Avery Neff, Ana Padurariu and Ella Zirbes closed out the 2026 season for Utah gymnastics Thursday night in the second semifinal of the NCAA championship.
While the trio isn’t walking away with any individual hardware, each had a strong outing after qualifying as individual competitors in their respective events.
It was a positive ending to a roller coaster season in which Utah did not advance as a team to the national championship, snapping a 49-year streak.
Neff qualified in the all-around. She had a slow start to her night with a 9.8 on bars after her landing didn’t stick, but she settled in and scored a 9.9 on beam in the second rotation.
Neff then notched her best floor routine of the year for a 9.9375 and finished out her meet with a 9.875 on vault.
The Utah native’s 39.5125 in the all-around landed seventh overall after both semis’ scores were tallied.
Padurariu competed on beam, which she did in the first rotation. The senior capped off her collegiate career with a 9.85 and a huge smile after her landing.
Zirbes competed in the second rotation and recorded a 9.925 for what was her best floor set of the season. It was a great response after the junior had to step out of her starting position due to what appeared to be a music mishap.
Both Neff and Zirbes are primed to return to Utah next year and will be key components of a team hungry for a return to the national championship.
Semi notes
The first semifinal saw Florida and LSU advance, and it was Oklahoma and Minnesota in the second semi. The Golden Gophers’ upset over UCLA marks their first trip to the NCAA finals.
It was Minnesota and UCLA that knocked Utah out of the championship in the regional final earlier this month.
The team final is Saturday at 2 p.m. MDT.
Semifinal 1 - Scores
Florida, 197.7875
LSU, 197.4375
Georgia, 197.2625
Stanford, 196.9375
Semifinal 2 – Scores
Oklahoma, 198.3000
Minnesota, 197.4625
UCLA, 197.2750
Arkansas, 196.9625
Individual champions
All-Around – Faith Torrez (Oklahoma); 39.7875
Vault – Keira Wells (Oklahoma); 9.975
Bars – Riley McCusker (Florida); 9.9875
Beam – Brooklyn Rowray (Minnesota); 9.9625
Floor– Jordan Chiles (UCLA); 9.975