Minnesota at Utah

Recap

The Big Storyline: Using a trio of perfect 10s, Utah tied for the highest score in the nation this season for a thrilling win at home over Minnesota, who posted a new program-best road score. The ball got rolling for the Utes in the second rotation when Sage Thompson’s 10.0 on bars was matched immediately after by teammate Maile O’Keefe, who then went on to score a 10 in her very next event in the anchor spot on beam. No Gophers earned any 10s, but Mya Hooten came closest en route to the vault title while Ona Loper had another outstanding day to win the all-around.

Implications: Even with the massive totals, Utah can move no higher than fourth in the NQS rankings and Minnesota’s max is eighth. Very encouragingly for the Utes, Kara Eaker returned to the beam lineup and notched a 9.900 in her first routine since injuring herself in the season opener.

Records: The Gophers posted the second-best score in program history, second only to their 198 earlier this season. It was the team’s all-time high road score, though. Utah had never before scored multiple 10s in the same bars lineup, and O’Keefe is the first Ute to have two perfect routines in one meet since 1999 (Theresa Kulikowski). Utah’s total is also its second highest all-time.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 9 Minnesota at No. 4 Utah

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: Pac-12 powerhouse and national title contender Utah will battle Big Ten force and nationals bubble team Minnesota in a rare, late-season non-conference matchup. With the postseason looming, both teams would love a statement win.

What We’re Watching: This meet has the potential to be a 10.0-fest, with Gophers Lexy Ramler, Ona Loper and Mya Hooten joining Utes Grace McCallum, Maile O’Keefe and Cristal Isa as perfect score recipients this season. Every single event title is up for grabs with the scoring potential in this meet, joining what could be an incredibly close team race if both teams are competing to their potentials.