. MT.
Introductions for Utah's Big 12 opener against Iowa State will begin at 6:45 p.m. MT, and with the competition set to start at 7. The meet will be televised live on ESPN+ with Jim Watson on play-by-play and Alisa Mowe providing the analysis.
FOR THE FANS
- Doors will open to the public at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the meet can be purchased at utahtickets.com, or by calling 801-581-8849.
- Friday's meet is the Red Rocks' annual Character Day. There will be 12 characters and Disney princesses on the concourse prior to the meet for interaction and photo opportunities, and crowns will be given away to the first 1,000 kids. Kids are encouraged to wear their favorite costumes for Friday's Character Day meet. No costumes with masks or weapons will be allowed.
- The Kids Zone will be set up in Sections 11-14, offering a face-painter, a balloon artist and several interactive games.
- The Red Rocks took to the road last week for an early-season test, with fourth-ranked Utah meeting top-ranked Oklahoma, second-ranked LSU and sixth-ranked Cal squaring off at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
- Utah finished fourth among that top-6 ranked quartet at the Sprouts meet, with a season-high 196.800, but earned one event win. Grace McCallum shared the top score of 9.975 on the bars, and Utah saw a breakout performance from Avery Neff, with a 9.925 on vault to tie for second, and two 9.90s on floor and beam.
- A week earlier, Utah swept the top spots in its home opener for the second year in a row, taking down Utah State, 196.775-194.450. Winners included Ashley Glynn (vault), Amelie Morgan and Grace McCallum (bars), Camie Winger (beam) and Makenna Smith (floor and all-around)
- Through two weeks, Utah ranks inside the top 12 as a team in each event:
- Utah has four gymnasts ranked in the top 25 in an event after the first two weeks of competition: Grace McCallum ranks third on bars and 25th in the all-around; Avery Neff and Camie Winger are tied for 16th on the beam and Makenna Smith ranks 19th in the all-around.
- In the team rankings, the Red Rocks held steady at No. 4 after two weeks of competition.
- Utah came into the season ranked fifth in the WCGA Preseason Poll. It marked the eighth season in a row that the Red Rocks were ranked in the top five in the preseason poll.
- The Red Rocks had five gymnasts named to the 2025 Big 12 Preseason Team announced Dec. 20, including Grace McCallum (all-around), Ella Zirbes (vault) and Jaylene Gilstrap (floor) earning unanimous selections. Makenna Smith (all-around) and Amelie Morgan (bars) round out the preseason selections for the Utes.
- The Red Rocks return 16 routines from last year's NCAA Championships third-place team, including three NCAA All-America honorees.
- The Utes tallied 42 event wins a year ago, earned by Grace McCallum (19), Makenna Smith (7), Jaedyn Rucker (4), Amelie Morgan (3), Jaylene Gilstrap (3), Ashley Glynn (2), Camie Winger (2) and Ella Zirbes (2).
- Head coach Carly Dockendorf is in her second season leading the Red Rocks program and her eighth overall with Utah Gymnastics.
- In 2024 Dockendorf became the first head coach in NCAA history to lead a team to the Final Four in the coach's first year in the position, earning the highest finish (third-place) by any first-year head coach.
- Utah returns 16-of-24 routines from last year's team, which finished in third place at the NCAA Championships.
- Utah's roster contains five All-Americans: Grace McCallum (8x), Makenna Smith (4x), Ella Zirbes (2x) and Jaylene Gilstrap.
- Makenna Smith seeks to build off her breakout sophomore season, which saw her hit 61 routines. The Albuquerque native earned NCAA All-America honors in the all-around and vault, and second team on bars.
- Utah closed its 13-year membership in the Pac-12 Conference in 2024 by winning its fourth consecutive Pac-12 Championship meet.
- Utah added two new faces to the coaching staff this offseason, starting with the addition of assistant coach Mike Hunger, who brings more than 50 years of experience to lead the vault squad and assist on floor.
- Utah Gymnastics legend Maile O'Keefe returns to the Red Rocks as a student assistant coach, coming off one of the most decorated college gymnastics careers, which included four NCAA individual titles (bars, floor – 2021; all-around, beam – 2023). O'Keefe collected 19 All-America awards (7 regular season, 12 NCAA) while competing for the Red Rocks.
- Utah has amassed 110 perfect 10.0 scores all-time, with 80 of those performances coming at home in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
- 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 Jan. 11 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 in a season-opening home win against Utah State on Jan. 3.
- Neff competed 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).
- Ashley Glynn earned a 9.85 on floor, her best as a Red Rock, and matched her career high set in 2023 while competing for Temple.
Utah will have little time to rest after Friday night's clash with Iowa State, turning around three days later to compete in the Best of Utah meet at the Maverik Center in West Valley City on Jan. 20 against BYU, Southern Utah and Utah State. Competition is set to begin at 6 p.m. MT.
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