Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — There wasn't a dry eye in the nearly capacity crowd Huntsman Center Friday night.
As the judges flipped over their score cards, revealing a 10.0 for fifth-year senior Abby Paulson on beam, the tears began to flow. They were happy tears, of course, after a long journey of trying to get back to perfection.
Paulson earned her first 10.0 on beam her freshman season against UCLA, but had been chasing perfection ever since. There were close calls along the way — including a 9.975 this season — but the judges had never been on the same page. So to have it come in her final meet at the Huntsman Center during senior night was icing on the cake.
The emotion of the moment certainly impacted fellow fifth-year senior Maile O'Keefe, who had the tears flowing because of Paulson's perfect score, in her final beam routine at the Huntsman Center — she had to follow the perfect score — but she wouldn't have it any other way.
One more perfect score for O'Keefe wasn't going to change her status with the fans or as the all-time record holder at Utah on the event. And fans will continue to see her on the floor; she announced that she's returning to the program next season as a student coach.
Paulson capped off the night with the perfect score — and a 9.925 on floor — but the Red Rocks left the tri-meet matchup against Stanford and Utah State with a season-high 198.300 score, giving the team a much-needed addition to its NQS score heading into next week's Pac-12 championship.
The Cardinal finished in second place with a 196.500 team score, with Utah State rounding out the scores with a 195.225.
The Red Rocks opened the first two events — vault and bars — with identical 49.500 scores, setting a baseline for how the night would go. The two events shined for the Red Rocks, who had four gymnasts score a 9.90 or better on both events, including 9.925 scores from freshman Ella Zirbes and Grace McCallum on vault, and a 9.975 by McCallum on bars.
But the great start only propelled the Red Rocks to greater heights.
The Red Rocks scored a 49.600 on beam, with McCallum adding to her scores with a 9.950. And then closed out the meet with a 49.700 on floor, where all fifth-year seniors shined.
All six competing gymnasts scored over a 9.90, starting off with Makenna Smith setting the tone with a 9.90, followed up by Paulson's 9.925. In her last meet at the Huntsman Center, Jaedyn Rucker added a 9.925, and was followed by a 9.950 by Jaylene Gilstrap, a 9.925 by O'Keefe, and another near perfect 9.975 from McCallum.
Team scores
No. 5 Utah
- Vault: 49.500
- Bars: 99.000 (49.500)
- Beam: 148.600 (49.600)
- Floor: (49.700)
Stanford
- Beam: 49.225
- Floor: 98.150 (48.925)
- Vault: 147.350 (49.200)
- Bars: 196.500 (49.150)
Utah State
- Bars: 48.900
- Beam: 97.250 (48.350)
- Floor: 146.325 (49.075)
- Vault: 195.225 (48.900)
Red Rocks scores
1st Rotation: Vault (49.500)
- Camie Winger: 9.850
- Ella Zirbes: 9.925
- Ashley Glynn: 9.850
- Makenna Smith: 9.900
- Jaedyn Rucker: 9.900
- Grace McCallum: 9.925
2nd Rotation: Bars (49.500)
- Makenna Smith: 9.875
- Camie Winger: 9.900
- Ella Zirbes: 9.000
- Maile O'Keefe: 9.850
- Grace McCallum: 9.975
- Alani Sabado: 9.900
3rd Rotation: Beam (49.600)
- Camie Winger: 9.800
- Makenna Smith: 9.875
- Elizabeth Gantner: 9.875
- Grace McCallum: 9.950
- Abby Paulson: 10.0
- Maile O'Keefe: 9.900
4th Rotation: Floor (49.700)
- Makenna Smith: 9.900
- Abby Paulson: 9.925
- Jaedyn Rucker: 9.925
- Jaylene Gilstrap: 9.950
- Maile O'Keefe: 9.925
- Grace McCallum: 9.975
