This week in Pac-12 gymnastics

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SAN FRANCISCO--No. 5 UTAH and No. 6 UCLA have started to separate themselves from the rest of a very strong gymnastics conference. Both are now 4-1 in league competition with Utah’s loss coming at the hands of the Bruins, and UCLA’s coming in the form of an upset by CALIFORNIA. Both teams lead the Pac-12 in two events: Utah leads on the vault and the bars, and UCLA leads on the beam and the floor.

The three teams sitting at 3-2 in Pac-12 competition are all also highly competitive. No. 12 STANFORD boasts one of the best all-arounders in the nation in Elizabeth Price, No. 14 CALIFORNIA is ranked in the top-10 on both the floor and the vault, and No. 17 OREGON STATE is home to the second-highest ranked all-arounder in the Pac-12 in Madeline Gardiner.

The last weekend of regular season Pac-12 vs. Pac-12 competition should be interesting as, for the third week in a row, two top-20 match-ups get underway. No. 5 UTAH will travel to No. 14 CALIFORNIA and No. 12  STANFORD will take on No. 17 OREGON STATE. 

All signs point to a thrilling Pac-12 Championship March 19 in Seattle.

Pac-12 Championship Credentials: The media credential application site for the 2016 Pac-12 Gymnastics Championship is now open. Credential requests are due by March 16. The event will take place at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle with session 1 starting at 1 p.m. PT and session 2 starting at 6 p.m. PT. The event will be televised live by Pac-12 Networks. Click here to apply for credentials. 

More high level non-conference competition ahead: This coming weekend will be the last of Conference competition in 2016. After that, Pac-12 teams will resume taking on some of the toughest competition from outside the conference including No. 1 Oklahoma, No.4 Michigan, No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Auburn, and No. 10 Georgia. 

Oregon State shines: After an impressive 196-850-195.350 win over CALIFORNIA, the Beavers are proving to be true contenders. