SCHEDULE | STANDINGS | RECORD BOOK 

Six of eight Pac-12 women's gymnastics programs competed on the opening weekend of the 2024 season and four finished with scores that ranked in the top 13 in the country. Conference favorite Utah led the way with a 197.300, which was the second-best team score behind two-time defending National Champion Oklahoma. 

Week two will see women's collegiate gymnastics on the national stage with ESPN's Collegiate Quad at the Maverik Center in Salt Lake City, Jan. 12-13. The two-day, three-session event features 12 teams, four from the Pac-12, and will be headlined by Saturday's second session that will see No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Utah, No. 5 LSU and No. 12 UCLA compete in a live national broadcast on ABC at 1 p.m. PT. Arizona will open its season in Friday's session one event against No. 16 Nebraska, North Carolina and Boise State at 6 p.m. PT on ACCN+, while No. 6 California will compete in the event's third session on Saturday at 6 p.m. PT against No. 14 Michigan State, No. 19 BYU and North Carolina State.

Overall, all eight Pac-12 squads will be in action on the second weekend with Stanford joining Arizona in making its season debut. The Cardinal will travel east for a dual meet with No. 20 Michigan on Friday at 4 p.m. PT on B10 Network+. 

LAST WEEK

• No. 2 Utah hosted Boise State at the Jon M Huntsman Center in Carly Dockendorf's first competition as the head coach. Despite all the offseason changes, the Utes picked up right where they left off last year, turning in the No. 2 score in the country in taking down Boise State (194.350). No surprise, reigning NCAA All-Around and Beam Champion Maile O'Keefe posted her 11th career 10.0 on beam and added a 9.950 on floor and a 9.925 on bars to take first in both events, earning her the first Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week honors in 2024. 
• No. 6 California entered the season with high expectations with a majority of their rotations returning after a trip to the National Championship last year. The Bears delivered in Las Vegas where they finished second in their session at the Mean Girls Super 16 with Cal posting a 196.850, topped only by No. 8 Alabama 's 197.125 and followed by No. 18 Auburn with a 196.600 and Pac-12 foe then - No. 5 UCLA at 196.550. Junior Mya Lauzon, coming off a breakout sophomore campaign last winter, captured the all-around title. 
• The Bruins may have finished fourth in their loaded session in Las Vegas, but had several individual performances highlight the event. Reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Selena Harris finished second in the all-around with a 39.550 and tied for first on bars with a 9.950. Senior Chae Campbell tied for first on vault with a 9.950 while junior Emily Lee tied for first on beam with a 9.900.  
• No. 13 Oregon State also had a strong start to 2024 in Las Vegas, narrowly finishing second to Minnesota (196.850- 196.525), but besting Southern Utah (196.025) and BYU (195.900) in their session. Two-time Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year Jade Carey has moved into a new role this season, competing in fewer events as she simultaneously trains for next summer's Paris Olympics, but still picked up some hardware, earning her first career Pac-12 Specialist of the Week honor. The junior won the bars event with a 9.975, the top score in the country on the event during opening weekend, and finished second on the floor with a 9.900. Beaver freshman Taylor DeVries was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after finishing tied for fourth on bars with a 9.900 in her first collegiate meet, while junior Natalie Briones earned the Pac-12 Coaches' Choice award after competing in three events at a meet for the first time in her career after battling injuries her first two seasons. Briones scored a career-best 9.900 on the bars to finish tied for fourth in the event.
• No. 23 Washington was the fourth Pac-12 squad to start its season at the Mean Girls Super 16 event and finished third in its session in Las Vegas, beating San Jose State (195.000-194.950) and coming in behind Illinois (195.725) and Denver (196.825).
• Arizona State kicked off 2024 at home on Monday and turned in a solid win over Central Michigan 195.725 - 195.125. All-American Hannah Scharf, who returned to Tempe for a fifth year, won event titles on vault (9.850) and floor (9.875) and added a 9.850 on beam.

