No. 5 Red Rocks Packed Jon M. Huntsman Center to Open 2026 Season

Friday, January 2

Salt Lake City, UT

7:00 PM

University of Utah

196.625

195.475

Minnesota

No. 5 Red Rocks Packed Jon M. Huntsman Center to Open 2026 Season

1/2/2026 11:03 PM | Gymnastics

Final Results

Utah debuted several new faces against No. 15 Minnesota and No. 22 Iowa

SALT LAKE CITY—The No. 5 Red Rocks open their 2026 season in front of 11,191 fans at the Jon M. Huntsman Center Friday night. Utah had an overall winning score of 196.625 besting both No.
15 Minnesota (195.475) and No.22 Iowa (194.825) in a tri-meet.

"It is such a special experience to be here [in the Huntsman Center]," said head coach Carly Dockendorf. "This will be my ninth year, and it never gets old to walk into the Huntsman and have the crowd just roar for a great routine. Our fans are so special to us and that's why recruits want to come here."

Dockendorf added, "I never take it for granted. I always take a moment to look around and just find a lot gratitude for the people that continue to show up and support this program and to cheer us on."

Utah opened the meet on vault with sophomore Zoe Johnson wowing the crowd with a score of 9.925, prompting the first "10" chants of the year. Seniors Makenna Smith and Ashley Glynn came together in the middle of the lineup to put up 9.875 and 9.825 scores, while sophomore Avery Neff closed out the scoring with a 9.80.

After the first rotation, Utah led the meet (49.200) followed by Minnesota (48.800) and Iowa (48.125).

Smith started off Utah's second rotation on bars strong with a 9.90. Junior Ella Zirbes and senior Ana Padurariu put up solid scores of 9.875 and 9.85 in the middle of the lineup. Neff (9.775) and freshman Bailey Stroud (9.75) closed out the second rotation bringing the total bar score to 49.150.

"It was so surreal," said Stroud. "I've seen it on TV so many times, but I've never actually been to a meet here in the Huntsman [Center]. So, being out there and seeing all those people was kind of nerve wracking, but at the same time, just super exciting. I think it brought a lot more energy and made it really fun."

Utah continued to lead after the second rotation (98.350) with the Golden Gophers holding on to the second spot (97.575) and the Hawkeyes finishing third (96.950).

The Red Rocks saw three newcomers compete on beam in Zirbes, Stroud and Ryssman. Neff and Zirbes led the charge, both with a pair of 9.875 scores. Freshman Abbi Ryssman and Padurariu contributed a 9.85 each to the total. Stroud closed out the balance beam with a score of 9.80.

"We have a lot of girls that love doing that event-- who have a really strong mind for that event," said Dockendorf. "We had All-American Camie [Winger] who wasn't in there tonight. Makenna [Smith], who competed that all last year, but really, we've been focusing on those athletes who can hit anytime, anywhere."

The Red Rocks kept their lead going into the fourth and final rotation with a total of 147.600. The Gophers had a 146.650 to keep them in second and the Hawkeyes had a 145.900 to place them in third.

Zirbes had the highest score on floor for the whole meet (9.90) closing out a strong debut in the all-around. Stroud (9.85) and Winger (9.80) both contributed solid routines while the Huntsman Center crowd welcomed back Poppy-Grace Stickler (9.775) after missing all last season with injury.

"I was just so proud of her [Stickler]," said Smith, "I almost started crying. She has just worked so hard and she deserved this moment so much and I'm so glad she got it."

Utah's strong performance on floor earned them an event total of 49.025 and a final score of 196.625.

"I think it's great we had a great meet before we go to Sprout's next weekend," said Dockendorf. "There are definitely things we need to work on when we get back into the gym. A lot of those technical mistakes we saw today, to me, showed where their focus was at."

UTAH EVENT-BY-EVENT RESULTS

Vault – 49.200

Clara Raposo – 9.775
Ella Zirbes – 9.70
Ashley Glynn – 9.825
Makenna Smith – 9.875
Zoe Johnson – 9.925
Avery Neff – 9.80

Bars – 49.150 (98.350)

Makenna Smith – 9.90
Bailey Stroud – 9.75
Abbi Ryssman – 9.725
Ella Zirbes – 9.875
Ana Padurariu – 9.85
Avery Neff – 9.775

Beam – 49.250 (147.600)

Elizabeth Gantner – 9.775
Ella Zirbes – 9.875
Bailey Stroud – 9.80
Abbi Ryssman – 9.85
Avery Neff – 9.875
Ana Padurariu – 9.85

Floor – 49.025 (196.625)

Camie Winger – 9.80
Bailey Stroud – 9.85
Ella Zirbes – 9.90
Poppy-Grace Stickler – 9.775
Avery Neff – 9.70
Makenna Smith – 9.70

UP NEXT
Utah turns their attention to the third annual Sprouts Farmers Market Quad Meet at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah, on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 2 p.m. MT where they will face No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 LSU, and No. 4 UCLA.

The Red Rocks then have a quick return to the Maverik Center on Monday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. for the Best of Utah Meet, taking on in-state rivals BYU, USU, and SUU.

FOLLOW THE RED ROCKS
For an inside look at the Utah Gymnastics program, including tournament, roster and news updates, fans can follow the Red Rocks on social media (TikTok: @utahgymnastics |Instagram: @utahgymnastics).

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