Things are going to look different this year for Utah gymnastics.
For the first time since 2019, the Red Rocks will not have Maile O’Keefe or Abby Paulson competing. Paulson was a multi-time All-American, a standout from the moment she stepped foot on campus in Salt Lake City. And O’Keefe, well she is an all-time great for a program that has produced its fair share of all-timers. Realistically, O’Keefe has an argument to being the best of them.
Given that the best Utah finished a season with O’Keefe and Paulson on the roster was third overall — albeit the Red Rocks finished third at the national championships each of the last four years — and that neither will be competing for Utah this year, the Red Rocks’ placement in preseason rankings isn’t all that surprising.
The WCGA (women’s collegiate gymnastics association) preseason poll — voted on by the coaches themselves — has Utah at No. 5 to start the 2025 season, behind Oklahoma, reigning national champion LSU, Florida and Cal.
The Tigers and Bears each beat the the Red Rocks in the national championship meet last year. Oklahoma is the longstanding dominant program in the sport. And Florida — on paper — may have the best collection of all-around talent on any team.
Given all that, Utah’s placement makes sense.
College Gym News’ preseason poll — compiled by CGN’s editors/writers — has Utah at No. 4 meanwhile, behind Oklahoma, LSU and Florida.
Neither placement for Utah is egregious or anything. The Red Rocks are rightfully considered one of the best teams in the country and a genuine threat to compete for the national title.
And yet, at the same time Utah may be getting overlooked.
In the WCGA poll, Utah received only one first-place vote. Oklahoma had 42, LSU had six, Florida had five and Cal had one.
In a CGN roundtable, none of the 13 writers who participated picked Utah to win the national title and nearly half of them didn’t have Utah advancing to the Final Four at all this season.
The loss of O’Keefe and Paulson surely played into those projections for the Red Rocks.
Both gymnasts came through time and again for Utah during their careers. Almost too many times to count. Both memorably won meets in their careers with clutch beam performances.
But the duo combined for just five of Utah’s 22 routines in the national championship meet last season. Of the 15 routines that scored a 9.90 or better for Utah, only four came from O’Keefe and Paulson.
Include Alani Sabado’s routine on uneven bars and Utah has to replace only six routines from last year.
In theory, the Red Rocks have done that and more.
Stellar freshman class
Utah brought in arguably the best freshman class in the country, with three five-star recruits in Avery Neff, Zoe Johnson and Clara Raposo.
Neff, a Utah native, is the highest-rated recruit — by College Gym News — since CGN started rating gymnastics prospects in 2021. Raposo is a Canadian national team member who was a legitimate threat to make it to the Paris Olympics before injuries cut that effort short. And Johnson, well, she was a top-10 recruit in her class and has a national title (Level 10) on bars to her name.
Throw in British national team member Poppy Grace-Stickler and it is a freshmen class that should be able to come in and contribute immediately. In a significant and meaningful way.
“They are outstanding,” Utah coach Carly Dockendorf said. “Avery Neff is everything everyone dreamed of Avery Neff being. ... Clara, her artistry is exceptional. Her floor routine is so fun and she can do a big vault and an awesome bar routine, so she is going to be amazing in the all-around. Zoe Johnson is just so powerful. And Poppy, who didn’t really get to compete last year at all because she was hurt, she showed up her not walking — literally not walking — to doing double layouts on floor now, doing full bar and beam routines. They are going to add so much depth and experience for our program.”
Lest you think it’s all preseason hype from Dockendorf, senior Grace McCallum was no less effusive with her praise of the freshmen.
“The freshmen are really going to surprise people,” she said. “They have been killing it in the gym. They’ve been super confident and hitting their show routines and that is honestly something you don’t see a lot from freshman because they are nervous and it is new. They looked great in the gym. They are a powerhouse class.”
For added measure, Utah also added UCLA transfer Ana Padurariu in the offseason. A Canadian national team member, Padurariu has career highs of 9.950 on both bars and beam and won the world the silver medal on beam at the 2018 world championships.
“She is such a beautiful gymnast,” Dockendorf said. “And who she is as a person has been huge for our program. She is such a caring and empathetic young woman.”
Another major addition was assistant coach Mike Hunger. Last year, Utah went the entire season without a full collection of coaches. Hunger’s hire fills out the staff and early reviews suggest he has done a great deal to fix — or at worst mitigate — Utah’s vault woes of the past few seasons.
“He is the vault GOAT,” Dockendorf said. “His personality and demeanor is so ... passionate and supportive. He really works collaboratively with the athletes and that has been huge. Our vaults have been massive and you can see the confidence in their vaults.”
Returnees
It isn’t about just the additions, though.
Internal improvement has been touted a lot up on the hill.
Sophomore Ella Zirbes, who was a star freshman for Utah last season, appears primed to emerge as one of the team’s best gymnasts overall this season. If she wasn’t that already.
“She really took this summer to get better everywhere,” Dockendorf said. “She really made beam a focus. She was determined to be an all-arounder. ... It showed. Her beam routine is beautiful”
McCallum, kind of under the radar, came into her own at the end of last season — after her recovery from a knee injury suffered during her sophomore season was complete — and appears on track for the best season of her college career.
Elizabeth Gantner, Jaylene Gilstrap, Ashley Glynn, Amelie Morgan, Makenna Smith and Camie Winger — they are all back too after being key contributors for Utah last season. And the idea is that they have all gotten a little bit better. Some maybe more than a little.
(Jaedyn Rucker was expected back for a final season with Utah, but announced Thursday night that her career is over after she tore her Achilles in the lead up to the Res Rocks Preview).
That is what Utah contends at least.
Depth
“I am really excited about our depth this year,” Zirbes said. “It is great. We are showing the most routines we have at (the Red Rocks Preview) in the last few years.”
“We’ve had depth in the past but not to this extent,” McCallum added. “I think we have close to 14 people on each event, which is insane for us. And really any of those 14 people could go up to compete and do a great job. That just shows how prepared we are this year.”
It is understandable that Utah isn’t considered one of the favorites to win a national title this season. The Red Rocks, who have gone 25-plus years without winning a national championship, are definitely in the prove it stage. The program, the coaching staff and the gymnasts themselves.
People want to see Utah do it again before slotting the Red Rocks into the same space as Oklahoma (winners of three of the last five national titles), LSU (defending national champs) and Florida (national runners-up in 2022 and 2023), especially.
That might have the Red Rocks being slightly underrated, though. This team especially.
“I want us to be the best that we can possibly be,” Dockendorf said. “For each individual to be the best that they can possibly be. And then collectively, we are a stronger team. The gymnastics that we have, the quality of skills that we have, the depth that we have, it is national championship quality.
She added, for good measure, “I think the sky is the limit for this team. I don’t think there is a cap on what they are capable of doing.”
