Roundup: Utah gymnastics falls just short of national title
Oh so close: Utah women’s gymnastics finished second at the NCAA championships Saturday, as the Red Rocks’ team score of 197.800 was just shy of national-champion Florida’s 197.850. Things were a little rosier Sunday, when Georgia Dabritz won the NCAA uneven bars title.
In other exciting gymnastics news, Stanford’s Elizabeth Price won the NCAA title on vault, while Ivana Hong finished second on beam. As a team, Stanford made the Super Six and finished fifth.
Givin’ back in a big way, Troy Aikman made a $1 million donation to the Wasserman Football Center project at UCLA. Additionally, Adam Rittenberg of ESPN features UCLA offensive lineman Jake Brendel, a second-team All-Pac-12 center with 39 starts on the line to his name.
Former Arizona State runner Desiree Linden finished fourth at the Boston Marathon Monday. Also, Kevin Gemmell informs us that Arizona State is getting help at wide receiver with Todd Graham announcing that junior college WR Tim White will be lining up in Tempe next season.
Freshman quarterback Seth Collins starred at the Oregon State spring game on Saturday, leading the White team to a 38-7 victory over the Orange fellers. (Well, it was 41-31 when you count fan field goals.)
At the Cal spring game, quarterback/safety Luke Rubenzer intercepted another Cal quarterback (Chase Forrest). Rubenzer’s an athlete, no doubt about it.
The QB race is tightening up in Pullman, as Jacob Thorpe writes that freshman Peyton Bender is making a push for the starting gig. He threw six TD passes at Saturday’s scrimmage. Perhaps he can usurp Luke Falk?
Christian Caple highlights Washington quarterbacks Jeff Lindquist, Jake Browning and K.J. Carta-Samuels as spring practices wind down. Still a learning process for these guys.
Colorado is hosting the Pac-12 Women’s Golf Championships Monday through Wednesday at Boulder Country Club, and B.G. Brooks of CUBuffs.com writes that sophomore golfer Esther Lee is excited for Colorado to host the conference tournament. Nice backstory on Lee there. You can watch the live stream of the Pac-12 Women’s Golf Championships by clicking on the link text.
As a projected lottery pick, Stanley Johnson should enter the NBA draft, writes SI’s Michael Beller. He gives his thoughts which NBA prospects should stay or go in this article, opining that Cal’s Tyrone Wallace should take his talents to The Association this year as well. (He also thinks Utah's Jakob Poeltl should leave for the NBA, but he announced Monday morning that he's sticking around.)
Chantel Jennings gives us the skinny on the Oregon athletic department surplus sale, which went down Sunday to help boost the department’s general scholarship fund. Some nice Vines and pics embedded in the link. How ‘bout an Oregon-themed urn for 10 bones?
Great story from Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times on incoming USC freshman Jake Olson, a blind long snapper who may one day play for the Trojans. He isn’t going to USC as a football player, but Steve Sarkisian thinks he will one day snap in a game for USC.