After a season where Carly Dockendorf unexpectedly found herself as the head coach, Utah was a hit vault rotation away from potentially winning the national title. Heading into 2025, the team welcomes the No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2024, as well as a transfer from its former conference rival, while also retaining two key contributors for their fifth years. All of this adds up to make the Utes the favorites for their first year in the Big 12. Is this the season Utah finally breaks through and wins its first national title since 1995?
2024 Rewind
No. 3 overall | No. 1 at PAC-12s | No. 5 in regular season | NCAA team final
In its final season in the Pac-12, Utah edged out UCLA by just over a tenth to win the conference championship. It then coasted through the regional semifinals and fought through its lowest bars score of the season to secure a trip to nationals over Missouri.
Losses & Gains
| Returning | In |
| Sixth Years Jaedyn Rucker Fifth-Years Jaylene Gilstrap Seniors Grace McCallum Amelie Morgan Juniors Ashley Glynn Sarah Krump Makenna Smith Sophomores Elizabeth Gantner Olivia Kennedy Camie Winger Ella Zirbes | Freshmen Zoe Johnson Avery Neff Clara Raposo Poppy-Grace Stickler Transfers Ana Padurariu (UCLA) |
| Out | |
| Graduated Maile O’Keefe (AA) Abby Paulson (BB, FX) Alani Sabado (UB) | |
| Injury Update | |
| Poppy-Grace Stickler suffered severe injuries to her back and hip prior to arriving at Utah. Intrasquad footage from the fall shows her working her way back and will be a lineup option when the season begins. Sixth-year Jaedyn Rucker recently announced that she has torn her Achilles and will miss what could be her final season. | |
Fresh Faces
One of the biggest surprises of the offseason was when former UCLA gymnast Ana Padurariu announced her transfer to Utah after taking a year off to prepare for the Olympics. While her elite journey did not go entirely as planned after she sufferred four broken bones in her foot, the Red Rocks will be glad to have her as an option on bars and beam.
The freshmen class was one of the most highly talked about among gymnastics fans. Three former five-star recruits, Zoe Johnson, Avery Neff, and Clara Raposo, joined the team, as well as former four-star and Welsh elite Stickler. With the number of accolades she achieved in level 10, Neff is expected to be an immediate contributor.
Apparatus Deep Dive
Vault
2024 Event Ranking: No. 7 | NQS: 49.430 | Average: 49.327
| Event Overview: Vault was Utah’s weakest event last season, as the team struggled to find consistency in its landings. With a few more depth options to lean on and coaching from Twin City Twisters founder and new assistant coach Mike Hunger, it could very well become one of its strongest events in 2025. | ||
| Locks: Ashley Glynn, Makenna Smith Losing Rucker on this event is rough as she held the highest-returning NQS. Smith has the second-highest NQS with her Omelianchik, which is clean and often devoid of many landing deductions. Glynn’s one-and-a-half becomes more crucial in Rucker’s absence. | ||
| Contenders: Grace McCallum, Avery Neff, Clara Raposo, Camie Winger, Ella Zirbes Neff scored a perfect 10 in level 10, so she projects to be in immediate contention for a lineup spot. Zirbes has shown major improvement in her amplitude since last season, so look for her scores to improve similarly. McCallum is a likely contributor but was in and out of the lineup in 2024, so Dockendorf might explore other lineup options to give her a chance to rest on a weekly basis. | ||
| Wildcards: Jaylene Gilstrap, Zoe Johnson, Olivia Kennedy, Amelie Morgan Johnson did not compete in the team’s Thanksgiving intrasquad, but she was previously perfect in level 10 and was actively training a one and a half this preseason. Gilstrap’s Yurchenko full is clean and has a solid landing, but its lower start value may make it less likely to appear in the Utes’ stacked lineup. |
Bars
2024 Event Ranking: No. 6 | NQS: 49.495 | Average: 49.377
| Event Overview: It may not have been their lowest-ranked event, but bars was the Red Rocks’ most inconsistent in 2024. It’s that has typically held it back from postseason success due to a lack of depth, but it shouldn’t be an issue in 2025 with the sheer number of options Dockendorf has to explore. | ||
