It had to be this way. It had to be up to the Utes and their balance beam lineup to get then into the NCAA Championship finals. Any other path for the Utes, who have been so dominant on the apparatus this year, would have seemed like fate was shorting the Utes their favorite storyline.
Instead, Thursday’s NCAA semifinals in Fort Worth was a showcase of the Utes’ talent as they dominated the beam and earned a right to compete for the NCAA Championship on Saturday at 2 p.m., against Oklahoma, LSU and Florida.
The meet will be televised by ABC.
The Utes finished with a 198.225 while Oklahoma advanced with a 198.1625 and UCLA (197.9125) and Kentucky (197.125) were eliminated. LSU (197.475) and Florida (197.4) advanced out of the earlier session and Cal (196.9125) and Denver (196.5) were eliminated.
In addition to advancing to the finals, the Utes’ Maile O’Keefe also won the NCAA all-around title with a 39.7625 and the balance beam title with a 10.0. It was her perfect score on the beam that not only won the title for her, but also clinched Utah’s spot in the final.
O’Keefe also won the uneven bars and floor titles in 2021.
O’Keefe’s all-around win is the sixth for the Utes and is the first since 1999 when Theresa Kulikowski won it. Other past all-around winners are Missy Marlowe (1992), Megan Marsden (1984), Megan McCunniff (Marsden) (1983) and Sue Stednitz (1982).
Utah’s last winner on the balance beam was Ashley Postell in 2007 and other past champions are Kulikowski (1999, 2001), Summer Reid (1996, 1997), Marlowe (1991, 1993) and Stednitz (1982).
(Tony Gutierrez | AP) Utah's Maile O'Keefe holds up a trophy after winning the all around title in the NCAA women's gymnastics championships, Thursday, April 13, 2023, in Fort Worth, Texas.
This year O’Keefe became the school record holder with eight perfect scores on the balance beam for her career and is the record holder with four 10.0s in a season.
Thursday’s though was particularly rewarding since it came seconds after Chiles’ earned her 10.0 on the bars.
O’Keefe said afterward she heard the crowd and knew something amazing happened with Chiles. She didn’t let the atmosphere bother her and nailed her dismount for the win.
“This is extra special because I don’t feel like I have everything all the other all-arounders do,” O’Keefe said, acknowledging her vault isn’t one of the highest rated.
O’Keefe didn’t plan much of a celebration, considering the Utes are going back to work on Saturday.
Oklahoma, the defending champion, might be the favorite to repeat in some assessments, but no one should count out the Utes, not with the way they have competed the last couple of weeks.
Utah, which also won the Pac-12 title and the NCAA regional, overcame a subpar vault rotation to jump into second with a 49.675 on the bars.
Utah coach Tom Farden made a gutsy call, using Grace McCallum for the first time since she injured her knee on Feb. 11.
She anchored the lineup scoring 9.95 to match O’Keefe for the team lead. Abby Brenner had a 9.9375, Cristal Isa a 9.925 and Sage Thompson a 9.9125 to round out the score.
McCallum broke into tears after her hit her landing, admitting later she wasn’t sure how things were going to go since she just started doing dismounts a couple days ago.
“When I finished the routine I was like ‘dang did I really just do that,’” she said. “It is probably the most accomplished feeling in my whole gymnastics career.”
The Utes then blistered the beam scoring 49.6875. In addition to O’Keefe’s score, Cristal Isa had a 9.9625, McCallum had a 9.925, Kara Eaker had a 9.9125 and Amelie Morgan had a 9.8875.
It was presumed Oklahoma was going to win the session given how the Sooners were competing, so finishing first was a little extra satisfying for the Utes. Perhaps it was a sign of things to come Saturday too.
“I continue to be impressed with this group of athletes and the way they represent the University of Utah,” Farden said. “Their ability to dig deep and never give up and push - you could tell they were in a good headspace. The first two events were solid and the second two were brilliant.”
NCAA Individual Winners
Vault: Olivia Trautman (Oklahoma) 9.95
Uneven bars: Jordan Chiles (UCLA) 10.0
Balance beam: Maile O’Keefe (Utah) 10.0
Floor: Jordan Chiles (UCLA) 9.9875)
All-around: Maile O’Keefe (Utah) 39.7625
NCAA Gymnastics Championships
Saturday, 2 p.m. MT
Fort Worth, Texas
TV: ABC