Red Rocks Chop Stanford En Route to a 197.675

Red Rocks gymnastics improved to 4-0 on the season after a Saturday afternoon matchup against Stanford that saw the team rebound after a tough performance on the beam just one week prior.

Juniors Jillian Hoffman and Malie O’Keefe opened the event with a pair of 9.825s, but scoring slumped after junior Jaedyn Rucker and sophomore Lucy Stanhope had ugly dismounts, with Rucker failing to land on her feet, earning a 9.400 that was ultimately dropped as the lowest score. Senior Alexia Burch salvaged what was an otherwise rough start with a beautifully executed Yurchneno one and a half to earn a 9.900.

Small problems continued to plague the Red Rocks as they moved to the bars, committing various mistakes such as overextended handstands and slightly off-kilter landings That changed with the final two gymnasts in the rotation as senior Cristal Isa and junior Mailie O’Keefe brought the crowd to their feet, with one judge awarding Isa a perfect 10.000 in what would ultimately score as a 9.950 before O’Keefe flung her way to a 9.900 in a routine that was docked by a slight step off a high-flying dismount.

Following last week’s meltdown on the bars, the Red Rocks recovered remarkably well, scoring a 49.750 cumulative in the third rotation. Freshman Amelie Morgan kicked off the rotation with a 9.900 before senior Adrienne Randall found herself struggling with an early but noticeable balance check that deducted her down to a 9,850. With that hiccup out of the way, the Red Rocks roster lit up the scoreboard with freshman Grace McCallum and junior Abbey Paulson claiming a pair of 9.950s, followed by a 9.925 from Cristal Isa before O’Keefe closed out the rotation with the Red Rocks’ first perfect 10.000 of the season, and the second of her career on the beam.

Keeping the momentum going, junior Jillian Hoffman brought the heat to the floor, opening the rotation with a 9.900, a high score that would last until McCallum notched an impressive 9.950 that had the home crowd clamoring for another 10.000. Ultimately, A step out of bounds in junior Jaedyn Rucker’s first pass an overextension from O’Keefe left the Red Rocks unable to break the 198.000 threshold, ending the event with a 197.675, more than sufficient to topple the Cardinal’s 196.00.

McCallum once again took home all-around honors with a 39.625, her second of the season, edging out O’Keefe’s 39.550. The Red Rocks will leave the state of Utah for the first time this season when they take on UCLA next week in Pasadena. The meet will be broadcast on ESPN starting at 8:00 PM MT on February 4th.