Completed Event: Gymnastics versus NCAA Championship Final on April 19, 2025 , , 4th of 4 (197.2375)
Final Score
Gymnastics
4th of 4 (197.2375)
vs NCAA Championship Final
Friday, February 21
Salt Lake City, UT
7:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
Denver
No. 4 Red Rocks Prepare To 'Stripe' The Huntsman Center
2/17/2025 6:49 PM | Gymnastics
Utah gymnastics heads home to host Big 12 foe Denver
SALT LAKE CITY --The fourth-ranked Utah Gymnastics team comes back to Salt Lake City to host the University of Denver on Friday, Feb. 21, as they "Stripe The Huntsman Center." The Red Rocks continue to hold steady in the rankings after beating No. 24 Arizona State in Tempe in dramatic fashion, 196.600-196.475. Utah started the meet strong, posting a season-high on bars of 49.600 with the help of Grace McCallum who earned the Red Rocks' first perfect 10 of the season in the anchor position.Â
Friday's battle with Denver will be televised live on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. MT with Alisa Mowe and Jim Watson on the call.
FOR THE FANS
Utah will enjoy a bye through the final week of February. The Red Rocks will then head out of town once more to take on Washington in Seattle to wrap up their regular season travel on Saturday, Mar. 8.
Friday's battle with Denver will be televised live on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. MT with Alisa Mowe and Jim Watson on the call.
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 'Stripe The Huntsman'/Community Cause Meet. The Red Rocks have picked ALS as their cause and will be raising funds for research throughout the meet. Fans can check whether they are in a "red section" or "white section" here.
- A limited number of 50th Anniversary hats will be available at doors 2 and 3. First come, first serve.
- The Ford Teddy Bear toss will take place immediately after the meet. Fans are encouraged to either bring a new Teddy Bear to toss, or donate for one on the concourse prior to the meet. The Teddy Bears collected will go to Primary Children's Hospital and the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
- Senior Grace McCallum earned Utah's first perfect 10 of the season on bars last Friday (Feb. 14), against No. 24 Arizona State that cemented the team's highest score of the season on the event of 49.600.
- Freshman Zoe Johnson made a splashy debut in competition, posting a 9.90 on floor in her first scored-event of her career, while sophomore Ella Zirbes earned a season-high score of 9.925 after battling back into the rotation three weeks ago. Both athletes were key in helping Utah to tie its second-highest team score of the season on the event of 49.525.
- Junior Makenna Smith was the all-around winner with a score of 39.500.
- Through seven weeks, Utah ranks among the nation's top 5 in all four events:
- VT: 5th | UB: 2nd | BB: 1st | FX: 4th | AA: 4th
- Grace McCallum ranks second on bars, tied for 6th on beam, tied 14th on floor and 8th in the all-around.
- Makenna Smith ranks 5th on vault, tied for 11th on beam, tied for 10th on floor and 5th in the all-around.
- Amelie Morgan is tied for 13th in the country on bars, and tied 23rd on beam.
- Camie Winger is tied for 11th on beam.
- McCallum, a Team USA Tokyo silver medalist, has 15 event wins tying Smith for the Red Rocks' lead, including six of eight bars events in which Utah has competed this season.
- She has earned two Big 12 Gymnast of the Week honors (1/14 & 2/11), and claims Utah's highest individual score of the year putting up a 10.0 on bars against No. 24 ASU.
- McCallum is the eighth-ranked gymnast in the country in the all-around.
- Smith has 15 event wins on the season with McCallum, including four all-arounds. Smith currently sits 5th in the country in the all-around race.Â
- Utah's 197.950 at Best of Utah (1/20)matched Oklahoma's winning score from Jan. 11 at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad for highest in the nation to that point of the young season.
- Utah faced a stern early-season test on Jan. 11 at the Sprouts Farmer's Market Collegiate Quad vs. No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 LSU and No. 6 Cal, finishing fourth among that top-6 ranked quartet with a 196.800. Grace McCallum shared the win on bars (9.975) and Neff tied for second on vault (9.925) and recorded 9.90s on floor and beam.
- 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.
- Utah returns 16 routines from last year's NCAA Championships third-place team, including three NCAA All-America honorees.Â
- The Red Rocks 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 her first year in the position, earning the highest finish (3rd-place) by any first-year head coach.
- Utah returned 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 all 61 routines. The Albuquerque native earned NCAA All-America honors in the all-around and vault, and second team on bars in 2024. Â
- Utah closed its 13-year membership in the Pac-12 Conference in 2024 by winning its fourth consecutive Pac-12 Championship meet.Â
- Utah added two new faces to the coaching staff in the 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.Â
- Utah Gymnastics legend Maile O'Keefe returns to the program as a student assistant coach, coming off one of the most decorated college gymnastics careers. She won 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 111 perfect 10.0 scores all-time, with 80 of those performances coming at home in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
- The fourth-ranked Utah gymnastics team put up its highest bars score of the season (49.600) on Friday, Feb. 14, against No. 24 Arizona State.
- Grace McCallum earned Utah's first perfect 10 of the 2025 season on bars.
- Makenna Smith won the all-around with a 39.500.
- Ella Zirbes earned a season-high score of 9.925 on floor, while freshman Zoe Johnson earned a career and season-high of 9.90 in the anchor position in her first taste of competition.
Utah will enjoy a bye through the final week of February. The Red Rocks will then head out of town once more to take on Washington in Seattle to wrap up their regular season travel on Saturday, Mar. 8.
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