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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – The #4 Utah gymnastics team came away with an easy victory over Iowa State in its Big 12 Conference opener Friday night, but it came at a price.
Freshman Avery Neff, the #1 recruit in the country, suffered what looked like a devastating injury on her floor routine, and her season appears to be in jeopardy.
“At this time we don’t know, we don’t have any answers on Avery,” said Utes head coach Carly Dockendorf.”
Neff, a South Jordan native, had to be carried off the floor after collapsing on a tumbling pass, grabbing her ankle. Some of her Red Rocks teammates were crying as Neff was carried into the tunnel.
After the meet, the South Jordan native posted a simple message on her Instagram account, “God’s plan.”
“We still had to finish the meet, and I thought they did a really good job of keeping their composure and still stepping up and finishing the way that they wanted to,” Dockendorf said.
Although the final tally seemed far less important than the injury to Neff, the Red Rocks cruised to a season-high score of 197.300, easily beating Iowa State, which turned in a score fo 194.850. This marked the first time Utah topped the 197 mark for the first time this season.
Grace McCallum won the all-around with a season-high 39.475, highlighted by her second 9.975 in as many weeks on bars to win the event. She scored season highs on three events, and shared the win on floor (9.90) with teammates Jaylene Gilstrap and Makenna Smith.
Before her injury, Neff took first on vault with a 9.90 and on beam with a career-high 9.925.
“I’m definitely sitting here with a mixture of emotions right now,” Dockendorf said. “What an amazing three quarters of our meet there, and was just feeling so good about everything we had done. I mean, this is the tough part about sports anywhere on any team, and it’s just — it’s hard to watch. It definitely kind of changed the emotional feeling of the meet at the end, but this is why we’re a team.”
The Red Rocks launched into a solid start on vault, led by Neff’s 9.90, competing at No. 4. A pair of 9.875s—from Camie Winger at No. 3 and Ashley Glynn in the anchor spot—helped spur Utah to a season-high 49.300 on the event. Also significant for Utah was McCallum debuting a Yurchenko 1.5.
Iowa State scored 47.925 on its first rotation, bars, giving Utah a sizeable lead after one event.
Moving on to bars, McCallum’s shined brightly for the second consecutive week with another 9.975 in the anchor position to punctuate a strong Red Rocks performance on the event. Glynn’s 9.90 in the No. 3 spot, and Neff’s 9.850 at No. 4 were Utah’s next best scores, and freshman Clara Raposo competed for the first time as a Red Rock, earning a 9.775 at No. 2.
That rotation helped Utah widen its lead over Iowa State at the midway point, 98.675 to 96.775.
“I thought our vault rotation, they just looked so confident and aggressive out there,” Dockendorf said. “It looked just like what they’ve been doing in practice: Big vaults with controlled steps. Camie’s vault was incredible, and she’s made some really big improvements. And I thought we carried good energy over to bars. We put two new people in the lineup. Clara (Raposo), first time ever competing, stepped up, and I thought she did a really great job. And Grace’s bars routine was incredible.”
Neff continued to shine on beam with her career-high 9.925, performing in the fourth spot. Ana Padurariu had opened the event well for Utah with a 9.85, and Winger built on that with a 9.90. McCallum added a 9.85 in the anchor position, as the Red Rocks earned a 49.350 to extend their lead over the Cyclones (145.825).
Utah scored three 9.90s on floor, coming from McCallum, Jaylene Gilstrap and Makenna Smith, for whom it was a season-high. That score helped Smith complete the all-around with a 39.275, which also included tying her season high on vault with a 9.85
McCallum’s performance also exhibited the kind of leadership that makes an impact on her teammates.
“She’s always been a leader, just with her worth her work ethic, and I really think she has stepped into more of a vocal role this year,” Dockendorf said. “So just to see her embrace and enjoy this last year, it has really spread to others on the team, and just to see her confidence grow in who she is as a person has just been so inspiring to her teammates.”
The Red Rocks have a quick turnaround, as they travel across town to compete in the Les Olson IT Best of Utah meet against BYU, Southern Utah and Utah State. The meet begins at 6 p.m. at the Maverik Center.