Red Rocks put up third highest score in school history

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – Behind two Perfect 10s and season highs on three events, fourth-ranked Utah Gymnastics posted its best third-best score in program history to defeat the sixth-ranked California Golden Bears 198.550-197.550 on Friday night.

Maile O’Keefe posted a career-high 39.750 in the all-around to win the title in her all-around season debut. She earned her seventh career Perfect 10 on beam to sit alone at the top of the record book, breaking the tie for the school record of 10.0s in a career on beam with Theresa Kulikowski (1999-2003), who earned six during her career. Also earning perfection on Friday night was Jaedyn Rucker, who scored the first 10.0 of her career on vault to win the event title.

Along with her all-around and beam title, O’Keefe also won a share of the bars and floor titles. Abby Brenner took a share of the bars title for the first win of her Utah career, while Abby Paulson took a share of the floor title with a career high 9.95.

Utah snapped out of its short-lived vault troubles the previous two meets by posting a 49.525 in the opening rotation to match its season high. The Red Rocks saw a 9.85 in the season vault debut of O’Keefe before Brenner tacked on a season-high 9.90. Jaylene Gilstrap and Makenna Smith each contributed 9.825s, while the turn of the rotation came in the final two vaults.

Jillian Hoffman fired off a stuck Yurchenko 1.5 for a 9.95 and Rucker followed behind with another stick, which earned her the first Perfect 10 of her career. The 10.0 on vault for Rucker was the first perfect score by a Ute on vault since the 2020 season. Despite the big rotation, Utah trailed Cal by 0.050 following the Bears’ performance on bars.

The Red Rocks continued the momentum on bars and began the set with consecutive 9.875s by Amelie Morgan and Smith. Brenner continued her hot start to the night and matched a career-high mark on bars with a 9.95. Sage Thompson recorded a 9.90 to keep the big scores coming, while O’Keefe (9.95) and Cristal Isa (9.925) rounded out the lineup with two more exceptional routines. Utah posted a season high 49.600 on bars to take a 99.125-98.725 lead at the halfway point.  

The Ute beam team put on a show like any other week and totaled a 49.750, which was just 0.025 shy of matching a season high/school record mark. Morgan posted a season-high 9.925 and Smith added a 9.875 right after. Utah received consecutive 9.975s for the second week in a row from Paulson and Kara Eaker. Rounding out the scoring five was O’Keefe, who etched herself in history with her seventh Perfect 10 on beam in her career to sit alone at the top of the record book.

After extending the lead, the floor team put up a season high 49.675 to wrap up the meet in dominating fashion. Utah started the set with 9.925s from Brenner and Gilstrap (career high), while Paulson posted a career-best 9.95 to keep the momentum going. Smith added a season-high 9.925 to complete her season-high night in the all-around (39.500), before Rucker (9.875) and O’Keefe (9.95) put an exclamation point on the competition.

The Red Rocks next go up against Arizona for its final home meet of the season next Friday, March 3.