No. 5 Utah gymnastics records season-high road score in win over Arizona

Friday night in Tucson, Arizona, No. 5 Utah gymnastics competed in its final regular season Pac-12 dual meet.

And much like the Red Rocks have largely dominated since joining the league in 2012, they did so against the Arizona Wildcats one final time before both teams become members of the Big 12 Conference next season.

Led by a season-best effort on uneven bars plus an ever-consistent elite floor lineup, Utah recorded its second-highest score of the year — a 197.875 — which was much more than enough to defeat Arizona (195.725).

It was the Red Rocks’ highest road score of the season, too, meaning the team once again improved its national qualifying score (NQS) as well.

All told, it was a win in more ways than one, which is what teams look for as the regular season draws to a close.

“Just really proud of the team tonight,” Utah head coach Carly Dockendorf said, noting it was also the best score the Red Rocks have ever had at Arizona.

Junior Grace McCallum had one of the best overall meets of her collegiate career, highlighted by a perfect 10 on uneven bars. She now has three perfect 10s on that event, tying her with Utah great Missy Marlowe for the third-most in a career in program history.

McCallum also won the all-around title, one of four Red Rocks to win at least a share of an event title Friday, with seniors Maile O’Keefe, Jaylene Gilstrap and Jaedyn Rucker being the other three.

“I think I’ve learned to be myself and just go out and there and do what I know how to do,” McCallum said, reflecting on her historic performance. “I tend to overanalyze my gymnastics and be really hard on myself sometimes. This year I’ve tried make an effort to trust my training, not overthink things and just enjoy myself out on the floor.”

Defining moment

McCallum’s perfect score highlighted a bars rotation that was the best of the year for the Red Rocks. And it wasn’t particularly close.

Starting with Makenna Smith in the leadoff position, gymnast after gymnast did either their best of the season or close to it, outside of a fall from Alani Sabado.

McCallum led the way with her perfect routine, but freshman Ella Zirbes added a 9.925 as she continues to come into her own as a star for Utah.

What’s more, fellow freshman Camie Winger made her return to the lineup and didn’t disappoint either with a 9.875, matching O’Keefe’s score on the event.

In all, Utah didn’t count a score lower than a 9.850, showing off the potential that it has teased on bars all season long.

“I thought the team did an excellent job of dialing in on their landings,” Dockendorf said. “Much more than we have, and being intentional with their handstands.”

The performance all but put the meet away after a single rotation, a significant difference from previous weeks (against UCLA and Cal, specifically) when the Red Rocks weathered slow starts and had to rally to get back into things.

McCallum’s perfect 10 capped everything off, but it was a near complete team effort.

Standout routines

Outside of McCallum’s perfect routine, many Red Rocks had performances of note.

Foremost among them were a pair of floor routines from Gilstrap and Abby Paulson. The seniors scored a 9.950 and a 9.925, respectively, as part of a rotation that ended up being a 49.575.

For Gilstrap, it was a new career high and the latest in a string of slow but steadily improved performances.

For Paulson, meanwhile, it was more of the same, as she once again scored better than a 9.90. This one may have been her best yet, with her tumbling in particular standing out.

Those came as O’Keefe didn’t compete on floor. Dockendorf said O’Keefe landed short during warmups on floor and Dockendorf took her out of the lineup as a precautionary measure.

But O’Keefe did compete on beam, where she was nearly perfect with a 9.975.

McCallum made her return to the vault lineup and competed a 10.0 vault for the first time this season, the first time since she suffered a significant injury on the event last season.

“It means a lot to me to be back in the all-around,” she said. “I just love competing and I am a very competitive person, which is a good and a bad things sometimes.

“I love to keep the momentum going throughout the meet and it has been fun and exciting to go back out there and do vault. I missed it a lot.”

Zirbes continued her strong run of late too, with a 9.875 or better on three events.

Adjustments to make

For all the good, and there was plenty, there is still work to be done.

Leading up to the meet, Dockendorf expressed a need for better landings and though that happened on bars, it did not on vault.

No Red Rock stuck their vault, and multiple gymnasts took steps backward, always a more significant mistake than a step forward.

“The vaults, I really believe the athletes looked a lot more confident in their vaults tonight, even though we did take some steps,” Dockendorf said.

“I think some athletes were pressing a little hard for the stick, but it is going to take consistent training days and practice days to make adjustments appear at a meet.”

Beam, too, saw the Red Rocks make too many mistakes, both in dismounts and in other skills.

“We gave away some tenths (of a point) on some of our least challenging skills in our routines,” Dockendorf said, “but, you know, half of our lineup was new in our beam rotation tonight.”

As McCallum put it, there is work to be done. Across the board.

“I think the team has a lot more in them and we are slowly getting more confident and getting those details, fine tuning things,” she said. “... The more we practice those things the more you’ll see it in competition. I really think this team has so much more in them.”

The takeaway

Utah did what it needed to against Arizona, win and win in a big way. The Red Rocks once again improved their NQS, which in the race for postseason seeding matters dearly.

Now with their two highest scoring meets coming in the last three competitions, Utah is trending in the right direction. The team is getting better right as the regular season draws to a close.

“I think the scores definitely reflect the quality of our performance,” Dockendorf said. “I think it is accurate. We are peaking when we need to peak, at the right time and the whole culture and dynamic of our program is different this year and it is taking a while to start binding together and making it work together.

“Week after week we are believing in each other more and more and I think you are seeing that come out now, and it is going to continue to escalate from here.”