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
Saturday, March 22
West Valley City, UT
5:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
Big 12 Championships
Photo by: Misty-Jade Carlson
No. 4 Red Rocks Set for Big 12 Championships
3/18/2025 1:30 PM | Gymnastics
Utah Gymnastics heads to the Maverik Center to start postseason competition
SALT LAKE CITY --Â The fourth-ranked Utah Gymnastics team is heading to the Maverik Center on Saturday, March 22 at 5 p.m. MT to compete for the Big 12 Championship after ending the regular season on a high note, defeating No. 4 UCLA 198.100-197.425 last weekend at the Huntsman Center. The Red Rocks' final score against the Bruins is the highest mark so far of the 2025 season. Utah hit on all cylinders against their rival for Senior Night posting season-high scores on vault (49.425) and beam (49.600), while keeping it business as usual on bars (49.525) and floor (49.550).
The Red Rocks already secured the Big 12 Regular Season Title on Feb. 21, 2025, with a 198.075-197.525 victory over the Denver Pioneers, and will now be looking to add the tournament championship to their 2025 resume this Saturday.
The Big 12 Championship will be split into two sessions with No. 33 BYU, No. 34 West Virginia, and No. 37 Iowa State competing in the first session starting at 12 p.m. MT, which can be viewed on ESPN+.Â
No. 4 Utah will be joined later in the 5 p.m. MT session by No. 18 Denver, No. 21 Arizona, and No. 24 Arizona State. That meet will air on ESPNU with Alex Perlman serving as play-by-play, analysis from Kennedy Baker, and Lauren Sisler giving reports from the competition floor.
FOR THE FANS
Utah will get a week off from March 23-29, before turning their focus to hosting NCAA Regionals at the Huntsman Center April 2-5.
The Red Rocks already secured the Big 12 Regular Season Title on Feb. 21, 2025, with a 198.075-197.525 victory over the Denver Pioneers, and will now be looking to add the tournament championship to their 2025 resume this Saturday.
The Big 12 Championship will be split into two sessions with No. 33 BYU, No. 34 West Virginia, and No. 37 Iowa State competing in the first session starting at 12 p.m. MT, which can be viewed on ESPN+.Â
No. 4 Utah will be joined later in the 5 p.m. MT session by No. 18 Denver, No. 21 Arizona, and No. 24 Arizona State. That meet will air on ESPNU with Alex Perlman serving as play-by-play, analysis from Kennedy Baker, and Lauren Sisler giving reports from the competition floor.
FOR THE FANS
- Tickets for Saturday's Big 12 Championship Meet can be purchased here.
- Doors will open an hour before each meet (11 a.m. MT and 4 p.m. MT).
- Parking for the events is free.
- The Red Rocks jumped back up to No. 4 in the Road to Nationals Rankings after posting a season-high 198.100-197.425 victory over then No. 4 UCLA on Saturday March 15, 2025.
- Utah earned season-high team scores on vault (49.425) and beam (49.600), and were business as usual on bars (49.525) and floor (49.550) against the Bruins.
- Senior Grace McCallum earned her first career perfect 10 on beam. She now has six perfect 10s in her career and has posted at least one 10 in three events (four on bars, one on floor, one on beam).
- Makenna Smith won the all-around with her second-highest score on all four events of 39.700. Smith also had the high scores on bars (9.95) and floor (9.975) which is a new career high for the junior. Smith's night rounded out with a 9.925 on vault, and a 9.85 on beam.
- Freshman Avery Neff wowed in only her second time competing in the all-around since her injury against Iowa State on Jan. 17. Neff posted career-highs of 9.95 on vault, 9.925 on bars, tied her career high on beam of 9.925, and earned a career-high all-around score of 39.675 which tied with McCallum for second.
- Utah earned their first 198-score of the 2025 season (198.075) against Denver on Friday, Feb. 21, to clinch the Big 12 Regular Season Championship.
- McCallum stole the show against Denver, posting three 9.975s on bars, beam, and floor to win the all-around with a 39.800.
- McCallum earned Utah's first perfect 10 of the season on bars on Friday, Feb. 14, against No. 24 Arizona State.
- Through 12 weeks, Utah ranks among the nation's top 10 in all four events: Â Â Â Â Â
- VT: 6th | UB: 4th | BB: 4th | FX: 6th | AA: 4th
- McCallum ranks first on bars, tied 4th on beam, tied 23th on floor and 8th in the all-around.
- Smith is tied 4th on vault, tied for 11th on floor and 9th in the all-around.
- Camie Winger made her way back into the rankings against No. 4 UCLA after posting a 9.95 on beam that puts her tied for 18th in the country on the event.
- McCallum, a Team USA Tokyo silver medalist, leads the Red Rocks in event wins for 2025 with 22.
- McCallum has earned three Big 12 Gymnast of the Week honors (1/14, 2/11, 2/25), and claims Utah's highest individual scores of the year putting up a 10.0 on bars against No. 24 ASU, and a 10.0 against No. 4 UCLA on beam.
- Neff has also earned recognition three times in 2025 from the Big 12, being named Newcomer of the Week (1/14, 1/22, 2/25).
- Smith has been recognized twice by the Big 12 as Gymnast of the Week (1/22, 3/11).
- 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 112 perfect 10.0 scores all-time, with 81 of those performances coming at home in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
- The Red Rocks jumped back up to No. 4 in the Road to Nationals Rankings after posting a season-high 198.100-197.425 victory over then No. 4 UCLA on Saturday March 15, 2025.
- Utah earned season-high team scores on vault (49.425) and beam (49.600), and were business as usual on bars (49.525) and floor (49.550) against the Bruins.
- Senior Grace McCallum earned her first career perfect 10 on beam. She now has six perfect 10s in her career and has posted at least one 10 in three events (four on bars, one on floor, one on beam).
- Makenna Smith won the all-around with her second-highest score on all four events of 39.700. Smith also had the high scores on bars (9.95) and floor (9.975) which is a new career high for the junior. Smith's night rounded out with a 9.925 on vault, and a 9.85 on beam.
- Freshman Avery Neff wowed in only her second time competing in the all-around since her injury against Iowa State on Jan. 17. Neff posted career-highs of 9.95 on vault, 9.925 on bars, tied her career high on beam of 9.925, and earned a career-high all-around score of 39.675 which tied with McCallum for second.
Utah will get a week off from March 23-29, before turning their focus to hosting NCAA Regionals at the Huntsman Center April 2-5.
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