“Impossible” is the word Maile O’Keefe used when recounting her thoughts on being able to win the all around at the NCAA championships.
“Honestly, I thought it was going to be impossible to win with a Yurchenko full. Obviously, I’m at a slight disadvantage right from the get-go. There’s no way I can get a perfect 40,” said O’Keefe post-meet after winning the NCAA all around title with a 39.7625. “All I can really do is just go out and give my best on every event, and that’s what I did. It was an amazingly unexpected result. I’m really proud of myself.”
O’Keefe capped off her day and title with a perfect 10 on balance beam—her fifth of the season—that put Utah in the lead for the first time all evening. The Utes ultimately won with a 198.225, the the highest score of either semifinal. That total beat out defending champion Oklahoma’s 198.1625 which qualified them for the Four on the Floor, while UCLA’s third-place 197.9125 goes down as the highest score ever to miss out on qualifying for the NCAA final. Underdog Kentucky rounded out the session with a 197.125.
Making O’Keefe’s event-title-winning beam set all the more impressive was that she did it while the crowd roared for a perfect score on bars from Bruin Jordan Chiles, who finished as runner-up in the all around in addition to taking the bars crown. Every event title winner came from this semifinal, as Sooner Olivia Trautman nailed a Yurchenko one and a half to win the vault title with a 9.950.
“When I first started the season, vault wasn’t really in the picture. So just having the opportunity to come out tonight was super amazing, and I feel very blessed,” said Trautman after thanking her coaches and trainers for helping her remain healthy, as injuries sidelined the fifth-year many times throughout her career.
A return from injury was also key in pushing Utah into the final, as Olympic silver medalist Grace McCallum competed for the first time since suffering a knee injury on vault in February. She anchored bars and beam in the Red Rocks’ final two rotations, scoring 9.950 and 9.925 and giving them plenty of momentum ahead of the championship session.
“The road here was kind of tough. Getting hurt that late in season, I didn’t know if [a return] was possible. But I didn’t really let that get to me,” said McCallum. “It definitely wasn’t an easy road, but it was so worth it. It made nationals this year so much more meaningful, and the team support throughout the whole journey coming back has been unmatched.”
McCallum detailed that she was back in the gym as soon as possible after her injury, putting in all the physical therapy and extra days needed to have a chance at a return. Finally, just last week, she began landing bars dismounts, and on Tuesday, doing full beam routines.
Utah and Oklahoma match up against the top two from the afternoon semifinal, LSU and Florida, in Saturday’s NCAA Championship at 4 p.m. E.T. on ABC. In their 10th-straight championship final, the Sooners will be seeking their sixth title, all during that streak. The Utes have won nine titles but will be seeking their first since 1995.
“Saturday, we just really need to stay in our bubble and stay focused on us,” explained O’Keefe. “If we do that, I think we can come out as NCAA champions. I think that’ll probably be the most fulfilling NCAA championship national title that I will have. With my teammates.”
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Article by Brandis Heffner
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