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The Utah Red Rocks gymnastics program will be featured on Pac-12 All Access tonight at 7:00 p.m. MDT after their meet against Arizona State. Also featured in the episode is the UCLA gymnastics program. This marks the first time that Pac-12 All Access is highlighting gymnastics. These two teams are the two premier programs in the West. They faced off last weekend in a meet televised live on ESPNU, the first time Utah has hosted a meet televised by an ESPN network. Utah gymnasts has led all women’s sports in average attendance four-straight years and six out of the last seven. This is truly a special honor for the program that will help provide more exposure for Utah gymnastics, which could provide a boost to recruiting among other things.
Below is the complete press release from the University of Utah:
SAN FRANCISCO—The 2017 Utah gymnastics team will be featured in a first-of-its-kind Pac-12 Networks’ documentary on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. MT. “Pac-12 All Access: UCLA & Utah Gymnastics” will premiere following the Utah-Arizona State gymnastics meet. The Utah at ASU meet will also be televised on Pac-12 Networks, starting at 5 p.m. MT Saturday.
The 30-minute documentary takes an in-depth look at two of the nation’s top women’s gymnastics programs. Pac-12 filmmakers were given exclusive access to both Utah’s and UCLA’s gymnastics teams as they prepared for their dual meet on Feb. 18. Utah won the meet, 197.875-197.500 before a standing room crowd of 15,558 in the Huntsman Center.
“We’re excited to extend our all-access programming to a new sport and take Pac-12 gymnastics fans behind the scenes with two of the most exciting programs in the country,” said Dustin Rocke, Pac-12 Networks Vice President of Programming. “Fans who have enjoyed seeing their teams compete all season on Pac-12 Networks are now going to see the Bruins and Red Rocks like never before.”
Utah and UCLA are leading the Pac-12 this season and among the favorites to contend for the NCAA title.
The Red Rocks are ranked No. 5 in the nation behind 2016 Team USA alternate MyKayla Skinner, who is ranked No. 2 in the nation in the all-around and has been named Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week a record five times this season. The Bruins are ranked No. 6 in the nation and led by USA Olympians Madison Kocian and Kyla Ross.
By taking fans behind the scenes of two teams that have won a combined 16 national championships (Utah 10, UCLA 6), Pac-12 Networks is capitalizing on a sport that has received high ratings in the Networks’ first five years on air. This season, Pac-12 Networks is televising 30 live women’s gymnastics meets.
In featuring the Utes, Pac-12 Networks is showcasing the top drawing NCAA women’s sport. The 2017 Utah gymnasts are closing in on their seventh all women’s sports attendance crowd by averaging 15,166 to their home meets this season. Utah needs a crowd of 14,091 in its final home meet against Stanford on Mar. 3 to break its own NCAA gymnastics season attendance record of 14,950 set in 2015. Utah gymnastics was the NCAA’s top-drawing women’s sport in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.