Completed Event: Gymnastics versus Big 12 Championship on March 21, 2026 , , 1st of 7 (197.675)
Final Score
Gymnastics
1st of 7 (197.675)
vs Big 12 Championship
The University of Utah Athletics
Photo by: University of Utah Athletics
Avery Neff, Ana Padurariu Pegged for Big 12 End of Year Awards
3/21/2026 7:18 PM | Gymnastics
Red Rocks duo earns Gymnast of the Year and Specialist of the Year
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah--  Avery Neff and Ana Padurariu were pegged for Big 12 end of year awards after Saturday's championship meet for their outstanding seasons with the No. 12 Red Rocks.
Neff earned the Big 12's Gymnast of the Year honor just a year after being named the Newcomer of the Year as a freshman. This is the second season in a row a Red Rocks athlete has been named the Big 12 Gymnast of the Year.
Padurariu earned Specialist of the Year—her first conference end of year award of her career.
In Neff's second season with Utah Gymnastics, she earned an all-around NQS of 39.630, which is best in the Big 12. Neff was also dominant in single events with an NQS of 9.920 on vault, 9.935 on bars, and 9.925 on beam—all of which also rank first in the conference. The South Jordan native's resume wraps up with an NQS of 9.895 on floor, placing her fifth in the Big 12.
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Neff was the first gymnast of the 2026 season to score a perfect 10 during the Sprouts Farmers Market Quad and proceeded to score two more (2 vault, 1 bars) while upping her career-highs on floor (9.95) and the all-around (39.700) from the previous season.
Utah's other big winner in Padurariu proved to be a consistent force on bars and beam for the Red Rocks from start to finish.
Padurariu is tied second in the Big 12 on bars and tied 14th nationally on the apparatus with an NQS of 9.925 and ties for seventh in the Big 12 on beam with an NQS of 9.880.
Utah's Canadian specialist earned a career-high (9.975) on bars during her Senior Day and matched her career-high (9.95) on beam one time through the 2026 season.
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Neff and Padurariu helped make a dent in the All-Big 12 honors earlier this week along with six of their fellow Red Rocks, to go along with their end of year recognitions.
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UP NEXT
Neff, Padurariu and the Red Rocks will find out their NCAA Regional fate on Monday, March 23 at 10 a.m. MT.
Fans can follow along on ESPNU.
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).
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH TODAY – UTAH 360
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Neff earned the Big 12's Gymnast of the Year honor just a year after being named the Newcomer of the Year as a freshman. This is the second season in a row a Red Rocks athlete has been named the Big 12 Gymnast of the Year.
Padurariu earned Specialist of the Year—her first conference end of year award of her career.
In Neff's second season with Utah Gymnastics, she earned an all-around NQS of 39.630, which is best in the Big 12. Neff was also dominant in single events with an NQS of 9.920 on vault, 9.935 on bars, and 9.925 on beam—all of which also rank first in the conference. The South Jordan native's resume wraps up with an NQS of 9.895 on floor, placing her fifth in the Big 12.
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Nationally, Neff has turned heads too, tying fourth in the all-around, eighth on vault, 10th on bars, and 13th on beam.
Neff was the first gymnast of the 2026 season to score a perfect 10 during the Sprouts Farmers Market Quad and proceeded to score two more (2 vault, 1 bars) while upping her career-highs on floor (9.95) and the all-around (39.700) from the previous season.
Utah's other big winner in Padurariu proved to be a consistent force on bars and beam for the Red Rocks from start to finish.
Padurariu is tied second in the Big 12 on bars and tied 14th nationally on the apparatus with an NQS of 9.925 and ties for seventh in the Big 12 on beam with an NQS of 9.880.
Utah's Canadian specialist earned a career-high (9.975) on bars during her Senior Day and matched her career-high (9.95) on beam one time through the 2026 season.
Â
Neff and Padurariu helped make a dent in the All-Big 12 honors earlier this week along with six of their fellow Red Rocks, to go along with their end of year recognitions.
Â
UP NEXT
Neff, Padurariu and the Red Rocks will find out their NCAA Regional fate on Monday, March 23 at 10 a.m. MT.
Fans can follow along on ESPNU.
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).
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH TODAY – UTAH 360
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Players Mentioned
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