When Jaedyn Rucker first asked about returning to the Utah gymnastics team for a sixth season, her coach needed some questions answered.
“Why?” Red Rocks coach Carly Dockendorf asked Rucker in May.
The Mesa, Arizona, gymnast had been with the program since 2019. The knee surgery she had that year caused her to miss the entire 2020 season, which is why she would qualify for a sixth year of eligibility. But why did she want to stick around Salt Lake City?
“Is it because you don’t know what else to do?” Dockendorf needed to know. “Or because you have more you want to accomplish?”
Rucker’s response put her coach’s mind at ease and earned her an invitation to return to the Red Rocks for one more run.
“I want to continue to grow as a person,” Dockendorf remembers the gymnast saying, “and I want to win a national championship,”
That answer is giving the coach even more comfort in the wake of a disappointing development: Rucker won’t compete this season. An Achilles injury she suffered recently has ended not only this campaign but also her collegiate career.
And, yet, Rucker’s goals remain unchanged.
“Neither one of those things changes,” Dockendorf said. “She can still do both of those in a different role.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jaedyn Rucker vaults, in gymnastics action between Utah Red Rocks and Oregon State, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024.
Rucker was the 2022 NCAA Vault Champion, the 2023 NCAA Regional Vault Champion and a two-time All-American in the event.
Last season, she was an All-Pac-12 selection on vault.
So when she tore her Achilles, it was a major blow for the Utes.
“To all of my incredible friends, family and supporters, I recently tore my Achilles, which means my days of competing as a gymnast have come to an end,” Rucker wrote in a social media post. “While this is a heartbreaking reality to face, I’m so grateful for everything this sport has given me — the teammates, lessons and memories that will last a lifetime.”
“It’s devastating,” said Utah gymnast Jaylene Gilstrap. “This girl has worked so hard.”
But Rucker has quickly pivoted and with grace.
“Though I’m stepping away from competing, I’m excited to take on a new role with the team and continue contributing in a meaningful way,” she said when she announced her retirement in mid-December. “Thank you for all your love and support, as I move into this next chapter with hope and gratitude.”
While former Red Rock Maile O’Keefe works this season as a student coach, Rucker will do something similar in a less official capacity.
“She wants to be a coach eventually in her career, so we’re going to help her along that way,” Dockendorf said. “She’s going to really play a massive role in our leadership. She’s going to inspire in a different way.”
Freshman star Avery Neff has already benefitted from Rucker’s veteran leadership.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jaedyn Rucker reacts after her vault, in gymnastics action between Utah Red Rocks and Oregon State, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024.
“I was struggling a bit as I came in, just figuring out school,” Neff said. “Jaedyn was my rock.”
Makenna Smith, a Big 12 Preseason Team selection, has also felt a boost from her teammate’s presence.
“She’s always been one of our biggest cheerleaders,” Smith said. “Now she gets to do it even more. I’m excited to see how she leans into her new role because she’s going to be amazing.”
Gilstrap, a fifth-year senior who has competed with Rucker since 2021, said she will be proud to close her own collegiate chapter with Rucker cheering the Red Rocks on.
“She’s just an amazing person inside and out,” Gilstrap said. “I’m so sad she doesn’t get to do gymnastics this year, but she’s one of the strongest people I know. She’s so here for the team and I’m so excited to have her by my side this entire year to finish it off.”
Red Rocks vs. Utah State
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Ashley Glynn and assistant coach Maile O'Keefe react after Glynn's vault, in Gymnastics action against Utah State, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Friday, Jan 3, 2025.
Utah opened its season with a 196.775-194.450 win over the Aggies on Friday night at the Huntsman Center.
The Red Rocks started slow on vault, but found their footing as the night went on.
“I think it’s good to get all those weird little things out,” senior Grace McCallum said of the team’s vault performance. “We made a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes, things you don’t see in the gym every day. I think it’s a good spot to just keep building off of, and just go back in the gym and tune in our mental routines.”
Up next the fifth-ranked Red Rocks will face a massive test when they travel to Oklahoma City to face No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 LSU and No. 4 Cal in Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad.
Vault – 48.925
Ella Zirbes – 9.750
Grace McCallum – 9.625
Camie Winger – 9.575
Avery Neff – 9.775
Makenna Smith – 9.850
Ashley Glynn – 9.925
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Avery Neff competes on the bars for Utah, in Gymnastics action between Utah and Utah State, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Friday, Jan 3, 2025.
Bars – 49.375
Makenna Smith – 9.875
Ana Padurariu – 9.850
Avery Neff – 9.850
Amelie Morgan – 9.900
Ella Zirbes – 9.775
Grace McCallum – 9.900
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah head coach Carly Dockendorf chats with Makenna Smith before she competed on the beam for Utah, in Gymnastics action between Utah and Utah State, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Friday, Jan 3, 2025.
Beam – 49.475
Ana Padurariu – 9.850
Camie Winger – 9.950
Makenna Smith – 9.900
Avery Neff – 9.875
Amelie Morgan – 9.850
Grace McCallum – 9.900
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Ashley Glynn competes on the floor for Utah, in Gymnastics action between Utah and Utah State, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Friday, Jan 3, 2025.
Floor – 49.000
Makenna Smith – 9.875
Ashley Glynn – 9.800
Sarah Krump – 9.825
Avery Neff – 9.225
Jaylene Gilstrap – 9.700
Grace McCallum – 9.800