THIS WEEK

• No. 2 Utah and No. 12 UCLA will face an early season pressure situation in front of a nationally televised audience on ABC at ESPN's Collegiate Quad at the Maverik Center on Saturday afternoon, competing against No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 5 LSU. The Sooners are coming off their second straight NCAA Championship, while the Utes finished third at Nationals and LSU fourth last April. Oklahoma posted a nation's-best 197.850 on opening weekend with Utah checking in one spot behind them and LSU turning in the fifth-best score of 196.975. UCLA's 196.550 also ranked in the top 13 in the country so this is sure to be highly competitive meet that will likely come down to the wire. 
• The Utes will finish up the weekend with another quad meet, returning to the Maverik Center two days later on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the Rio Tinto Best of Utah, which features No. 2 Utah, No. 17 Southern Utah, No. 19 BYU and Utah State at 3 p.m. PT.
• Arizona and No. 6 California will also be in Salt Lake City for the Collegiate Quad, with the Wildcats slated for Friday's opening session against No. 16 Nebraska, Boise State and North Carolina at 6 p.m. PT on ACCN+ and the Bears set for the weekend's final session on Saturday night at 6 p.m. PT against No. 14 Michigan State, No. 19 BYU and North Carolina State, also on ACCN+.  
• Stanford and No. 23 Washington will be in the Midwest on Friday, January 12 with the Cardinal at No. 20 Michigan at 4 p.m. PT on BIG+ and the Huskies at Iowa at 4:30 p.m. PT.
• Oregon State will travel to the East Coast for a Quad Meet at Rutgers that will also include Southern Connecticut State and Utica College on Saturday at 11 a.m. PT on B10+.
• Arizona State heads out on the road for a challenging dual meet at No. 6 Denver on Sunday, January 14 at 1 p.m. PT. 

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (Full Schedule)

ROAD TO NATIONALS RANKINGS - JAN. 8

• With the opening weekend of competition for the 2024 season in the books, the Road to Nationals official National Qualifying Scores (NQS) rankings are back. 
• Five of eight Pac-12 programs competed before the first rankings of the year were released on Monday morning and all five ranked in the top 23.
• Conference favorite Utah's team score of 197.300 in the win over Boise State ranks them No. 2 in the nation, while California's 196.850 is tied for No. 6. UCLA sits in 12th at 196.550 with a narrow margin over No. 13 Oregon State, who recorded a 196.525. Washington's 195.000 in its first event currently ranks No. 23.  

PERFECT 10s

• The Pac-12 saw one Perfect 10 on opening weekend and of course it came from Utah's fifth-year senior and reigning NCAA Beam Champion Maile O'Keefe, who earned her 11th career 10.0 on beam against the Broncos on Friday, Jan. 5. 

PRESEASON RANKINGS

• For a second consecutive year, all 8 Pac-12 women's gymnastics teams are ranked in the top 25 of the 2024 Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Preseason Poll, voted on annually by Division I women's gymnastics coaches. The eight teams in the top 25 are tied for the most with the SEC.
• Utah, which won its third consecutive Pac-12 title in 2023 and finished third at the National Championships for a third straight year, is the Conference's top-ranked team coming in at No. 4 with a pair of first-place votes. 
• Joining Utah in the top 10 is UCLA at No. 5 and California at No. 7. Oregon State checks in at No. 13, followed by Arizona State at No. 19, Stanford at No. 20, Washington at No. 21 and Arizona at No. 22. 

KEY RETURNERS & NEWCOMERS 

• Utah senior Maile O’Keefe is back for a fifth year looking to defend her NCAA titles in the All-Around and Beam from last spring, while Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year Jade Carey returns for Oregon State. Carey will be simultaneously competing for the Beavers and preparing for next summer’s Paris Olympics.
• UCLA’s Selena Harris, the 2023 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, returns for the Bruins.
• In all, 13 of 17 NCAA All-Americans from last season are back in 2024:
  • California: eMjae Frazier, Maya Lauzon, Andi Li, Maddie Williams; Oregon State: Jade Carey; Stanford: Chloe Widner; UCLA: Chae Campbell, Margzetta Frazier, Selena Harris, Emma Malabuyo; Utah: Maile O’Keefe, Grace McCallum, Makenna Smith.
• Four Pac-12 programs - Utah (No. 6) Oregon State (No. 8), Arizona (No. 9) and Washington (No. 10) - are ranked in the top 10 of College Gym News’ Freshman Class of 2024 Rankings. Classes are highlighted by Utah’s trio of five stars Ella Zirbes, Elizabeth Gantner and Camie Winger; Oregon State’s Sophia Esposito, Arizona’s Abigayle Martin and Washington’s five-star Kristin Lin.

