The postseason — some might call it the best season — has arrived.
Starting Thursday evening against No. 13 Stanford, Denver and either BYU or Utah State, Utah will compete for the chance to advance to the NCAA gymnastics championships and contend for a national title.
From here on out, the Red Rocks must finish in the top two in their meets — four-team meets all — in order to advance to the national championship meet itself. Do it twice, on Thursday and again on Saturday, and Utah is in.
Ranked No. 4 in the country, Utah should get there. The Red Rocks should advance to nationals for a record 49th time. Once there, the Red Rocks could end their national title drought. There are lot of compelling reasons why all of that will happen. But there are also more than a few compelling reasons why it won't.
Makenna Smith celebrates after her floor routine as Utah and UCLA compete in gymnastics at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 15, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Let's get some of the obvious out of the way first.
Utah is likely to advance to the national championships because that is what Utah has always done. Quite literally. Utah has qualified for the national championships 48 times, the maximum amount possible. The Red Rocks have never missed the national championships —pre-NCAA and throughout the NCAA era of the sport. Utah is the only program in the country that can say that.
Moreover, Utah is hosting regionals this year and the Red Rocks are pretty close to unbeatable in the Huntsman Center. Utah is 45-1 on campus over the last decade. The only loss was in 2019 against a great UCLA team, at that time the defending national champs. Forty-five other teams have visited the Huntsman Center in the last 10 years and none of them have walked away victorious.
There are a lot more reasons to believe Utah will make it back to nationals, though, and once there maybe even win the program's first national championship in 30 years.
Utah's Camie Winger competes on the beam during a gymnastics meet against Arizona at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. Utah won. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Correlation is not causation. But of the last 27 national champions, 25 have finished the regular season ranked in the top six on every event. The only exceptions — Georgia in 2005 and Michigan in 2021.
Which is to say, women's gymnastics isn't a sport where underdogs and Cinderellas succeed. It has been demonstrated over and over again that you have to be a proven great team — consistently — in order to have a real chance to win a national title.
And Utah has been consistently great this season.
Entering the postseason, Utah ranks:
No. 3 on balance beam
No. 4 on uneven bars
No. 6 on floor exercise and vault
The Red Rocks are one of only four teams ranked in the top six on every event this year, the others being No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 3 Florida.
In theory, teams can peak at the right time in the postseason but in practice teams generally don't suddenly perform the best they have all season in the postseason. This makes Utah's consistent success a strong selling point for the Red Rocks' postseason potential.
Avery Neff spots the top bar during her routine as Utah and UCLA compete in gymnastics at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 15, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Speaking of consistent success, Utah has a trio of all-around gymnasts who rival almost anyone in the sport and give the Red Rocks a realistic chance to beat any team they face. Grace McCallum (Big 12 Gymnast of the Year), Makenna Smith and Avery Neff (Big 12 Newcomer of the Year) have been that good this season.
McCallum and Smith are both ranked in the top 10 nationally in the all-around, giving Utah a pair of top-10 gymnasts, which only Oklahoma, LSU and Florida also can say.
Neff missed too much time due to injury to rank nearly as high, but she has demonstrated top-level potential on multiple occasions. Her season-high all-around score of 39.675 is tied for the 16th best score by any gymnast this season.
Since Neff returned from injury Utah hasn't scored worse than a 197.225 in a meet and has registered both of its 198 scores this season.
McCallum, Neff and Smith combine to compete 50% of Utah's routines every meet and for the most part that is a good thing. McCallum and Smith both boast a national qualifying score (NQS) of 9.9 or better on floor, while McCallum has a NQS of 9.9 or better on bars and beam, and Smith does on vault. Neff also accomplishes that feat on beam.
The Red Rocks talked often about their depth early in the year, depth that was tested by season-ending injuries to Jaedyn Rucker, Poppy-Grace Stickler and shorter term injuries dealt to Neff, Johnson and Ana Padurariu, to name a few. That McCallum, Smith and Neff have secured all-around spots for themselves as the season has progressed only speaks to how well the three have competed, especially lately.
