Completed Event: Gymnastics versus NCAA Championship Final on April 19, 2025 , , 4th of 4 (197.2375)
Final Score
Gymnastics
4th of 4 (197.2375)
vs NCAA Championship Final
Saturday, February 18
Salt Lake City, Utah
8:00 PM
University of Utah
197.875
vs
197.500
UCLA
Skinner Leads No. 5 Utes Past No. 4 UCLA
2/18/2017 11:56 PM | Gymnastics
Utes beat Bruins 197.875-197.500 before sellout crowd
SALT LAKE CITY—The atmosphere crackled with electricity in the Huntsman Center hours before the No. 5 Ute gymnastics team knocked off No. 4 UCLA 197.875-197.500. Fans began pouring in the doors as soon as they opened an hour and a half prior to the meet and the flow didn't stop until the building was full to the rafters. The sellout crowd of 15,558 was fully charged by the time MaKenna Merrell, Baely Rowe and MyKayla Skinner scored three-straight 9.95s on floor to secure the win for the Utes.
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With a live national television audience watching on ESPNU, Skinner, an alternate on the USA 2016 Rio Olympics team, emerged the individual victor in the all-around, scoring a 39.675 to best UCLA's 2016 Olympian Madison Kocian (39.55). Rowe took third place with a 39.625 and Merrell placed fourth all-around with a 39.475.
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With her all-around win, Skinner remained unbeaten in both the all-around and on vault (9.925) this season. She tied for first on floor with Rowe and Merrell, all with 9.95s, and has now won 26 of a possible 35 individual event titles.
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Utah co-head coach Tom Farden attributed some of Utah's win to an altered approach to training leading up to the meet. After losing by a quarter of a tenth at Oregon State in its last outing, the coaches put the team through a mock meet on Tuesday—along with some other adjustments—in hopes of getting the Utes to hit on all cylinders. The new approach worked as Utah's 197.875 score was its best this season.
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"I knew it was time for a change in practice," said Farden. "If we wanted different results in meets, we needed to train differently. This team has a lot of competiveness and athletes who enjoy the spotlight. We worked on channeling that energy and adrenaline so that we would compete the way we train every day in the gym and it had a positive outcome."
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Perhaps no one showed her competitive streak and love for the spotlight more than Skinner, who actively encouraged the crowd to cheer her on before undertaking the last routine of the meet. She proceeded to back up her actions by scoring a 9.95.
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"This is fun," said Skinner. "I like to get myself pumped up and ready to go, especially before my floor routine." Said Farden of his feisty freshman; "MyKayla didn't let the external things that came into play impact her. She really showed the command she has over her routines. It's something we see every single day in the gym."
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Both teams served notice that they would not go down without a fight on the first rotation. Skinner's winning 9.925 vault highlighted a 49.400 Utah vault set—its second-high score of the season on the vault—but a 10.0 on bars by 2012 Olympian Kyla Ross helped UCLA to an identical score.
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The Utes edged ahead by two tenths on the second rotation, scoring a season-high 49.400 to UCLA's 49.200 on vault. Skinner set a career high with a 9.925 and Rowe matched it as the final performer. Tiffani Lewis added a 9.90.
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An almost error-free beam set helped the Utes add a half of a tenth to their lead heading into the final rotation. Missy Reinstadtler, Skinner and Kari Lee all scored 9.875s and Rowe closed the set with a 9.925. After three rotations, Utah led 148.200-147.950.
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But the Bruins didn't allow Utah to coast to the finish line. Their gigantic 49.550 score on beam kept the heat on to the very end, but the Utes responded with an even bigger 49.675 on floor.
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With the win, Utah improves to 8-1 overall and moved into a tie with UCLA in the Pac-12 standings, each with 3-1 league marks.
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With a live national television audience watching on ESPNU, Skinner, an alternate on the USA 2016 Rio Olympics team, emerged the individual victor in the all-around, scoring a 39.675 to best UCLA's 2016 Olympian Madison Kocian (39.55). Rowe took third place with a 39.625 and Merrell placed fourth all-around with a 39.475.
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With her all-around win, Skinner remained unbeaten in both the all-around and on vault (9.925) this season. She tied for first on floor with Rowe and Merrell, all with 9.95s, and has now won 26 of a possible 35 individual event titles.
Â
Utah co-head coach Tom Farden attributed some of Utah's win to an altered approach to training leading up to the meet. After losing by a quarter of a tenth at Oregon State in its last outing, the coaches put the team through a mock meet on Tuesday—along with some other adjustments—in hopes of getting the Utes to hit on all cylinders. The new approach worked as Utah's 197.875 score was its best this season.
Â
"I knew it was time for a change in practice," said Farden. "If we wanted different results in meets, we needed to train differently. This team has a lot of competiveness and athletes who enjoy the spotlight. We worked on channeling that energy and adrenaline so that we would compete the way we train every day in the gym and it had a positive outcome."
Â
Perhaps no one showed her competitive streak and love for the spotlight more than Skinner, who actively encouraged the crowd to cheer her on before undertaking the last routine of the meet. She proceeded to back up her actions by scoring a 9.95.
Â
"This is fun," said Skinner. "I like to get myself pumped up and ready to go, especially before my floor routine." Said Farden of his feisty freshman; "MyKayla didn't let the external things that came into play impact her. She really showed the command she has over her routines. It's something we see every single day in the gym."
Â
Both teams served notice that they would not go down without a fight on the first rotation. Skinner's winning 9.925 vault highlighted a 49.400 Utah vault set—its second-high score of the season on the vault—but a 10.0 on bars by 2012 Olympian Kyla Ross helped UCLA to an identical score.
Â
The Utes edged ahead by two tenths on the second rotation, scoring a season-high 49.400 to UCLA's 49.200 on vault. Skinner set a career high with a 9.925 and Rowe matched it as the final performer. Tiffani Lewis added a 9.90.
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An almost error-free beam set helped the Utes add a half of a tenth to their lead heading into the final rotation. Missy Reinstadtler, Skinner and Kari Lee all scored 9.875s and Rowe closed the set with a 9.925. After three rotations, Utah led 148.200-147.950.
Â
But the Bruins didn't allow Utah to coast to the finish line. Their gigantic 49.550 score on beam kept the heat on to the very end, but the Utes responded with an even bigger 49.675 on floor.
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With the win, Utah improves to 8-1 overall and moved into a tie with UCLA in the Pac-12 standings, each with 3-1 league marks.
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Players Mentioned
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