The no. 5 ranked University of Utah Red Rocks opened up their 2019 campaign at home against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Backed by a crowd of over 13,000 passionate fans, the Red Rocks won this meet easily, posting a 197.175 to 194.450 victory. Junior MyKayla Skinner won the all-around with a total score of 39.700 as Utah posted their third highest season-opening score in school history.
Here are a few takeaways from the meet:
“The Micks” continue to lead the way
As a US Olympic team alternate, expectations have been extremely high for MyKayla Skinner after she signed her letter of intent, and she been answering the call ever since she set foot on campus. However, in order to seriously compete for national titles every year, usually another all-around performer needs to step up. Last season, MaKenna Merrell-Giles had a breakout year and consistently provided the team with another great all-around contributor. In the opener, Skinner won three events (vault, uneven bars, and floor) and the all-around, while Merrell-Giles took the beam. These two stars started the season right where they left off last year and set the tone for what is another promising season for Utah Gymnastics.
Newcomers shine and contribute early
As with every collegiate sport, departures from last year’s senior class require underclassmen and freshmen to fill the void. It didn’t take long to see some new names appear in the lineup, as freshmen Cristal Isa recorded a 9.825 in the number two slot on vault. Isa would also treat the Red Rocks fans to a 9.925 on the bars, showing why she is a two-time Junior Olympic national champion in the event. Freshman Adrienne Randall also made her Red Rocks debut, posting a 9.85 on the beam. Not to be forgotten are returners in sophomore Alexia Burch and senior Macey Roberts, as they both posted career highs on the vault with 9.85. Roberts also scored a 9.875 on the floor.
Still room for improvement
Even though hitting the 197 benchmark is a great way to start the season, there were still some first-meet mistakes that can be cleaned up. Small balance checks on the beam and rare mistakes from seniors Missy Reinstadtler and Kari Lee, including a fall from Reinstadtler on the beam, kept their beam and floor scores from reaching their potential. Overall, it was a very clean meet for the Red Rocks and starting off the season strongly, means that the big things are pretty good, and fine tuning details will make the difference between 9.8s and 9.9s, which add up quickly in the upper echelon of collegiate gymnastics.
What’s next
The Red Rocks continue to be a great example of a threat to compete for the national title every year, as Utah is the only team to qualify for nationals every year. The team hits the road for the rest of the month, travelling to Provo next week, then competing at Oregon State and Arizona State in the following weeks. The Red Rocks will be back in the Huntsman Center on February 1st as they host the Arizona Wildcats.
