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RENO, Nev. — The second-ranked Utah gymnastics team excelled throughout the Elevate the Stage quad-meet. Unfortunately, low scores on beam were costly as it fell short of rival No. 4 UCLA.
After a lengthy and bizarre delay for final scores, UCLA finished with a 197.20, followed by Utah’s 196.975, Washington’s 195.725 and Stanford’s 195.35.
“We had some standout performances for this early in the season,” Utah co-head coach Tom Farden said.
Sophomore MyKayla Skinner lit up the competition floor, winning the all-around with a 39.70 score. She also won event titles on vault (9.95), bars (9.95) and floor (9.975), while placing second on beam (9.825). Junior MaKenna Merrell-Giles also had strong performances, finishing second on floor (9.95) and third on vault (9.90).
Utah started its day with a solid bars set, earning 49.30. Skinner’s routine looked flawless while Merrell-Giles’ 9.875 effort helped the Red Rocks take the lead from the get go. It would be Utah’s only lead of the day, with Stanford (49.175), UCLA (49.025) and Washington (49.0) trailing.
The second rotation ultimately hurt Utah, with one judge handing the team many 9.90 start values for apparent missed connections. It resulted in the Red Rocks getting a 9.60 and three 9.725s for routines that appeared better than their scores reflected.
“We were still a little tentative and we have to be sharper on our connections to ensure we get the (10.0 start) values,” Farden said.
Skinner and Lee finished the beam lineup with 9.825 and 9.80 to round Utah’s total to 48.80. The low-scoring affair sent Utah (98.10) down to third place at the meet’s midway point. UCLA raised to the top with 98.425, with Stanford (98.25) in second place and Washington (98.0) in fourth place.
The Red Rocks didn’t give up as they finished the day posting season-highs on floor (49.45) and vault (49.425). Skinner and Merrell-Giles shined in the events. Skinner’s floor performance was flawless, with one judge giving her a 10.0. She anchored Utah’s night with a huge vault to help soar the team into second place.
Utah has a short week as it hosts Oregon State on Friday at 7 p.m. MST.
