Things will look different for gymnastics in Utah this year.

For the first time since 2019, the Red Rocks will not field Maile O’Keefe or Abby Paulson. Paulson was a multiple-time All-American, a standout from the moment she stepped foot on campus in Salt Lake City. And O’Keefe, well, she’s an absolute front-runner for a program that’s already produced a ton of records. Realistically, O’Keefe has a case for being the best of them.

Given that Utah’s best player finished a season with O’Keefe and Paulson on the roster ranked third overall – even though the Red Rocks finished third in the national championships each of the last four years – and that neither will compete for Utah this year, the Red Rocks’ placement in the preseason rankings isn’t all that surprising.

In the WCGA (Women’s College Gymnastics Association) preseason poll, voted on by the coaches themselves, Utah is ranked No. 5 at the start of the 2025 season, behind Oklahoma, reigning national champion LSU, Florida and Cal.

The Tigers and Bears each defeated the Red Rocks in the national championship meet last year. Oklahoma has long been the dominant program in the sport. And Florida — on paper — may have the best selection of all-around talent on any team.

Given all of this, Utah’s placement makes sense.

Utah is now ranked No. 4 in the College Gym News preseason poll — compiled by CGN editors/writers — behind Oklahoma, LSU and Florida.

None of the rankings for Utah are egregious or anything. The Red Rocks are rightly considered one of the best teams in the country and a real threat in the fight for the national title.

And yet at the same time, Utah could be 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 participating writers picked Utah to win the national title, and nearly half of them didn’t see Utah even advancing to the Final Four this season.

The loss of O’Keefe and Paulson certainly contributed to these predictions for the Red Rocks.

Both gymnasts played for Utah repeatedly throughout their careers. Almost too many times to count. Both won unforgettable meetings with spectacular performances in their careers.

But the duo only completed five of Utah’s 22 practices in the national championship game last season. Of the 15 routines that earned a score of 9.90 or better for Utah, only four came from O’Keefe and Paulson.

Considering Alani Sabado’s uneven bars routine, Utah only needs to replace six routines from last year.

In theory, the Red Rocks did that and more.

Excellent first semester course

Utah produced 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 since CGN began evaluating gymnastics talent in 2021, according to College Gym News. Raposo is a member of the Canadian national team who was a legitimate threat to compete in the Paris Olympics before injuries derailed that effort short. And Johnson, well, she was a top 10 recruit in her class and has a national title (Level 10) on parallel bars to her credit.

Add in Great Britain national team member Poppy Grace-Stickler and it’s a freshman class that should be able to step in and contribute right away. In a meaningful and meaningful way.

“They are outstanding,” Utah coach Carly Dockendorf said. “Avery Neff is everything everyone dreamed Avery Neff would be. … Clara, your artistry is extraordinary. Her floor routines are so much fun and she can do a big jump and a great bar routine, so she’ll be great in the all-around. Zoe Johnson is just so powerful. And Poppy, who couldn’t compete at all last year because she was injured, has now shown that she can no longer run – literally no longer – by now doing and completing double layouts on the floor Performs bar and beam exercises. They will add so much depth and experience to our program.”

Lest you think this is just Dockendorf’s preseason hype, senior Grace McCallum was no less effusive in her praise for the freshmen.

“The newbies are really going to surprise people,” she said. “You nailed it in the gym. They were very confident and mastered their show routines, and that’s honestly something you don’t see often with freshmen because they’re nervous and it’s new. They looked great in the gym. They are a strong class.”

For good measure, Utah also added UCLA transfer Ana Padurariu in the offseason. Padurariu, a member of the Canadian national team, has a career-best score of 9.950 on bars and beam and won the silver medal on bars at the 2018 World Championships.

“She’s such a beautiful gymnast,” Dockendorf said. “And who she is as a person was very important to our program. She is such a caring and compassionate young woman.”

Another important addition was assistant coach Mike Hunger. Last year, Utah spent the entire season without a full complement of coaches. Hunger’s hiring rounds out the staff, and early evaluations suggest he’s done a lot to fix — or at worst mitigate — Utah’s vault woes of recent seasons.

“He’s the vault GOAT,” Dockendorf said. “His personality and demeanor are so…passionate and supportive. He really works with the athletes and that has been great. Our safes were huge and you can see the trust in their safes.”

returnees

However, it’s not just about the supplements.

There was much praise on the Hill about internal improvements.

Sophomore Ella Zirbes, who was a star freshman for Utah last season, appears primed to become one of the team’s best gymnasts overall this season. If she wasn’t already.

“She really needed this summer to get better everywhere,” Dockendorf said. “She really brought Beam into the spotlight. She was determined to be an all-rounder. …It showed. Her beam routine is beautiful.”

McCallum, who has been somewhat under the radar, came into her own at the end of last season – having fully recovered from a knee injury sustained in her second season – and appears to be on track for her best season her college career.

Elizabeth Gantner, Jaylene Gilstrap, Ashley Glynn, Amelie Morgan, Makenna Smith and Camie Winger are all also back after making key contributions for Utah last season. And the idea is that they’ve all gotten a little bit better. Some maybe more than a little.

(Jaedyn Rucker was expected to play one final season at Utah, but announced Thursday night that her career was over after tearing her Achilles tendon leading up to the Res Rocks Preview.)

At least that’s what Utah says.

depth

“I’m really excited about our depth this year,” Zirbes said. “It’s great. We’re showing most of the routines we’ve had at (the Red Rocks Preview) over the past few years.”

“We have had depth in the past, but not to this extent,” McCallum added. “I think we have almost 14 people at every event, which is crazy for us. And really any of these 14 people could step up and do a great job. This just shows how well prepared we are this year.”

It’s understandable that Utah isn’t one of the favorites to win a national title this season. The Red Rocks, who haven’t won a national championship in more than 25 years, are definitely in the proving stage. The program, the coaching staff and the gymnasts themselves.

People want Utah to do it again before they push the Red Rocks to the same level as Oklahoma (winners of three of the last five national titles), LSU (defending national champions) and Florida (2022 and 2023 national runners-up). particularly.

However, this could lead to the Red Rocks being somewhat underestimated. Especially this team.

“I want us to be the best we can be,” Dockendorf said. “So that each individual can give their best. And then we are a stronger team together. The gymnastics that we have, the quality of our skills, the depth that we have, that’s the quality of a national championship.

She added: “I think the sky is the limit for this team. I don’t think there’s a ceiling to what they’re capable of.”