There were a lot of checked boxes on Friday night as the 15th-ranked Utah gymnastics team defeated Arizona 197.125-195.975. The Red Rocks had the solid start they wanted, and arguably deserved an even …
There were a lot of checked boxes on Friday night as the 15th-ranked Utah gymnastics team defeated Arizona 197.125-195.975.
The Red Rocks had the solid start they wanted, and arguably deserved an even better bars score from the judges than 49.25.
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They also were able to carry over their momentum from bars and keep rolling with an even better result on vault (49.40).
Maybe most importantly, they showed they can score in the 197.000 range even with some mistakes across events.
“One of our goals was to score over a 197.000, and obviously we did that on the road, which is a really big step for us,” said Utah coach Carly Dockendorf.
The final score was the Red Rocks’ second-best of the season and their best since Jan. 12.
On bars, it was the latter part of the lineup that led the way, as Ella Zirbes, Ana Padurariu and Avery Neff reeled off three 9.90s in a row to tie for the event title.
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That closing effort helped Utah avoid counting both of its earlier scores under 9.725.
Zirbes was even better in her next effort to win vault with a 9.925, while Zoe Johnson had a 9.9. The Red Rocks didn’t produce a score lower than 9.85 on vault, including their throw away.
“Vault was so fun to watch tonight,” Dockendorf said. “The crowd was into it, the team was into it and just amazing execution and much better control on our landings.
“Zoe’s vault was just massive, and (she) stuck that cold.”
The box Utah didn’t get to check off was a solid four-event meet because floor couldn’t match its outcome from a week ago.
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The Red Rocks finished with a 48.925 after some missteps on landings, including an out of bounds deduction from Johnson and some lower scores, one of which (Makenna Smith’s 9.75) is being queried to learn why it was scored so low.
While the event didn’t go the way Utah wanted it to, another checked box was the Red Rocks’ response to the mistakes.
“I think this (meet) was a big step for us tonight,” Dockendorf said. “Part of that big step was we still did make mistakes, but it was how we responded.”
The response to floor was beam, and it was a good one as the Red Rocks delivered their highest beam score of the season at 49.550.
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Utah’s beamers who hit were solid from start to finish, and those in the bottom of the lineup didn’t flinch after Sara Krump fell in the third spot.
Padurariu’s answer earned her a 9.925, but her great routine was quickly one-upped by her teammates Neff and Camie Winger, who both recorded 9.95s.
Their career-tying performances earned them a shared event title.
Overall, Neff was very good Friday as she won the all-around with a 39.625. The sophomore standout has had a few bumps in the road this season and a few big highlights, including recording the first 10.0 of the year in the country early in January.
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Her ceiling is high and it seems like she has found her groove to get there.
“Sometimes it takes a few meets to remind yourself of what you need,” Dockendorf said. “I really think she’s putting her formula together to do what we all know Avery Neff can do.”
Event winners
All-Around — Avery Neff (Utah); 39.625
Vault — Ella Zirbes (Utah); 9.925
Bars — Ella Zirbes, Ana Padurariu and Avery Neff (Utah); 9.90
Beam — Avery Neff and Camie Winger (Utah); 9.95
Floor — Avery Neff (Utah), Emma Strom (Arizona), 9.9
Next up
Utah is back at the Huntsman Center to host No. 23 BYU next Friday.
Source: Utah News