No. 2 Utah (4-0, 197.438) vs. No. 14 Arizona State (0-1, 196.275)
When: Friday, 7 p.m. MST
Venue: Huntsman Center (15,000 capacity), Salt Lake City
TV: Pac-12 Network
Radio: ESPN 700
Livestream: Pac-12 Networks Live
Series: Utah holds a commanding edge over Arizona State in the all-time series, with an 82-16-1 record, including a near perfect 37-2 record against the Sun Devils in Salt Lake City. The Red Rocks have won the last 31 meetings between the programs, with Utah’s last loss coming nearly 20 years ago (2003). Last year, Utah and Arizona State met four times during the regular season and postseason, the most competitive matchup coming in Tempe, when the Red Rocks defeated the Sun Devils 197.450 to 197.150.
The stakes
For Utah: Ranked No. 2 in the country following a historic win over No. 4 Oklahoma, Utah is off to arguably the best start to a season in program history, and is seen as one of the preeminent threats to win a national title. The Red Rocks haven’t lost to a Pac-12 opponent since 2019, when UCLA defeated Utah on multiple occasions. Since then, the Red Rocks have won back-to-back conference titles, without dropping a single conference meet.
For Arizona State: The Sun Devils are coming off their best year since 2006. Arizona State finished the 2021 season ranked No. 9 in the country and was extremely competitive in the NCAA Regional Final in West Valley City, tying with Kentucky for third place, behind Utah and LSU. The Sun Devils had their first two meets of the 2022 season canceled due to COVID-19, then lost the season opener against Michigan. The 196.275 ASU scored against the Wolverines, however, was the highest season opening score in program history.
The gymnasts
For Utah: The Red Rocks have their deepest team in years and that has led to great balance. After Week 1, four Utah gymnasts were honored by the Pac-12: Cristal Isa (Gymnast of the Week), Jaedyn Rucker (Specialist of the Week), Amelie Morgan (Freshman/Newcomer of the Week) and Jillian Hoffman (Coaches Choice). Following Week 2, Grace McCallum (Freshman/Newcomer of the Week) and Sage Thompson (Specialist of the Week) joined the club of honorees. McCallum (3), Isa (2), Maile O’Keefe (1), Rucker (1), and Thompson (1) all have event wins this season.
For Arizona State: The Sun Devils returned 15 gymnasts from last year and are led by all-around star Hannah Scharf. Scharf won seven all-around titles in 2021 and earned second-team NCAA All-American honors on bars and regular season All-American honors in the all-around. Scharf has already picked up where she left off, scoring a 39.475 against Michigan, with no event score lower than a 9.850. Additionally, freshman Alex Theodorou and sophomore Emily White have already proven to be impact gymnasts for the Sun Devils.
Next up
The Red Rocks host Stanford. The Cardinal had arguably the most difficult 2021 season of any collegiate gymnastics program that competed last year. Four of Stanford’s first five meets were canceled and the Cardinal struggled to recover after that. Thus far, 2022 appears significantly improved though. The Cardinal barely and controversially lost to Cal in their season opener, scoring a 196.275. Fifth year senior Kyla Bryant had the best meet of her career, winning three event titles and posting an NCAA-leading all-around score of 39.675.
Utah schedule
Jan. 7 — vs. No. 19 Southern Utah, No. 22 BYU and No. 23 Utah State (Best of Utah)
Jan. 14 — vs No. 4 Oklahoma
Jan. 21 — vs. No. 14 Arizona State, 7 p.m.
Jan. 29 — vs. No. 14 Stanford, 2 p.m.
Feb. 4 — at UCLA, 8 p.m.
Feb. 12 — at No. 12 Cal, 5 p.m.
Feb. 18 — vs. No. 20 Oregon State, 6 p.m.
Feb. 21 — at Washington, 7 p.m.
Feb. 25 — at No. 21 Arizona, 6:30 p.m.
March 4 — vs. No. 6 Minnesota, 7 p.m.
March 11 — at No. 5 LSU, 6:30 p.m.
March 19 — Pac-12 Championships
All times MST