No. 4 Red Rocks score season high in win over No. 25 Washington

SALT LAKE CITY — Senior Jillian Hoffman had never done a Yurchenko 1.5 on vault in competition.

She trained for it in the club system and had done some work in practice sessions in the collegiate level over the years, but she hadn't pushed herself to do the 10.0 start value of the 1.5 until November (amid recovery from an Achilles injury, which was her third season-ending injury).

Hoffman had been in the leadoff spot with a 9.950 start value, and had done well to set the tone for a vault team that ranks No. 3 in the nation. But on Saturday, Red Rocks head coach Tom Farden was ready to see her in the anchor spot with the Yurchenko 1.5.

It was strategy, he said.

With the five gymnasts before her recording a "close enough" score to "where I though we should be, score wise" — the Red Rocks had a 49.325 team score — Farden wanted Hoffman to "let her rip." And Hoffman delivered.

Hoffman pushed herself off the table, completed her first Yurchenko 1.5 in competition, and finished with both feet firmly planted on the mat — a stuck landing. And in an instant, the 12,232 fans in attendance at the Huntsman Center erupted in cheers as her teammates ran the length of the floor to greet her in the emotional moment.

It didn't ultimately matter the scores the judges gave her — she recorded a consensus 9.950 score — everyone in the arena knew the significance of the moment.

"They were very high, I would say," Hoffman said of her emotions after her first Yurchenko 1.5 in competition. "I'm very thankful for my teammates that went up before me — they hit five for five — so it made my job a lot easier to still go out there and just do what I know what to do.

"I just thought of what I was doing in the gym, and I just told myself this is the Dumke (Gymnastics Center) and just to go big, and it obviously worked out in my favor."

Hoffman's score lifted the No. 4 Red Rocks to a 49.425 score on vault in the opening rotation to set the tone to the afternoon where Utah came away with a season-high all-around score of 197.975 to beat No. 25 Washington and bounce back from a disappointing performance a week ago against top-ranked Oklahoma.

"This is exactly what we wanted to do today," senior Abby Brenner said. "We wanted to go out and hit 24 routines and do the best that we can. We're really a team that likes to just take it in the present, day-by-day, event-by-event. And this is exactly what we needed just to get under our feet, go out, and feel really confident out there, and just build on from this.

"I think just kudos to our leadership. The six of us seniors really kind of just reflected on things and really wanted to know what we can do better leading this team. And I think we just came in — fresh slate and just take each event at the time."

By the time Utah got to its nation-leading beam team in the third rotation, it was clear the team had shaken off the mistakes from Oklahoma and had moved on, ready to improve upon its gymnastics.

The highlight event of the night was the beam team the continues to showcase the team's personality and overall strength. Amelie Morgan led off the event with a solid 9.825 score, but was the score that the team dropped in the end.

Grace McCallum, Abby Paulson and Kara Eaker recorded a 9.90 score in succession before Cristal Isa and Maile O'Keefe rounded out the beam team in dominant fashion. In the fifth spot, Isa showed her command of the beam and scored a 9.950 before O'Keefe brought the house down with what many in the Huntsman Center felt was a perfect routine.

One of the judges agreed with the fans and flipped over a 10.0 score, but the other only awarded a 9.950. And a smattering of boos that rang down showed the disappointment of robbing O'Keefe with another perfect score on beam.

The perfect score would have been nice to help prop the Red Rocks up to its first 198 score of the season, but the beam team's dominance was on full display regardless. With a 49.625 team score, Utah just missed out on it season high of 49.675.

Going into the final rotation of the night, Utah needed a season-high 49.50 score on floor to break the 198 mark.

The Red Rocks performed well with Brenner inserted into the lineup for the first time this season in place of Lucy Stanhope, who was scratched from the meet due to a bruised heel (precautionary). Brenner brought a much-needed energy, or "vibe," as Farden called it, to give the team a boost.

"Abby has just gotten better and better on her mechanics, and so I felt like it was the right moment," Farden said. "I also believe that she's one of those athletes that inspire the rest. I think her being in that lineup gives some good credence and just got a good vibe over there."

And while the scores were good enough to surpass a season high on floor, the team needed a 9.975 from McCallum in the anchor position to get a 49.50.

McCallum eventually fell just short of the mark, but performed her best routine of the season and recorded a 9.950 to give the team a season-high 49.475 and the individual all-around win with a 39.650 score. McCallum beat out Washington's Skylar Killough-Wilhelm, who finished with a 39.250 all-around score.

Red Rocks team scores

1st Rotation: Vault (49.425)

• Jaylene Gilstrap: 9.850
• Abby Brenner: 9.850
• Makenna Smith: 9.900
• Jaedyn Rucker: 9.875
• Grace McCallum: 9.850
• Jillian Hoffman: 9.950

2nd Rotation: Bars (49.450)

• Amelie Morgan: 9.850
• Makenna Smith: 9.825
• Abby Brenner: 9.850
• Maile O'Keefe: 9.950
• Cristal Isa: 9.850
• Grace McCallum: 9.950

3rd Rotation: Beam (49.625)

• Amelie Morgan: 9.825
• Grace McCallum: 9.900
• Abby Paulson: 9.900
• Kara Eaker: 9.900
• Cristal Isa: 9.950
• Maile O'Keefe: 9.975

4th Rotation: Floor (49.475)

• Abby Paulson: 9.850
• Jaylene Gilstrap: 9.875
• Abby Brenner: 9.875
• Makenna Smith: 9.800
• Jaedyn Rucker: 9.925
• Grace McCallum: 9.950

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