Utah's success this postseason will be determined largely by how the three all-arounders perform and that seems to be a good thing.
Utah's Makenna Smith competes in the floor exercise during the NCAA women's gymnastics championships in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday, April 18, 2024. | Tony Gutierrez
In each of the last four years Utah has finished the season the exact same way — No. 3 overall.
The thing is, in none of those seasons were the Red Rocks expected to finish that well.
Lets go back:
In 2021, Utah ended the regular season ranked No. 6, behind Oklahoma, Florida, LSU, Michigan and Cal. The Red Rocks managed to upset LSU twice in the postseason, though, in the regional final and in the national semifinals, upsets that secured the Red Rocks a berth in the national championship meet.
In 2022, Utah ended the regular season ranked No. 4. The Red Rocks didn't need to overachieve as much to get to the national championship but once there the Red Rocks did enough to edge out Auburn for third in the final meet of the season.
In 2023, Utah was ranked No. 5 overall entering the postseason. Again, the Red Rocks overachieved based on their seeding. Utah upset UCLA in the regional final in L.A. to earn a spot at nationals and then upset both Oklahoma and UCLA in the national semifinal, eliminating the rival Bruins in the process.
Last season, Utah was ranked No. 5 before the postseason. The Red Rocks edged out Florida in the national semifinals, benefitting at the same time by the collapse of Oklahoma to secure a fourth-straight berth in the national championship meet.
That little recap was all to say one thing — Utah knows how to stay alive in postseason competition.
Over and over again the Red Rocks have pulled out the sort of meet needed at the right time to get back to the national championship meet. At times they've benefitted from others' mistakes, and at others they've had meets of the year at the needed time.
The majority of the Utah team that defeated Florida and Oklahoma in the national semifinals last year (and Florida in the national championship meet) is back this year. And those who are gone — Rucker, Maile O'Keefe, Abby Paulson and Alani Sabado — have been replaced by Neff (four routines), Johnson (one routine) and Ashley Glynn (three routines).
This is a Utah team that knows how to rise to the occasion.
The Utah Red Rocks' Ashley Glynn and student assistant coach Maile O'Keefe hug after Glynn's vault during a meet against Utah State at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
More than anything else, reason to believe in Utah this spring boils down to this — the Red Rocks seem to genuinely believe in themselves. And it all goes back to the fall.
O'Keefe, one of the all-time greats in the program turned student coach, addressed the team during its annual retreat. A Red Rock for five years — from 2020 through 2024 — O'Keefe told the Red Rocks that during her career a few of her teammates genuinely believed Utah could win a national title, year after year. But in her estimation, the entire team never adopted that belief. Not once during her five years competing.
"She really never felt like the team truly believed that they were good enough to win," Utah coach Carly Dockendof said.
That struck Dockendorf.
Since she joined the Utah staff ahead of the 2018 season, Dockendorf had gone to nationals every year and had watched Utah and its competition at the national championships.
"We're just as good technically as they are," Dockendorf said, "but a lot of those teams just believe that they're really great and we've just believed that we're good."
So Dockendorf set out to change that this year.
"I just felt like the mind is such a powerful thing," she said. "And if we don't talk about it (winning a national title) then I don't know if it would happen. It doesn't necessarily mean that they all will believe, but at least we've had the conversation and we've acknowledged it. And we really do need to believe that we can go for it and we can do it, otherwise it definitely won't happen."
Whether the entire team believes or not, gymnasts have taken notice. Including Padurariu, a transfer from UCLA.
"Honestly, I was really happy when I heard her (Dockendorf) say that (in the preseason)," Padurariu said. "Because that's something that I felt like was missing at UCLA too when I was there. And it was just good to see someone of authority had the same perspective."
