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Utah’s Red Rocks ranked No. 5 in first gymnastics poll of season

Tribune file photo. Utah's MyKayla Skinner celebrates her floor routine during a Pac-12 meet against Washington last March.

The Utah gymnastics team opened at No. 5 Monday in the first Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) poll of the season.

UCLA was picked to defend its NCAA title followed by Oklahoma, Florida, LSU and the Utes. Not so coincidentally, that was the final order of finish at last spring’s NCAA women’s gymnastics championships.

Utah has finished fifth at nationals for the last two seasons as Super Six finalists. The NCAA Championship moves to a four-team format this season. Utah’s last top-four finish was in 2015 when the Utes finished second to Florida by five hundredths of a point.

Junior two-time NCAA champion MyKayla Skinner headlines a team that returns 20-of-24 routines from its 2018 NCAA lineup. She is one of five returning All-Americans along with seniors Kari Lee and MaKenna Merrell-Giles, junior Missy Reinstadtler and sophomore Sydney Soloski. The freshman class showcases a pair of Junior Olympic champions and J.O. National Team members in Cristal Isa and Adrienne Randall.

BYU was the only other in-state team to surface in the poll, checking in at No. 24.

GYMNASTICS TOP 25


Rank    Team (1st place votes)            Points

1.          UCLA (20)                                    1,961

2.          Oklahoma (25)                           1,959

3.          Florida (9)                                   1,946

4.          LSU (2)                                         1,891

5.          Utah                                             1,783

6.          Alabama                                      1,672

7.          Georgia (1)                                  1,585

8.          California                                    1,526

9.          Michigan                                     1,517

10.       Kentucky                                      1,481

11.       Nebraska                                     1,361

12.       Arkansas                                      1,341

13.       Denver                                         1,286

14.       Auburn                                        1,281

15.       Washington                                1,253

16.        Boise State                                  1,183

17.       Oregon State                              1,005

18.       Ohio State                                   989

19.       Missouri                                      912

20.       Arizona State                             862

21.       Stanford                                      831

22.        Illinois                                          809

23.       Minnesota                                  798

24.       BYU                                               749

25.       North Carolina State                704