SALT LAKE CITY— Fresh off a fourth-place finish at its 49
th consecutive NCAA National Championship and fifth consecutive appearance in the Final Four, Utah Gymnastics gathered one more time to commemorate everything
Team 50 accomplished at the annual end of year team banquet.
While not the ending the Red Rocks had hoped for, there was plenty to celebrate in 2025, which head coach
Carly Dockendorf made clear in her opening statement to those in attendance.
"Success doesn't always look like the number on the trophy we came home with," said Dockendorf. "Success can look different in many ways. Success can be found in how we grow as people, how we influence and inspire those around us, how we work outside our comfort zone for a goal, and at the end of the day, success is really about getting one-percent better, and we did that. We achieved all of that this year."
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The Red Rocks became the first team to earn a conference championship (both
regular season and
championship meet) since the Utes moved to the Big 12 Conference in the summer of 2024.
Utah Gymnastics also cleaned up during awards season placing
eight gymnasts in All-Big 12 teams, with
two of those gymnasts earning end of year recognition from the Big 12.
Additionally, Utah had
four WCGA Regular Season All-Americans in 2025, and
six athletes later earning NCAA All-America status while keeping
the Red Rocks' impressive Nationals appearance record alive and well.
"Nothing in life is ever a guarantee," said Dockendorf. "All of us took a chance this year at winning a National Championship. All of us invested more than we ever have before to ourselves, and to this team to go after the title. It would have been a lot safer if we didn't give as much, if we didn't care as much, and if we didn't go all-in."
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With that in mind, Dockendorf, and the rest of the coaching staff took the time to recognize a few athletes that went above and beyond in 2025 to help achieve some of their lofty goals.
Senior
Amelie Morgan was presented with the Dahl Academic-Athletic Award for her consistent efforts through 125 career routines while also pursuing excellence in the classroom for her degree in business management.
The Marsden Leadership Award had two recipients this season with one going to senior
Jaylene Gilstrap for her efforts volunteering in the community, and the other going to senior
Jaedyn Rucker for taking on a coaching role after suffering a season-ending injury before competition begun.
Freshman
Avery Neff earned the Newcomer of the Year award for instantly stepping into a big role in the all-around on competition days despite being in the midst of getting comfortable as a college student.
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Junior
Ashley Glynn was given the Coaches' Award for her dedication to getting outside of her comfort zone in order to compete three events consistently in 2025.
Last, but certainly not least, junior
Makenna Smith, and senior
Grace McCallum were recognized as team MVPs for the attitude, personality, and performances they brought every day to the Red Rocks through the year.
"This quote from Warren Buffet just made me feel exactly how I feel about our seniors today," said Dockendorf. "'Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted the tree a long time ago.' To the senior class, you have laid the foundation for this new era of Utah Gymnastics, and you are leaving a legacy."
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