Consecutive Pac-12 gymnastics weekly honors for Skinner, Peng-Peng Lee, newcomer of the week Leonard-Baker earns first honor
Jan 16, 2018
GYMNAST OF THE WEEK: MyKayla Skinner, UTAH
• Utah sophomore MyKayla Skinner earned consecutive Pac-12 gymnast of the week honors, her ninth-career accolade, tying the Pac-12 record for weekly honors set by UCLA’s Vanessa Zamarripa’s from 2009-13.
• Skinner won the all-around with a score of 39.70 this weekend, which tied for the eighth-best score in school history. She also took the win on floor (9.975), bars (9.95, tie) and vault (9.95, tie), and tied for second on beam (9.825). She now has seven wins in the first two meets of the season.
• Her nearly-perfect floor routine was a crowd favorite at the Elevate the Stage meet in Reno this weekend, and her scores helped the Utes take second with a score of 196.975, behind UCLA’s 197.200.
• Skinner is currently ranked in the top five in the country in the all-around (No. 2), bars (No. 3/tie) and vault (No. 2/tie).
SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK: Christine Peng-Peng Lee, UCLA
• For the second week in a row UCLA senior Christine Peng-Peng Lee is honored as the Pac-12 Specialist of the Week.
• Had a solid showing at Elevate the Stage this weekend, scoring a 9.925 on the uneven bars to help the team clinch the victory in the event with a total of 49.375, setting the pace for the Bruins to win the meet. UCLA scored 197.200 points to take first, defeating No. 2 Utah (196.975), Washington (195.725) and Stanford (195.350).
• In the individual results, Lee tied for second on beam with a score of 9.825, and took third on the uneven bars with a score of 9.925.
• Currently tied for first in the country on bars with an average of 9.950.
FRESHMAN / NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK: Cairo Leonard-Baker, ASU
• True freshman Cairo Leonard-Baker earned her first Pac-12 honor this week, and the first honor for ASU of the season after a strong performance this weekend on the road.
• ASU earned its third victory of the season, defeating No. 16 West Virginia, 196.475-195.875, on Sunday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum. Leonard-Baker was crowned the meet all-around champion, finishing at a cumulative count of 39.425, a career high.
• Posted a career-high 9.925 on bars, leading the team to a season-high score of 49.125. Her career-high 9.900 on floor also helped ASU notch another season high of 49.125 in the event.
• Leonard-Baker’s scores led ASU to their best team total since March 2, 2007. It also accounts for the 26th best team total in Gym Devil history.
ALSO NOMINATED:
Gymnast of the Week: Sabrina Gill, OSU; Kyla Ross, UCLA; Cairo Leonard-Baker, ASU; Elizabeth Price, STAN.
Specialist of the Week: Alma Kuc, CAL; Ashley Szafranski, ASU; Alma Kuc, CAL; Dani Dessaints, OSU; Kaylee Cole, STAN.
Freshman / Newcomer of the Week: Nia Dennis, UCLA; Kaitlyn Yanish, OSU; Kyla Bryant, STAN.
2018 PAC-12 GYMNASTICS WEEKLY HONORS
| Gymnast of the Week | Specialist of the Week | Freshman/ Newcomer of the Week | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 9 | MyKayla Skinner, UTAH | Christine Peng-Peng Lee, UCLA | Kyana George, CAL |
| Jan. 16 | MyKayla Skinner, UTAH | Christine Peng-Peng Lee, UCLA | Cairo Leonard-Baker, ASU |