Why Utah gymnastics fans should expect to see a different Missy Reinstadtler this season

Utah gymnast Missy Reinstadtler reacts after competing on the uneven bars during the Red Rocks Preview gymnastics event at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City on Friday, Dec. 13, 2019.  | Colter Peterson, Deseret News

The senior had surgery on her ankle over the off-season and the effects will be on display against No. 12 Kentucky in the season opener

SALT LAKE CITY — Where is Missy Reinstadtler? What’s happened to her? When will she be back?

Those are but a sampling of the questions posed over and over again by Utah gymnastics fans last season.

Even as the 2019 Red Rocks made program history with consecutive team scores of 197-plus; even as MyKayla Skinner and MaKenna Merrell-Giles performed at exceptionally high levels; even as the team qualified for the NCAA gymnastics championships for yet another time, fans wanted to know what was going on with Reinstadtler.

The questions made sense.

Reinstadtler was expected to be a major contributor for Utah, alongside Skinner, Merrell-Giles and others. The New Jersey native was a 2018 NCAA All-American in the all-around, after all, not to mention a regional beam champion and an All-Pac-12 Conference gymnast. As a sophomore, Reinstadtler hit 54 of 55 routines and set career-highs on floor exercise, balance beam and vault.

All signs pointed to a breakout junior season in 2019, but the breakout never came. The reason why and the answer to all the questions was a simple one: injury, an ankle injury to be specific.

One year after performing 55 routines, Reinstadtler performed only 20. She was removed from the all-around and limited to a specialist role on bars. And while she excelled there — Reinstadtler scored a career-high 9.95 against Arizona State — her absence was felt throughout the lineup, particularly in the beam rotation, which was made glaringly evident at the NCAA championships.

Many of the questions asked about Reinstadtler last season were of a hopeful nature, as fans speculated that perhaps she could return to form and help the Red Rocks take a much hoped for leap back into national title contention.

The truth was any return to form could only occur after corrective surgery. That surgery came this off-season and when Utah hosts No. 12 Kentucky in Friday night’s season opener, the effects of it will be on display. If Reinstadtler is to be believed, it could be quite the display.

“I feel good,” she said. “My ankle feels pretty good — it feels strong. It definitely feels better than last season. We are happy about that.”

“She is coming back in nicely,” Utah head coach Tom Farden added. “We’ve added back in her vault and she has started to tumble (on floor). Beam is there and bars have always been there. She has always done great on those events.”

Reinstadtler may not be back in the all-around against the Wildcats, though. The rehab process was long and is ongoing.

“It was a lot of non-weight bearing time,” she said. “It took four-ish months before I could start running. I am kind of just getting back into the full swing of things, getting back to doing everything on all four events. We are still working on all the consistency aspect of that, so we have just been trying to get the numbers in, get the drills in.”

“I feel kind of old overall,” she added with a laugh, “but I am doing well.”

Whether or not she competes in the all-around right away, her mere presence on the floor will be a boon to a young and inexperienced Utah team.

The Red Rocks are largely comprised of freshmen and sophomores, eight in total, and of the five upperclassmen only Reinstadtler and junior Sydney Soloski have performed well enough on the highest stage of the sport to earn All-American honors.

“Missy and Sydney Soloski, those two, that duo definitely have accolades,” Farden said. “Both of them are returning All-Americans and both have seen significant time through their careers as a Red Rock on the competitive floor. I do think that they are going to inspire the rest of the lineups. Those two will be leaders by performance out there on the floor.”

Not just on the floor.

Reinstadtler, Soloski and Kim Tessen are team captains this season, and with that comes responsibilities off the floor, a charge to lead the team.

It is a responsibility that Reinstadtler takes seriously, even as it falls well outside her comfort zone.

“I’ve always been more of a quiet leader,” she said. “My work ethic has always spoken for me. I’m not usually a very vocal person and I don’t tend to go out of my way to be a leader. I’ve taken the role that has naturally come to me. This year, I’ve tried to challenge myself to go out of my way and help those who are struggling, to lead them in the right direction. Kind of using my experiences to guide them. I’ve been trying to be more vocal and hands-on with the leading.”

Success in that venture won’t be clear until the season draws to a close, and the same can be said for Reinstadtler’s performance on the competition floor.

One thing that is certain, though: Red Rocks fans will see a different Missy Reinstadtler starting on Friday night, and perhaps some new questions will arise.

