Utah is gearing up for its first Big 12 conference dual, as it hosts Iowa State, which is led by second-year head coach Ashley Miles Greig. Miles Greig might be familiar with the Huntsman Center from her days as a sports commentator, but this will be the first time she leads a team in front of one of the rowdiest arenas in college gymnastics. The Cyclones are coming off 195.100 total last week, which is nearly a full point of improvement from its season opener against LSU. This squad is lacking depth, especially on vault, where it only competed five up the past two weeks rather than six. This means every bent arm, toe point, and hop will matter for the Cyclones as they face the top-ranked team in the Big 12.
Utah is coming off a fourth-place finish against three of the nation’s best teams, and surprisingly beam was the event that took the Utes out of contention for the win. Head coach Carly Dockendorf is still trying to find the routines to replace beam queens Maile O’Keefe and Abby Paulson, but star freshman Avery Neff is one who has stepped up to the plate. Neff posted team-highs on vault, bars, and floor in one of the most competitive meets in her career thus far. Utah walks in as the favorite in today’s matchup, and it would take a big day from Iowa…