When we speak about the current stars of the NCAA women’s gymnastics scene, two names come to mind. One is LSU’s celebrity sensation Olivia Dunne, while UCLA is led by Olympian Jordan Chiles. But while both of them have become synonymous with being tabletoppers, Utah isn’t too far behind if we’re being honest. While the Red Rocks might lack the star power, when it comes to skill, they have it. Currently #4 with a score of 197.465, Utah might want to reduce this gap in star power. And their latest signee might have just done that.
Utah gymnastics took to their website and other social media handles to announce the addition of a national champion beam worker; Abby Ryssman is now a red rock.”We are so thrilled to announce the addition of Abbi Ryssman to our Red Rock family,” said the Utah head coach Carly Dockendorf, expressing joy over the new joining and the gymnast is also keen to join as well.
Ryssman took to Instagram to announce the verbal agreement. “I am so excited to announce that I’ve verbally committed to the University of Utah on a full athletic scholarship!! ” captioned the 17-year-old to her photo donning a Utah university T-shirt and doing the classic Utah logo with her hand. The Century High School senior is a highly talented individual at the beam, something much needed by Utah.
Showing faith in the skills of their latest addition, the Utah head coach said, “Abbi is a stunning gymnast with exquisite execution and breathtaking presentation. She brings precision to all four events, and I know our Huntsman Center crowd will be truly captivated watching her perform on the beam.” Carly herself cannot wait to bring the Minnesota native to the home ground of the Red Rock.
After all, gymnastics is natural to Ryssman. The flip gymnastics athlete has some of the very highest scores in her name, like vault (9.80), bars (9.725), beam (9.825, 9.775, 9.700), and the all-around (38.925, 38.725, 38.575). Starting on the mat when she was 3, the gymnast quickly climbed the bars, balanced the beam, and graced the floor.
These were the early years; in 2023, the then-15-year-old won a national title on the beam at the U.S. gymnastics development program national championship in Oklahoma City. She also tied for fourth in the all-around competition. Utah is her first big break, and now she will be going up against the legends of the mat as Utah stands back up. With this new firepower, Utah is hoping it can break the deadlock.
Utah stands tall amidst struggles
The Red Rocks have been emphatic this season and just 0.075 separates them from the likes of LSU and UCLA. While Oklahoma is standing tall as the undisputed #1, the Red Rocks would be looking to first topple the star-studded former champions to grow closer to their target. You can’t rule out the red rocks out of the competition, especially when the difference is just about decimals.
Sure, they do not have a celebrity gymnast on their team, but what they have is enough.The Red Rocks have a very experienced gymnast as Grace McCallum, the 2020 Summer Olympics silver medalist. In the 2025 season alone, the Utah senior has played a pivotal role in the team’s glory. She hit a perfect 10 against the Arizona state, taking the team straight to a win.
Then there was the Denver meet, where the Red Rocks hit their season high score of 198.075. In addition, the 2022 Pac-12 bars champion won 4 out of 5 events [all-around (39.800) balance beam (9.975) floor exercise (9.975) uneven bars (9.975)]. She was awarded the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week in mid-February. There’s also Ella Zirbes, who has been a frontrunner for Utah.
Zirbes, despite her mental health struggles, has been phenomenal. In the meet against Arizona State on February 16th, the sophomore hit a season-high 9.925 on floor and matched her season-high 9.875 on vault. She also contributed a 9.925 on bars, aiding Utah’s team season-high of 49.600 on the apparatus. What followed was the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week on February 18th.
So to say Utah can’t is an understatement, though UCLA is going to a tough rock to paint red. They are going to face the Jordan Chiles at their home ground on March 15. But before that, Washington also awaits them on March 8th. What do you think are the chances that Utah might welcome Abbi with a trophy?
The post Struggling Behind Jordan Chiles’ UCLA and Olivia Dunne’s LSU, Utah Gymnastics Make Big Addition to NCAA Roster appeared first on EssentiallySports.