Name: Kennedi McClain
Club: Olympus Gymnastics
High School Graduation Year: 2022
NCAA Team: Southern Utah
Commitment Announcement: Instagram
Social Handles: Twitter | Instagram
Personal Bests
| Vault | Uneven Bars | Balance Beam | Floor Exercise |
| 9.750 | 9.525 | 9.700 | 9.675 |
Videos
| Vault | Uneven Bars | Balance Beam | Floor Exercise |
| 2020 California Grand Invitational | 2020 California Grand Invitational | 2020 California Grand Invitational | 2020 California Grand Invitational |
About Kennedi
McClain is a four-time Region 1 regionals qualifier. There, she tied for bronze on beam in 2016 and on floor in 2017. Between 2016 and 2019, she also won several medals at the Utah state meet. Among them, she won the all around, bars, beam and floor in 2016; she tied for the floor title in 2018; and was crowned beam champion in 2019. Her sister Karley is also a gymnast at Southern Utah.
What She Brings to Southern Utah
Vault
- Skill: Yurchenko full
- Results: 2016 Utah state champion
- Margin of Improvement: McClain’s vault is quite solid, but she does not achieve much amplitude and tends to pike down on the landing.
- Impact on the Team: SUU’s best vaulters will have graduated once McClain gets to college. Her vault, with some improvement, could make the first half of the lineup.
Uneven Bars
- Skills: Tkatchev, Pak salto, blind full to double tuck dismount
- Results: tied second place at the 2019 Utah state meet
- Margin of Improvement: McClain has leg separations on all her major elements, but her handstands are impressive. Two more years of club gymnastics will help with her execution.
- Impact on the Team: In 2023, SUU’s bar lineup will look very different from how it looks today. McClain still has some room for improvement, but she will be in contention for a spot.
Balance Beam
- Skills: cat leap to straddle jump quarter, BHS + LOSO, side aerial, front toss, full turn, 1.5 twist dismount
- Results: 2019 Utah state champion
- Margin of Improvement: This is McClain’s best apparatus. She looks a bit tentative at times, but her form is good and her set is complex.
- Impact on the Team: SUU is growing into a strong beam team and McClain will be expected to contribute to it.
Floor Exercise
- Skills: double pike, front full twist to front full twist, double tuck
- Results: 2017 Utah state co-champion
- Margin of Improvement: McClain’s second tumbling pass is new and still needs some work. The rest of the routine is not the most difficult but is solid.
- Impact on the Team: SUU was super strong on floor in 2020. In three years once she consolidates her routine, McClain could become an important addition to the lineup.
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Article by Talitha Ilacqua
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