There have been many seasons when Utah’s gymnastics team could judge itself by its meets against UCLA, a program that boasts seven national titles and 40 individual titles.
But this year? Well, things are different. To put it bluntly, UCLA’s mighty program is, for the moment at least, in the dumps.
It all started when gymnast Alexis Jeffrey transferred to LSU after teammates made allegations she used racial slurs. The athletes evidently haven’t felt supported by the athletic department, with some even taking to social media avenues to ask school administrators to speak to UCLA’s coaches.
UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond did meet with the team and released a statement saying the school had “proactively engaged the support of campus and external experts on equity, diversity and inclusion, incidents of bias, mental-health and communication.”
Up Next
No. 3 Utah at No. 22 UCLA
Friday, 8 p.m. MT
TV: ESPN2
On the floor, the Bruins have struggled, finishing third behind Minnesota and Iowa in the season opener after it managed just 194.85 and scoring only 196.3 and 196.4 in its last two outings.
So will Friday’s meet against the Bruins be another classic nail-biter in the Utah-UCLA rivalry?
The Utes aren’t sure what to expect, although they also acknowledge they aren’t focusing too much on UCLA itself.
For the Utes, experiencing their first road meet outside of the state this year is motivation enough.
“I love competing in Pauley Pavilion,” Utah gymnast Cristal Isa said. “Any energy from fans is great energy and it’s always a fun rivalry.”
Still, one can’t help but wonder if the programs are headed in opposite directions, at least this year.
The Utes are coming off an impressive 197.675-196 win over Stanford and have yet to score lower than 197.1 this season.
Unlike the Bruins, the Utes aren’t scrambling to fill lineups, but are changing gymnasts out here and there, reveling in the luxury of being 8-to-10 gymnasts deep on some of the events.
Now comes the fun of seeing how the gymnasts respond to competing on the road. Gymnasts such as Isa, Maile O’Keefe and Alexia Burch are accustomed to the challenges of meets outside of the Huntsman Center.
But road trips and unfamiliar arenas will be a new experience for freshmen Grace McCallum, Amelie Morgan and Sage Thompson.
Isa predicts the four February road meets will make the team better, not make it falter.
“There is something about traveling and being in the airport, doing activities, that is the fun part of the season that gets overlooked sometimes,” she said.
Utah’s experienced gymnasts went on to say they believe the chemistry they build on these trips will make them a more formidable opponent in the postseason run.
As for the Bruins, can they turn things around to be a factor in the championships?
We’ll see soon enough.
