Red Rocks Boost Vault For 2023 With Addition Of Abby Brenner
May 17, 2022, 10:41 AM
Abby Paulson of the Utah Utes reacts with teammates after performing on beam during a meet against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on February 23, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
(Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY- The Red Rocks are making moves in the off-season adding help on vault with talented Michigan transfer Abby Brenner. Brenner comes to the Utes with one year of eligibility left and was part of the Wolverine’s historic National Championship team in 2021.
It’s also important to note that Brenner is also really good at bars and floor. Not big needs for Utah, but the added depth is always welcome.
— Michelle Bodkin (@BodkinKSLsports) May 17, 2022
Three Event Athlete
While the Red Rocks’ biggest area of need is vault, Brenner will also being adding depth to their bars and floor lineups. At Michigan, Brenner was All-American on vault as well as a three-time All-Big Ten selection.
𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐋𝐂 𝐀𝐛𝐛𝐲! 🙌
The Red Rocks add All-American & 3x All-Big Ten selection @brenner_abby to the 2023 roster.
🔗 | https://t.co/40PHIp2LZN#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/xLJ3c8xOjU
— Utah Gymnastics (@UtahGymnastics) May 17, 2022
Brenner has career records of 9.975 on vault and 9.950 both on vault and floor. She comes to the Utes with her degree already in hand and will be working on a graduate degree while at Utah.
“We are very excited to have Abby join our program,” head coach Tom Farden said. “We believe her taking a fifth year speaks volumes about her love for gymnastics. Coming to us with an undergraduate degree in hand is rare, but we are thankful for the University of Utah and its attractive master’s programs it can offer. We are confident that her personality and gymnastics will be a fantastic addition and that she will transition into the program effortlessly!”
Last Season
The Red Rocks reached some historic highs in their 2022 season posting four scores of 198 or higher, but came up short in their ultimate goal of winning a National Championship. The Red Rocks posted a 197.750 at Nationals which was good enough for third place for the second year in a row.
Utah heads into 2023 preparation with the hopes of ending their title drought. Optimism is high with a good core group of athletes coming back including their three Olympians, Grace McCallum and Kara Eaker of Team USA and Amelie Morgan with the British National Team. Providing some always appreciated senior leadership will be Cristal Isa who decided to come back for a fifth year.
The addition of Brenner should go a long way to bolstering a position of need for the Red Rocks to help them take their gymnastics to new heights.
