Utah’s Jaedyn Rucker eyes vault perfection, NCAA championship

Last year Jaedyn Rucker established herself as one of the sport’s elite vaulters by winning the NCAA vault title, becoming the first Utah gymnast to win it since MyKayla Skinner in 2018.

This year Rucker is chasing history, aiming to become Utah’s first back-to-back vault winner since Elaine Alfano won national titles in 1982 and 1983. She also won the title in 1985.

In case anyone had forgotten what she is capable of, Rucker popped off two 10.0 routines at the NCAA regional competition, becoming the first Utah vaulter to record a 10.0 at an NCAA postseason event and giving her three for the year, which tied Kristen Kenoyer (1993) for the single-season record for 10.0s on the vault.

Now she is tied with Kenoyer (1990-93), Annabeth Eberle (2002-05) and Tory Wilson (2012-15) with the most 10.0s in a career. Since she is returning for a fifth year, odds are she will break the mark next season, but who is to say she will wait that long?

Right now her vaulting is about as perfect as it can get.

She doesn’t credit any change in tactics or focus, Rucker is just on it right now.

“A vault is three seconds so I have this thing that I have to commit to all three seconds and sticking with it to the end,” Rucker said.

The one time she failed to do that, against Arizona State on Feb. 20, Rucker sat her vault for a 9.35. That was a gut-check moment for her and since then she has three 10.0s, two 9.9s and a 9.875.

“That one I sat, I committed for about 2.5 seconds,” Rucker said. “I’m just focusing on all three seconds, so not really doing anything different. When I go out there to vault I always want to get a good score and put the team in the best position we can be.”

A lot of athletes say they want to do well for their team, when in reality there might be a quest for personal glory, too, but it’s clear Rucker believes earnestly in her words. The desire to do well for the team is one of Rucker’s most public traits this year. She is constantly talking to teammates and offering words of encouragement or levity.

“I’ve said t before that she is like a guardian angel watching over the team,” Utah coach Tom Farden said. “She knows what this team needs and being a veteran, when things get tight she doesn’t back down.”

Rucker admits winning the NCAA title last year gave her a boost of confidence this season, even if she isn’t competing for individual awards.

Her focus remains on the team and if she can defend her national title, well that’s another win all the way around.

“Winning that title told me I was good at this event,” Rucker said. “It gave me a new appreciation because it’s not like floor where if you make a little mistake you have a chance to cover it up, vault is so fast.”

It’s three seconds fast, but as Rucker has shown, three seconds is all she needs.

NCAA Championships

April 13-15

Fort Worth, Texas

1 p.m. session: Denver (vault), Florida (uneven bars), LSU (balance beam), Cal (floor)

7 p.m. session: Kentucky (vault), Oklahoma (uneven bars), UCLA (balance beam, Utah (floor)