Maile O’Keefe felt stressed about the beginning of this season. A tumultuous few months and the allegations against and eventual departure of former Utah Red Rocks coach Tom Farden weighed on her so much that she wasn’t looking forward to competing.
That’s why her perfect 10 on her beam routine felt so special.
“Honestly, it was probably one of my more emotional 10s,” O’Keefe said after the Utah gymnastics team won its first meet of the season. “Starting off the season like that is kind of crazy and surreal.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah coach Carly Dockendorf celebrates her first win as Utah hosts Boise State, NCAA gymnastics in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.
First-year coach Carly Dockendorf said O’Keefe takes strong ownership of her craft every day and her 10 was indicative of that. But as far as the emotions surrounding the senior’s offseason, Dockendorf said O’Keefe and Farden have a “very close relationship.”
“They’d been together for five years and he’s a really special person to her,” Dockendorf said. “I think just competing out here without him in her senior year I think is hard. She cares about him. I think that she’s just kind of using whatever she can inside of her to be great for her, for this season and for this team.
“But I think for her, they have a really special relationship. I think it’s important for her to recognize those emotions and that they’re totally OK for her to have.”
The Red Rocks beat the Boise State Broncos on Friday night by a score of 197.3 to 194.35. O’Keefe’s 10 was one of several highlights of the meet for Utah, which had several gymnasts come away with 9.9s and 9.8s.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Maile O'Keefe scores 10 on the beam as Utah hosts Boise State, NCAA gymnastics in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.
Utah Red Rocks’ top scores vs. Boise State
• Maile O’Keefe — 10, beam
• O’Keefe — 9.95, floor
• Grace McCallum — 9.925, uneven parallel bars
• O’Keefe — 9.925, uneven parallel bars
• Makenna Smith — 9.90, vault