Utah has had its highs and lows during the season, something Padurariu attributes to the team looking ahead to nationals and not focusing on the meet in front of them. But the team has figured out that challenge — Padurariu said Utah has made a concerted effort to focus on "the task at hand" as the season has gone on.
And now that the postseason has arrived, the national championship belief hasn't disappeared.
Utah's Ashley Glynn performs her vault routine during a meet against Denver at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
For all the reasons to be excited about Utah's potential this postseason, and there are many beyond what are listed above, there are also real reasons to doubt the Red Rocks.
Utah has weaknesses, genuine holes in its gymnastics, that could prevent the team from accomplishing all of its goals. There is, this season especially, no perfect gymnastics team. No one has scored a perfect 200 in a meet, let alone a 199.
There is reason for trepidation regarding a national title run for the Red Rocks. And even Utah extending its record streak of trips to nationals.
Utah's Jaylene Gilstrap, performs on the floor as BYU and Utah compete in Gymnastics at the Marriott Center in Provo on Friday January 24, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
The Red Rocks have been at their best this season inside the state of Utah. And lucky for them — by way of smart scheduling — Utah has competed in the state of Utah a lot.
Eight of Utah's 12 meets during the season (including the Big 12 championships) were competed in the Beehive State. That includes five meets at the Huntsman Center, another two meets at the Maverik Center in West Valley City and a final meet in Provo against BYU.
Not coincidentally, Utah's best five scoring meets this season all happened in Utah. At home against Arizona, Denver and UCLA and at the Maverik Center for the Best of Utah and the Big 12 championships.
Utah's highest away score — not registered in Utah — was a 197.425 recorded in a loss to Florida/win over West Virginia in Morgantown. And three of Utah's lowest-scoring meets of the season all happened on the road not in Utah.
Regionals will take place in Utah, at the Huntsman Center, so there is little reason to doubt that the Red Rocks will advance to nationals. But the national championships are in Fort Worth, Texas, and Utah hasn't proven to be at its best away from Utah this year. And in order to contend for a national title, the Red Rocks will have to be at their absolute best.
The lack of high road scores is the reason that, in College Gym News' postseason simulator , Utah has the third-best odds of getting to nationals of any team but those odds drop to fifth when it comes to actually making the national championship meet itself. There is real reason to doubt that the Red Rocks can be elite outside the comforts of Utah.
The Red Rocks aren't concerned, though. Dockendorf noted that Utah's performance against Florida and West Virginia was better than the score indicated. And Dickies Arena — the site of the national championships — has become something of a home away from home.
Since 2019, Utah has competed nine times at Dickies Arena. That is the third-most meets in any venue for Utah over that six year stretch (not including this season), behind only the Huntsman Center and the Maverik Center. Utah is comfortable competing in Fort Worth.
Utah Red Rocks' Ella Zirbes competes in the floor routine during a gymnastics meet against Iowa State University held at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
As previously mentioned, McCallum, Neff and Smith combine for 50% of Utah's competed routines in any given meet at this point in the season. Utah has a roster of 14 healthy gymnasts and three account for half of the scores.
But it goes beyond that. In addition to McCallum, Neff and Smith, Glynn and Ella Zirbes both regularly compete in three events. That means that 18 of Utah's 24 routines in meets at this point are contributed by five people. Throw Amelie Morgan into the mix and 20 of the Red Rocks' 24 routines are competed by six gymnasts.
By way of comparison, in last year's national championship meet Utah had 12 gymnasts compete on at least one event, with only two all-arounders and two three-event gymnasts.
Is it a bad thing to rely on a few really talented gymnasts over a collection of a lot of really good ones?
There is room for debate. On the one hand, gymnasts competing on many events are doing so for a reason. They are the best gymnasts available. And it can work out. LSU won the national title with 10 gymnasts competing last year and of that group two competed in the all-around and another two on three events.