2019-20 Red Rocks

Seniors

Missy Reinstadtler

5-4, Brick, New Jersey (Brick Township HS): One of only two returning NCAA All-Americans (2018 all-around) at Utah. A team captain with career highs of 9.95 (uneven bars), 9.925 (balance beam and floor exercise) and 9.875 (vault). Expected to compete in the all-around this season.

Kim Tessen

5-1, Orem, Utah (Mountain View HS): A team captain who earned All-Pac-12 Conference honors in 2018. Has competed mainly on bars and vault in her Ute career, with career highs of 9.925 and 9.95 on those respective events. Has competition-ready routines on all four events this year.

Juniors

Alexia Burch

5-2, Sparks, Nevada (Spanish Springs HS): Competed in every meet last season as a starter on vault and beam. Recorded two new career highs in 2019, a 9.90 on vault and a 9.90 on beam. Has worked to have a starter-level routine on all four events.

Emilie LeBlanc

5-6, Holly Springs, North Carolina (Holly Spring HS): Joined the Utes in August as a transfer from the University of Maryland, where she competed two seasons, hitting 53-58 routines. Competed on bars and beam as a Terrapin, setting career highs of 9.90 on both events. Appears to be a lock in the leadoff role for Utah on bars and beam and is attempting to add vault to her repertoire.

Sydney Soloski

5-0, Calgary, Alberta (National Sport School): The only nonsenior team captain and a 2018 All-American (floor). Has excelled on floor in her two seasons at Utah, recording a career high 9.925 four times. Has also competed on beam and will be in the lineup on vault for the first time in her career against Kentucky.

Sophomores

Cristal Isa

5-3, Henderson, Nevada (Green Valley HS): Competed in the first four meets of the 2019 season before a shoulder injury ended her freshman campaign. Won Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors after scoring a 9.925 in her first-ever college bar routine. Competed in the all-around in the Red Rocks Preview and is expected to be an all-arounder for the Utes.

Adrienne Randall

5-3, Corona, California (River Springs HS): Was a major contributor for Utah as a freshman, on both floor and beam. Drew regular praise for her beam work, the highlight of which was the Ruflova she worked into her routine. Scored season and career highs of 9.95 on floor and a 9.90 on beam.

Cammy Hall

5-3, Gainesville, Virginia (Patriot HS): Was expected to provide a jolt to the Utes’ vault lineup in 2019, but tore her ACL just before the season. She will make her official Utah debut against Kentucky, on vault, after redshirting last year.

Hunter Dula

5-2, Orem, Utah (Timpanogos HS): Was a starter on bars in all but one meet last season, having earned a lineup spot the second week of the year. She hit a perfect 13 of 13 bar routines as a freshman and scored a career high 9.90 at the Pac-12 Championships.

Freshmen

Jillian Hoffman

5-1, Murrieta, California (Vista Murrieta HS): Enrolled at Utah during the summer and participated in voluntary workouts. She was the 2017 Junior Olympic national champion in the all-around and on bars and floor (Junior E). She is expected to be a regular in the floor lineup.

Maile O’Keefe

5-2, Las Vegas, Nevada (Odyssey Charter School): Like Hoffman, O’Keefe has been enrolled since the summer. Was a three-year member of the USA National Team (2016-18) and is the first P&G national all-around champion ever to sign with Utah. Competed in the all-around at the Red Rocks Preview, with strong showings on bars and beam, especially.

Abby Paulson

5-3, Anoka, Minnesota (Anoka HS): Was a member of the 2017 USA Senior National Team and a five-year International Elite. Finished second on floor, seventh all-around at the 2019 Junior Olympic National Championships. Like Hoffman and O’Keefe, has been enrolled since the summer and competed well at the Red Rocks Preview, notably on beam,

Jaedyn Rucker

5-3, Mesa, Arizona (Desert Ridge HS): Enrolled at Utah in the summer after suffering a season-ending ACL injury. Was a dominant elite level gymnast in Arizona (was a 12-time state champion and won every event and the all-around at the 2018 Arizona State Championship) and a rising star on the Junior Olympic scene (2018 J.O. national vault champion).

***

Red Rocks on the air

No. 5 Utah vs. No. 12 Kentucky

Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City

Friday, 6 p.m. MST

TV: Pac-12 Networks

Radio: ESPN 700 AM

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