No. 2 Utah (5-0, 197.425) vs. No. 19 Stanford (1-3, 196.000)
When: Saturday, 2 p.m. MST
Venue: Huntsman Center (15,000 capacity), Salt Lake City
TV: None
Radio: 105.5 Kool FM
Livestream: Pac-12 Insider
Series: In what will be a recurring theme this season, Utah has been by far the better team in the series with Stanford. The Utes are 38-6 overall against the Stanford and a near perfect 15-1 in Salt Lake City. The Red Rocks have won the last 17 matchups against the Cardinal, with their last loss coming more than a decade ago in 2011. Utah and Stanford did not meet during the regular season in 2021, and in 2020 the Red Rocks defeated the Cardinal 197.150-196.725.
The stakes
For Utah: Ranked No. 2 in the country for the second consecutive week, the Red Rocks have been the best team in the country not named Michigan through the opening three weeks of the season. After defeating Arizona State in its conference opener, Utah has not lost to a Pac-12 opponent since 2019. The Red Rocks have won back-to-back conference titles and have now won 15 straight regular season Pac-12 meets.
For Stanford: The Cardinal have competed twice this season, against Cal and in an Arizona quad meet with Oklahoma, Utah State and Arizona. The Cardinal recorded a 196.275 against the Bears, before dropping off slightly with a 195.725 the following week. After last season, during which Stanford only competed five times, a return to normalcy has been welcome in Palo Alto. The Cardinal are battling to remain a mid-tier Pac-12 program, behind Utah and Cal and in the same conversation with Oregon State, Arizona State and UCLA.
The gymnasts
For Utah: As one of the best teams in the country, Utah boasts its fair share of top gymnasts, including Cristal Isa, Maile O’Keefe, Grace McCallum, Alexia Burch, Lucy Stanhope and Jillian Hoffman, all of whom rank in the top 25 nationally on at least one event. McCallum (4), Isa (3), Burch (1), Hoffman (1), O’Keefe (1), Jaedyn Rucker (1), Stanhope (1), and Sage Thompson (1) all have event wins this season, and Isa, Rucker, Thompson, Hoffman, McCallum and Amelie Morgan have all been honored by the Pac-12.
For Stanford: The Cardinal have one of the larger rosters in the Pac-12, with 21 gymnasts, and none are more important than senior Kyla Bryant. Bryant is currently ranked seventh nationally in the all-around, while also coming in at No. 10 on bars and No. 19 on floor. In addition to Bryant, Brenna Neault is ranked No. 31 on bars, the only other Cardinal ranked in the top 50 on any event.
Next up
The Red Rocks travel to Los Angeles to take on rival UCLA. Either the Bruins or Utes have won the Pac-12 every year since 2014, with both teams claiming four Pac-12 championships (Utah has won both regular season Pac-12 titles). Recently, though, UCLA has fallen off (at least in regards to traditional success). Last season, the Bruins failed to qualify for the NCAA championships, and so far this year UCLA is No. 24 in the country, ranked behind five other Pac-12 teams.
Utah schedule
Jan. 7 — vs. No. 19 Southern Utah, No. 21 BYU and No. 23 Utah State (Best of Utah)
Jan. 14 — vs No. 3 Oklahoma
Jan. 21 — vs. No. 16 Arizona State
Jan. 29 — vs. No. 19 Stanford, 2 p.m.
Feb. 4 — at No. 24 UCLA, 8 p.m.
Feb. 12 — at No. 11 Cal, 5 p.m.
Feb. 18 — vs. No. 14 Oregon State, 6 p.m.
Feb. 21 — at Washington, 7 p.m.
Feb. 25 — at Arizona, 6:30 p.m.
March 4 — vs. No. 7 Minnesota, 7 p.m.
March 11 — at No. 6 LSU, 6:30 p.m.
March 19 — Pac-12 Championships
All times MST