SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – While it hasn’t been the best regular season for the Utah gymnastics team, the Red Rocks are still at the top of the mountain in the Pac-12.
The Utes became the first team in Pac-12 history to win three-straight Pac-12 Championships, winning the 2023 Pac-12 Championship on Saturday night at the Maverik Center.
Utah outlasted the competition with a 197.925 to win its third straight Pac-12 Championship and sixth overall. UCLA finished second with a 197.850, while California placed third with a 197.825 and Oregon State scored a 197.200 to finish fourth overall. With the four Pac-12 Regular Season Championships as well, Utah now holds 10 Pac-12 titles.
Abby Brenner won the 2023 Pac-12 vault title with a meet-high 9.925. She is the second Ute in a row to win the title after former Red Rock Alexia Burch took the win last season. Maile O’Keefe finished second in the all-around with a 39.675, while she finished tied for third overall on beam and floor. Makenna Smith and Jaedyn Rucker also tied as the Pac-12 vault runner-ups.
Utah looked strong on bars out of the gates, but were only able to record one score above the 9.90-mark in the first rotation. Amelie Morgan led off the bars team with a 9.875, while Makenna Smith followed with a 9.85. It was the same rhythm for the Red Rocks after Abby Brenner tallied another 9.875 and Sage Thompson followed with a 9.85.
O’Keefe recorded a 9.925 to lift the rotation, but the momentum was stopped there after Cristal Isa had a mishap on her first handstand, causing the Utes to drop her score. With a 49.375, Utah sat in third place after the first rotation behind Oregon State (49.500) and California (49.475).
The Ute beam team got off to an excellent start once again with Morgan’s lead after she scored a 9.90 in the first routine. Despite the strong start, Smith could only follow with a 9.725 and Abby Paulson added a 9.775. In her return after missing the past two meets, Kara Eaker got the lineup back on track with a 9.95. Isa bounced back and added another 9.95, while O’Keefe followed suit with a 9.95 of her own.
Utah’s 49.525 on beam pushed the team into second place at the halfway point with a 98.900, trailing Oregon State’s 99.000. UCLA and California followed behind tied at 98.750.
On floor, Brenner had some uncharacteristic mistakes in the leadoff and scored a 9.675, which Utah would look to drop with five gymnasts still to go. Jaylene Gilstrap changed the momentum with a career high tying 9.925 before Paulson added a 9.90. Smith bounced back after struggling on beam with a big 9.925 to continue momentum. Jaedyn Rucker added another 9.90, while O’Keefe upped the rotation with a 9.95.
With one rotation to go, Utah’s 49.600 on floor pushed the team ahead by two and a half tenths. O’Keefe wrapped up her night in the all-around with a 9.85, finishing with a 39.675 to place second overall in the all-around. Brenner bounced back after her floor struggles and earned what went on to be a meet-high 9.925 to be crowned the Pac-12 vault champion. Gilstrap followed with a 9.825, while Utah received consecutive 9.90s from Smith and Rucker. Lucy Stanhope closed out the lineup with a 9.85 to clinch the 2023 Pac-12 Championship.
Utah will await its NCAA Regional destination following the conference championship weekend. The Utes will be sent to the NCAA host site of either UCLA, Denver, Oklahoma or Pittsburgh. The 2023 NCAA Regionals will run Wednesday, March 29, through Sunday, April 2. The NCAA selection show is this Monday, March 20, at 10 a.m. MT on NCAA.com.