GAINESVILLE, Fla. (ABC4 Sports) – The
Utah gymnastics team is one step closer to advancing to the NCAA Nationals for the 48th consecutive year. The #5 Red Rocks won Friday’s opening session against #12 Michigan State, Towson, and Maryland, and will compete Sunday in the regional finals. Utah just needs to finish in the top two to continue it streak in the nationals. Utah claimed the top spot Friday afternoon, posting a score of 197.825, while Michigan State will also move on to Sunday’s final, finishing in second place with a score of 197.475. Utah would come out of the first session with three top scores of the session, Amelie Morgan matched her career-high on bars with a 9.950, Abby Paulson set the standard on beam with a 9.975 and Jaylene Gilstrap scoring a 9.950 on floor. The Red Rocks opened the meet on the vault, and with a last-minute lineup change, Gilstrap started the rotation for Utah scoring a 9.800. Ella Zirbes made her NCAA Championships debut, scoring a 9.875 on vault. After Ashley Glynn brought the rotation to the middle of the order, scoring a 9.850. Makenna Smith followed with a 9.850 score of her own. Grace McCallum would come up with a clutch vault for the Red Rocks in the final spot of the lineup, scoring a 9.850, when the Utes needed a hit routine. After the first rotation, Utah posted a score of 49.225, trailing Michigan State by .150 as the Spartans scored 49.375 after opening on floor.
Maryland finished the first rotation in third with a 49.050, after opening on bars. Rounding out the team scores was Towson with a score of 48.500 after their time on beam. Utah would see nothing but 9.9 and above as they moved to the bars rotation, including two career-high scores. Morgan posted the first career-high matching her previous score of 9.950. Alani Sabado rounded out the rotation with a new career-high of 9.925. Utah would come up with four scores of 9.90, seeing Smith, Zirbes, McCallum and Maile O’Keefe hit the mark for the Red Rocks. After the second rotation, moving on from bars and setting a new season-high score on the apparatus with a 49.575. Utah cut into the Michigan State advantage, trailing the Spartans by .025, 98.825-98.800. Maryland held onto the third position with a score of 98.175, with Towson remaining in fourth scoring a 97.575 after two rotations. The Red Rocks tallied five of six scores of 9.9-plus while on beam. Abby Paulson eclipsed the 9.950 mark for the sixth time this season, scoring a 9.975 to set the session-high score. McCallum added a 9.925, surpassing the 9.9-plus mark for the seventh consecutive meet. Utah would see scores of 9.90 from Morgan, Smith and O’Keefe, continuing the streak of 9.9’s. Utah captured their first lead of the day after competing on beam, scoring a 49.600. The Red Rocks would jump ahead of the Spartans from Michigan State, 148.400-148.175. Maryland would maintain the third spot, trailing by 1.225 with a score of 147.175. Towson held onto the fourth spot with a 146.650 overall. The Red Rocks brought the floor party to Gainesville, as Gilstrap posted the session-high score with a 9.950. Zirbes followed up with her second 9.90 of the day in the second spot of the rotation. Jaedyn Rucker had a big bounce-back event, posting a score of 9.975. Smith got the rotation started with a 9.850 before Paulson and McCallum each tallied a pair of 9.850 scores for the Red Rocks. Sunday’s regional, which will also feature the top two teams from Friday night’s second session between #5
Florida, #12 Missouri, Iowa State and Georgia, begins at 3:00 p.m. MT.