Competing in three meets over the last nine days, the Red Rocks gymnastics team clinched yet another victory Monday afternoon in Stanford, and managed to extend their 197.000+ scoring streak to eight straight in the process.
As the visiting team, Utah opened up the competition on the bars, scoring a 49.375, their third highest team score of the season, lead by anchor MyKyla Skinner’s 9.950. Kari Lee’s small step on the dismount was the most egregious error committed by any Ute in their first rotation, leading to a team low 9.925, a score matched by Kim Tessen, while MaKenna Merrell-Giles and Missy Reinstadtler impressed the judges with matching 9.875’s.
Unsurprisingly, Utah’s highest score came on the vault, where they rank second nationally. Again, Skinner’s talent paid off in dividends for the Red Rocks, landing a 9.975 on her double Yurchenko fold, earning a perfect score from one judge. Merell-Giles and Kim Tessen also hit impressive 9.900 runs, with Alexia Burch falling victim to the drop score with a 9.525. The rising freshman had been batting the flu, and her mediocre performance on the vault led the coaching staff to pull her from the floor lineup.
Freshman Adrienne Randall was the star on the floor, earning a well-deserved 9.900 from the judges with a final pass that included a perfectly executed pike double back. Kim Tessen’s return to the floor was a nice surprise, as she hasn’t competed on the floor since her freshman year, but her lack of competition time seemed to be a non-factor, racking up a 9.825 on her run. Sydney Soloski filled in for the embattled Alexia Burch, earning a 9.850; an impressive score considering she was originally scheduled to sit out her main event in favor of resting ahead of this weekend’s match-up against UCLA.
Finishing the afternoon on the beam, Utah’s 197.000 streak appeared to be in jeopardy early on. Kari Lee looked solid with a 9.800, but after sub-par runs from Sydney Soloski (8.600) and a messy 9.175 from Alexia Burch, Adrienne Randall got things back one track with a 9.825 before MaKenna Merrell-Giles and MyKyla Skinner came through with clutch routines, netting 9.875 and 9.900 respectively, clinching the final score of 197.125 over Stanford’s 195.800.
After a long week and a half of competition, Utah returns home on Saturday, February 23 to take on the 2nd ranked UCLA Bruins at 1:30 PM MT. Limited tickets are available through utahtickets.com, with coverage available through the PAC-12 Networks for fans unable to attend.