Maile O’Keefe, Utah Gymnastics Take Home Pac-12 Honors
Mar 21, 2023, 12:03 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – For the second consecutive season, Maile O’Keefe has been named Specialist of the Year in the Pac-12. She, along with three other Red Rocks teammates received Pac-12 Honors Tuesday morning.
Not only is this the second straight time O’Keefe has been recognized as SOTY, but it’s also her third straight award of any kind as a Ute. O’Keefe also earned first team All-Pac-12 honors on bars and beam to lead the Utes.
O’Keefe became Utah’s all-time leader in career Perfect 10s on beam this season with seven total while also matching her own school record for most 10s on beam in a single season with three. She currently sits as the No. 1 gymnast in the country on beam with a 9.980 National Qualifying Score and has scored a 9.90 or better on beam in all but one routine in 2023.
#Pac12Gym Specialist of the Year, presented by @Gatorade: Maile O'Keefe 🙌
Full release ➡️ https://t.co/f7ylVAaRCl#GoUtes | @UtahGymnastics pic.twitter.com/gXUEZbYbGo
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) March 21, 2023
Pac-12 Honors For Eaker, Isa, And Rucker
O’Keefe wasn’t the only Red Rock recognized for outstanding competition in 2023. Kara Eaker, Cristal Isa, and Jaedyn Rucker also earned Pac-12 nods for their contributions to Utah’s three-peat Pac-12 Champion season.
Eaker and Isa join O’Keefe on the All-Pac-12 first team for beam, while Isa also earned an honorable mention for bars. Jaedyn Rucker on the other hand earned All-Pac-12 honors on vault for the third-straight season.
4️⃣ Red Rocks have earned 𝐀𝐥𝐥-𝐏𝐚𝐜-𝟏𝟐 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬! 🙌@JaedynRucker – Vault@cristal_isaa – Beam, Bars (Honorable Mention)@maile_okeefe – Bars & Beam@_karaeaker – Beam
🔗 | https://t.co/shvXQXGX9n#trUSt | #Pac12 pic.twitter.com/556K5ZyYWf
— Utah Gymnastics (@UtahGymnastics) March 21, 2023
Full List Of Pac-12 Honorees
2023 Gymnast of the Year: Jade Carey, Oregon State
2023 Specialist of the Year: Maile O’Keefe, Utah
2023 Freshman of the Year: Selena Harris, UCLA
2023 Coach of the Year: Jay Santos, Arizona State
All-Pac-12 All-Around First Team
Jade Carey, Oregon State
Jordan Chiles, UCLA
Selena Harris, UCLA
Andi Li, California
Maddie Williams, California
Hannah Scharf, Arizona State
All-Pac-12 All-Around Honorable Mention: Navaeh DeSouza, CAL; Brenna Neault, STAN.
All-Pac-12 Vault First Team
Jade Carey, Oregon State
Jordan Chiles, UCLA
Mya Lauzon, California
Selena Harris, UCLA
Chae Campbell, UCLA
Jaedyn Rucker, Utah
All-Pac-12 Vaut Honorable Mention: Malia Hargrove, ARIZ; Navaeh DeSouza, CAL
All-Pac-12 Bars First Team
Jordan Chiles, UCLA
Jade Carey, Oregon State
Andi Li, California
Maddie Williams, California
Selena Harris, UCLA
Chloe Widner, Stanford
Maile O’Keefe, Utah
All-Pac-12 Bars Honorable Mention: Cristal Isa, UTAH.
All-Pac-12 Beam First Team
Maile O’Keefe, Utah
Jade Carey, Oregon State
Kara Eaker, Utah
Mya Lauzon, California
Selena Harris, UCLA
Maile O’Keefe, Utah
All-Pac-12 Beam Honorable Mention: Jordan Chiles, UCLA; Sydney Gonzales, OSU.
All-Pac-12 Floor First Team
Jade Carey, Oregon State
Jordan Chiles, UCLA
eMjae Frazier, California
Mya Lauzon, California
Chae Campbell, UCLA
Hannah Scharf, Arizona State
Selena Harris, UCLA
All-Pac-12 Floor Honorable Mention: Madi Dagen, OSU
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for KSLsports.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports