Four members of the Utah Red Rocks gymnastics team were named to the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association’s Regular Season All-America Teams for their performances during the 2026 season, according to a March 30 announcement.
The recognition highlights individual achievements by Avery Neff, Makenna Smith, Ella Zirbes, and Ana Padurariu. The WCGA awards first team honors to the top eight finishers in each event and all-around category for Division I gymnasts during the NCAA regular season. Second team honors go to those ranked ninth through sixteenth.
Neff earned first team status in the all-around as the third-ranked gymnast with a score of 39.670 and tied for eighth on vault (9.925), also earning second team placements on bars and beam where she tied for twelfth (9.935) and eleventh (9.935), respectively. Neff now holds eight total All-America recognitions across her two seasons at Utah.
Smith received second team honors on both vault and floor after tying for eleventh nationally in both events with scores of 9.915 and 9.935 this season, bringing her career total to twelve All-America nods.
Zirbes was recognized with second team selections on vault (tied fourteenth at 9.910), bars (tied fifteenth at 9.925), and floor (tied eleventh at 9.935). These are her first regular season All-America honors, adding to three previous NCAA recognitions.
Padurariu earned her first career All-American honor as a senior by finishing tied fifteenth on bars (9.925) for a spot on the second team.
Earlier this month, Neff was named Big 12 Gymnast of the Year while Padurariu was honored as Specialist of the Year; all four athletes made All-Big 12 Teams as well.
Utah will compete next in Corvallis, Oregon this week at Regionals beginning Friday, April 3 against Alabama, Denver, and Oregon State in hopes of advancing toward their fiftieth consecutive National Championship appearance.