| Locks: Grace McCallum, Amelie Morgan, Makenna Smith, Ella Zirbes With Maile O’Keefe’s graduation, the door is open for McCallum to slide into the anchor spot on bars permanently. Look for Smith to retain her leadoff position; she only recorded two scores below a 9.800 all season and is known for her cleanliness and consistency. | ||
| Contenders: Avery Neff, Ana Padurariu, Clara Raposo If Neff has a weak event, it’s bars, but she has shown improvement throughout the preseason, including adding a full-twisting double layout dismount. Raposo is a likely candidate to fill one of the remaining spots in the top six, but Padurariu could also challenge. | ||
| Wildcards: Ashley Glynn, Zoe Johnson, Olivia Kennedy, Poppy-Grace Stickler, Camie Winger After competing as an all-arounder at Temple, Glynn has yet to break into any other lineups besides vault. She does bring beautiful handstands on bars, so she remains a viable backup option. While Stickler did show three events at the Thanksgiving intrasquad, her availability will depend on any lingering issues from her pre-college injuries. |
Beam
2024 Event Ranking: No. 5 | NQS: 49.500 | Average: 49.435
| Event Overview: Utah has been known as a beam team for years, and 2024 was no exception. However, it loses its two highest-scoring NQS scorers in O’Keefe and Abby Paulson. The transition might be difficult at first, but there’s no doubt Utah will continue to shine here in 2025. | ||
| Locks: Grace McCallum, Amelie Morgan, Avery Neff, Makenna Smith It’s hard to replace a 9.990 NQS like O’Keefe’s, but McCallum’s 9.920 should keep her in the back half of the lineup. Neff’s difficulty and technique makes her a likely replacement for Paulson’s spot in this lineup. | ||
| Contenders: Elizabeth Gantner, Ana Padurariu, Clara Raposo, Camie Winger Beam was Padurariu’s strongest event at UCLA, so it would not be surprising to see her get a chance in Salt Lake City. Winger has upgraded her acro series by adding a second layout, so despite not competing beam much in 2024, that could factor into her seeing more lineup time in 2025. | ||
| Wildcards: Jaylene Gilstrap, Ashley Glynn, Zoe Johnson, Sarah Krump, Poppy-Grace Stickler, Ella Zirbes Dockendorf teased in an interview that Zirbes has vastly improved her beam from last season, making her a legitimate all-around option. Krump has seen exhibition time in the past and is always an option as well. |
Floor
2024 Event Ranking: No. 4 | NQS: 49.630 | Average: 49.565
| Event Overview: Floor went from being Utah’s worst event in 2023 to its best in 2024. The Red Rocks potentially have eight E-passes that will make floor a standout event once again. | ||
| Locks: Jaylene Gilstrap, Grace McCallum, Avery Neff, Makenna Smith Gilstrap and McCallum return with an NQS over 9.900 while Neff medaled on floor in every meet she competed in last season, ending her career with a national title. There’s no reason to think these four won’t be in this lineup on a weekly basis. | ||
| Contenders: Zoe Johnson, Clara Raposo, Ella Zirbes Raposo was known for her artistry in elite, so look for her to see time in this lineup. Zirbes made seven appearances in the floor lineup last season and topped out at 9.950; with Rucker’s injury, she could easily slot into her spot toward the back of the lineup. | ||
| Wildcards: Ashley Glynn, Olivia Kennedy, Amelie Morgan, Poppy-Grace Stickler, Camie Winger It’s unfortunate that so many of these athletes won’t have the opportunity to compete much in 2025 because of how deep Utah’s floor squad is. Glynn and Morgan have competitive experience, though, and stand the best chance of making an impression. |
Records Watch
Team: 198.600 | AA: 39.950 | VT: 49.775/10.000 | UB: 49.800/10.000 | BB: 49.775/10.000 | FX: 49.800/10.000
The floor team record has held strong since 2001, but the Red Rocks were within a tenth of matching it on two different occasions last season. Adding Neff, a level 10 floor national champion, could help the Red Rocks inch even closer in 2025.
The Big Picture
For years, many have said that Utah has had the talent to compete for the national title but lacked the depth when it needed it most. Entering 2025, it has 10 to 11 options on each event, a luxury it will need to take advantage of to break out of the perennial third-place finish it’s been stuck in the past few seasons. Every year the Utes are in contention. Can they finally cross the finish line in first?
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Article by Savanna Wellman
