Utah gymnastics head coach Tom Farden’s work on the recruiting trail paid off again Thursday, when five-star recruit Clara Raposo committed to the Red Rocks program.
Raposo made the announcement on social media, saying, “I can’t wait to be a part of this incredible team! Go Utes!!”
Raposo hails from Toronto in Ontario, Canada, and is the third gymnast in Utah’s 2024 recruiting class that is rated a five-star recruit by College Gym News.
Avery Neff, the No. 1 recruit in the country and a native Utahn, committed to the Red Rocks in November. The No. 7 recruit in the 2024 class, Zoe Johnson, committed to Utah in October.
Raposo is rated the No. 14 recruit overall by College Gym News.
With her addition, Utah is ranked No. 3 nationally in the 2024 recruiting class rankings. The Red Rocks trail only Florida and Michigan.
Raposo shared what led her to committing to the Red Rocks program in an Instagram post.
“Guess who is going to be a Red Rock?!” she wrote.
“When I tell you that I walked into my home away from home the moment I stepped on campus, I really mean it. It is everything I could ever want in a school. This recruiting process definitely isn’t easy and I really took my time making sure I found my perfect fit, but I finally have!”
Raposo — who has been a member of Canada’s Jr. National Team since 2019 and was the 2019 Elite Canada and Canadian Championships all-around silver medalist, explained she’ll make a run at the 2024 Olympics before arriving on Utah’s campus to compete for the Red Rocks.
“I am very honoured and excited to announce my verbal commitment to the University of Utah on a full ride athletic scholarship in the class of 2024! I will take the next year and a half to focus on trying a achieve my lifelong goal of representing Canada at the Paris 2024 Olympics and then I will begin my future as a Red Rock in the fall of 2024!,” she wrote.
“I feel so incredibly lucky that I am able to join such an prestigious program, with so many amazing athletes and coaches and I couldn’t have done it without all the amazing people that have helped me along the way! I can’t wait to be apart of this team!”