PAC-12 PRESEASON POLL & WATCH LISTS

• In a polling of the league’s eight women’s gymnastics head coaches, defending Pac-12 champion Utah was selected as the preseason favorite to claim a fourth straight conference title in 2024.
• Utah, who became the first team to win three straight Pac-12 titles since the league expanded in 2011 and won its sixth Pac-12 crown overall last spring, received 46 points, including five first-place votes, to edge out runner-up UCLA, who collected 43 total points and the other three first-place votes. The two programs have taken turns capturing conference titles since 2014, with Utah winning in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022 and 2023 and UCLA winning in 2016, 2018 and 2019.
• California finished third in the poll with 40 points, while Oregon State checked in at fourth with 30 points. Arizona State (22 points) came in fifth followed by Stanford (19 points) in sixth, Washington (14 points) in seventh and Arizona (10 points) in eighth to round it out.
• The Pac-12 released its Preseason Watch List and Newcomer Watch List ahead of the 2024 campaign, which features 16 total student-athletes across the eight programs as nominated by the league's coaches. 
  • The 2024 Preseason Watch List includes 11 returning student-athletes: Jade Carey, Oregon State; Chae Campbell, UCLA; Alysen Fears, Arizona; eMjae Frazier, California; Skylar Killough-Wilhelm, Washington; Mya Lauzon, California; Jada Mangahas, Arizona State; Amelia Morgan, Utah; Lana Navarro, Washington; Hannah Scharf, Arizona State; Chloe Widner, Stanford.
  • The 2024 Newcomer Watch List features five freshmen: Sophia Esposito, Oregon State; Abigayle Martin, Arizona; Sienna Robinson, Stanford; Katelyn Rosen, UCLA; Ella Zirbes, Utah.

OLYMPIC STRENGTH

• Pac-12 lineups this upcoming season will feature three Olympic medalists from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, all whom are training for a chance to again represent their countries at the upcoming Paris Olympics. In Tokyo, reigning two-time Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year, Oregon State's Jade Carey (USA) won an individual gold medal in the floor exercise, Utah's Grace McCallum was a silver medalist in the team competition with the United States and Utah's Amelie Morgan helped Great Britain to team bronze, which was its first gymnastics medal since 1928.
• Rounding out the Pac-12 with Olympic ties are UCLA's Brooklyn Moors, who competed for Canada in Tokyo, and Emma Malabuyo, who was an alternate for the United States.
• Of note: Former UCLA gymnast and Olympian Jordan Chiles, who won the 2023 NCAA titles in the uneven bars and floor exercise, has paused her collegiate career to exclusively train for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

BEST IN THE WEST

• For the second consecutive year and second time in Pac-12 history, all eight Pac-12 Women’s Gymnastics programs were selected to compete at the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Regionals last season.
• Six of eight Pac-12 teams advanced to Regional Finals, which was the most of any conference in the nation. Utah and UCLA finished first and second at the LA Regional to advance to the NCAA Championships and California won the Pittsburgh Regional, its first regional title in program history, to advance to Nationals as well.
• After winning its third consecutive Pac-12 Championship in 2023, Utah went on to its 47th-consecutive national championship meet after winning the LA Regional, and is the only program in the nation to qualify for every national championship, including all 41 NCAA Championships. The Utes advanced to the NCAA Finals and finished third overall for the third consecutive year in 2023.
• All eight teams finished in the Top 21 in the final 2023 Road to Nationals rankings - No. 3 Utah, No. 5 UCLA, No. 7 California, No. 12 Oregon State, No. 15 Arizona State, No. 16 Washington, No. 19 Stanford and No. 21 Arizona.

THE RISE OF COLLEGIATE GYMNASTICS 

• More eyes are on the sport than ever before:
  • Last year’s National Championship broke the 1 million viewer mark for the first time and viewership is only expected to rise, especially in the lead up to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
  • ESPN launched its own invitational meet that will feature 12 total teams, with the main session including four of the sport’s top teams and airing on ABC in its prime time slot. Called the “Collegiate Quad", the meet will take place at the Maverik Center - site of the last two Pac-12 Women’s Gym Championships - on January 12-13, 2024 and include four Pac-12 programs - Utah and UCLA, California and Arizona - among 12 total teams competing over the two days, including defending national champion Oklahoma.

ON TV 

• A total of 20 women’s gymnastics competitions are scheduled to air on Pac-12 Networks, including Oregon State at Utah on Friday, Feb. 2 at 5 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. MT. Two-time defending Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year Jade Carey and the Beavers look to knock off the three-time defending Pac-12 Champion Utes in Salt Lake City. 
• Utah and UCLA will compete in EPSN's Collegiate Quad on Saturday, January 13th on ABC at 1 p.m. PT. The Utes and Bruins will also meet in their head-to-head Pac-12 competition on Monday, February 19 at 2:30 p.m. PT on ESPNU. 

2024 PAC-12 WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tickets for the 2024 Pac-12 Women’s Gymnastics Championships, presented by Sprouts, are on sale now at Pac-12.com/tickets. The one-day, two-session event returns to the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah on Saturday, March 18.

2024 Pac-12 Women's Gymnastics Weekly Awards