But the reality of relying heavily on a small number of gymnasts means that if one of those gymnasts has a bad day it has the potential to completely ruin a meet. One bad event could bleed into another and another. That is all it takes. And you can only drop four scores during a meet.
Utah has, for the most part, avoided that issue this season, though not completely. And as the stakes rise, the pressure mounts, putting more and more on the shoulders of a select few.
Utah's Grace McCallum competes on the vault during a gymnastics meet against Arizona at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. Utah won. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
All season long Utah has talked optimistically about its vault lineup. For good reason.
The Red Rocks have regularly competed six 10.0-valued vaults this year and haven't made it a norm to sit those vaults. Falls, which in past seasons happened more than wanted, have been almost nonexistent.
Between Glynn, McCallum, Smith, Neff and Zirbes, Utah has five gymnasts who have scored a 9.9 or better on the event this season. Many of them multiple times. And with Johnson added to the lineup late, the potential for the group has never been higher.
The problem is Utah is still relying on potential more than actual performance still.
Utah's season-high score on vault this year is a 49.425. Five other teams have bested that mark and by a good margin, by nearly two tenths of a point. The Red Rock's NQS on vault is 49.325, far below what LSU, Florida, Oklahoma and Michigan State have all demonstrated (the Spartans have the worst NQS of that group with a 49.460).
Vault has consistently been Utah's lowest scoring event this season. On a week-to-week basis, per Road to Nationals , the Red Rocks have yet to average a 49.4 on vault, while they've done that and more on the other three events.
The biggest issue has been that the entire lineup has struggled to compete at its best together.
When Smith was on fire, sticking vault after vault, she was largely alone with her success. Early in the season, when Neff was sticking her vaults, she was the only one. Glynn has demonstrated considerable skill on the event, but when she's been great no other Red Rock has.
Multiple Red Rocks have scored a 9.9 or better on vault in the same meet only three times this season — against Arizona, UCLA and at the conference championships. And in every one of those instances it only two Red Rocks scored a 9.9 or better.
The potential is there, but it is still just potential at this point.
LSU gymnast Kailin Chio competes on the floor against Arkansas during an NCAA gymnastics meet on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Fayetteville, Ark. | Michael Woods
College gymnastics isn't what it once was. There is more talent, more money and more competition than ever before.
LSU, Oklahoma and Florida have all, at one point this season or another, demonstrated clearly that they are contenders to win the national title in 2025. And all have, based on the scores, proven to have a higher ceiling than Utah does.
It isn't just that trio of blue bloods, though.
UCLA has made a resurgence and is ranked No. 5 overall with one of the biggest scores of the year by any team.
Cal remains a dangerous team, even if the Bears have taken a slight step back this season after finishing No. 2 last season.
And then there are teams like Missouri, Michigan State, Kentucky, Georgia, Stanford and Arkansas, all of whom have scored a 197.775 or better this year. Missouri and Michigan State have each broken the 198 barrier.
There is no such thing as an easy path to nationals anymore. And Utah might have the most difficult path of all.
UCLA and Stanford are both coming to Salt Lake City and both of those programs have competed in the Huntsman Center many times. Both are conference champions — UCLA in the Big Ten, Stanford in the ACC. Stanford in particular has also proven adept at upsetting higher seeded teams in the postseason.
It isn't just those two teams, though. Also coming to Salt Lake City for regionals is Denver and the Pioneers scored their season-high in the Huntsman Center earlier this year – a 197.525. Minnesota is coming as well, and though the Golden Gophers aren't what they once were they are still a solid Big Ten program.
Utah is a favorite to get back to nationals for a reason, but there is more parity than ever before in the sport. And parity brings upsets and surprises.
And if the Red Rocks get back to nationals it is likely that every team they'll face has proven to have the same high end potential. On paper at least, it has never been harder to win a national title.
Utah's Grace McCallum talks with Utah Red Rocks head coach Carly Dockendorf while preparing for her beam routine during the Big 12 gymnastics championship at the Maverik Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
