SALT LAKE CITY — Friday night was never going to be the highlight of the season.
In the first competitive showcase of the season against two Big Ten opponents at the Huntsman Center, the No. 5 Red Rocks delivered from start to finish en route to a meet-winning 196.625 score to kick off the 2026 season.
But the meet wasn't perfect, either.
"I think this was a really great stepping stone," senior gymnast Makenna Smith said. "I feel like we had some very, very good highs, and we had some things that we can definitely go and we can learn from and go back into the gym and work at. But I think it was a great learning opportunity, and I'm so proud of everybody out there tonight."
The score was good enough to claim a comfortable win over No. 15 Minnesota (195.475) and No. 22 Iowa (194.825), but one that left much to be desired for the upcoming season, including an impending Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad next weekend against No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 LSU and No. 4 UCLA.
"There are some really good performances tonight, and definitely some things that we don't normally see in practice," Utah head coach Carly Dockendorf said. "I think it's great we had a meet to get under our belt before we go to Sprouts next weekend. I'm definitely not sitting here being like, 'That was so awesome.'
"A lot of those technical mistakes we saw today was, to me, it shows where their focus was, and we really need to continue to work on those skills to keep our mind in the right spot, because next weekend, it's an even bigger meet, and really exciting meet, and unless we do a little better job of just focusing on us, it's probably gonna look similar as to it did tonight."
While good enough to win, there were some uncharacteristic errors that limited the Red Rocks' scoring potential, even if just the first night of competition.
An otherwise unflappable Avery Neff faced some uncharacteristic moments that left the sophomore leader of the team looking for opportunities to be better moving forward. Some of that was simply a result of the excitement and energy that was naturally part of the first meet of a packed Huntsman Center.
But it was a performance that Dockendorf said will push the self-motivated star to be better the next meet.
"She was definitely excited to be out there today," Dockendorf said. "She's been working so hard, and she knows that she's ready. So sometimes that expectation that you know you're ready to do great can kind of get in the way of just allowing your body to do it. What I love is that she did that today, because she's going to be very hungry next Saturday, and I have no doubt she'll come back and just do what she's capable of doing."
The night, though, also featured Ella Zirbes taking part in her first ever all-around competition for the first time in three seasons. The junior gymnast was good enough to claim the all-around crown (39.350) in a strong debut. That included a team-high 9.875 on beam in her first-ever recorded score on the event in her collegiate career.
It was a moment Zirbes has worked toward her entire time at Utah, and Dockendorf said she's someone the team has complete confidence in with all four events now.
"I was just so proud of herm," Dockendorf said. "She's wanted to be in the beam lineup since she stepped foot on campus here. She has worked so hard for it. She spent all summer working for it. ... She was so excited to compete it tonight. And she's just a beautiful beam worker, and I think it's gonna be exciting year to watch her in all around."
"I am feeling just on top of the world," Zirbes added. "I came into college never really thinking I was going to do beam, so the fact that I got to do that tonight was just amazing. My attitude for tonight was just kind of do what I've been doing in the gym and just be grateful for every moment, because I feel like, for me, gratitude kind of cancels out nerves, so that's what I was focusing on, and it obviously paid off."
Also recording a first was freshmen Bailey Stroud and Abby Ryssman, who were heavily featured in the lineups Friday. The two freshman have worked their way into the starting lineups on three events and will continue to be called upon early in their career.
As such, Dockendorf doesn't see much of a change in the lineups she presented Friday night, saying each gymnast has "proved" themselves and earned their spot in the lineup, including the freshmen.
"We really are going right now with who we think is our top six at this point," Dockendorf said. "I think they proved tonight that they're capable of being in there for next weekend. So I don't see any changes at this point with them. I think that they showed that they're ready to go."
Team scores
No. 5 Utah:
- Vault: 49.200
- Bars: 49.150 (98.350)
- Beam: 49.250 (147.600)
- Floor: 49.025 (196.625)
No. 15 Minnesota:
- Bars: 48.800
- Beam: 48.775 (97.575)
- Floor: 49.075 (146.650)
- Vault: 48.825 (195.475)
No. 22 Iowa:
- Beam: 48.125
- Floor: 48.825 (96.950)
- Vault: 48.950 (145.900)
- Bars: 48.925 (194.825)
Utah team scores
1st Rotation: Vault (49.200)
- Clara Raposo: 9.775
- Ella Zirbes: 9.700
- Ashley Glynn: 9.825
- Makenna Smith: 9.875
- Zoe Johnson: 9.925
- Avery Neff: 9.800
2nd Rotation: Bars (49.150)
- Makenna Smith: 9.900
- Bailey Stroud: 9.750
- Abigail Ryssman: 9.725
- Ella Zirbes: 9.875
- Ana Padurariu: 9.850
- Avery Neff: 9.775
3rd Rotation: Beam (49.250)
- Elizabeth Gantner: 9.775
- Ella Zirbes: 9.875
- Bailey Stroud: 9.800
- Abigail Ryssman: 9.850
- Avery Neff: 9.875
- Ana Padurariu: 9.850
4th Rotation: Floor (49.025)
- Camie Winger: 9.800
- Bailey Stroud: 9.850
- Ella Zirbes: 9.900
- Poppy Stickler: 9.775
- Avery Neff: 9.700
- Makenna Smith: 9.700
