Red Rocks feed off each other’s success to become nation’s top-ranked floor team

Coming up with the right floor routines can be challenging for college teams. They want to have routines that have enough difficulty to start with 10.0 value and perhaps a little more to separate themselves from other teams. But consistency is important, too, and risky routines can lead to inconsistent results.

The third-ranked Utah Utes seem to have found their balance between the two desirable traits just three meets into the season.

The Utes rank first nationally on the floor, averaging 49.458. LSU (49.383) and UCLA (49.35) are ranked second and third.

That the Utes are doing so well on the floor can be credited to not only the hard work the team put in during the preseason, but also the presence of MyKayla Skinner.

Skinner won the national floor title last season and has continued to compete with one of the most difficult floor routines in the country this season, averaging 9.883.

But even if she was averaging a 10.0, she can’t do enough to carry the team. The Utes, who compete at Arizona at 6 p.m. Friday, luckily have the depth and talent to back up the standout.

MaKenna Merrell-Giles, who competes fifth in the lineup, has a higher average than Skinner with a 9.933, while Missy Reinstadtler averages 9.875.

“We knew going into the season we would have our most depth on beam and floor, and I still think that is true,” Utah coach Megan Marsden said. “Thankfully we have stayed healthy and we are able to keep that up.”

Merrill-Giles said having someone of Skinner’s caliber finishing behind her was a huge motivation, but Skinner said having the consistency ahead of her helped her as well.

“It’s fun to go out there and be confident when you’ve had five scores hit really well,” Skinner said. “That gives me a lot of confidence. I feel like I’ve made a few mistakes here and there, but I’m feeling better about my routine.”

The lineup is a veteran one, save for freshman Sydney Soloski, who is averaging a 9.87.

The consistency they’ve had so far is a point of pride for the team members, who made sticking landings a priority in their preseason workouts.

“We started rough on the floor last year with a couple of falls nearly every meet,” senior Tiffani Lewis said. “It’s cool to see the difference our hard work has made with our cardio and the landings.”

Knowing their floor is so solid gives the Utes some confidence when they get into some tough situations. They aren’t taking anything for granted, but it isn’t an event they fear either.

“It’s cool to just go out there and enjoy the moment and not be stressed out about it,” Skinner said. “To be able to just show off your routines to the fans is really fun.”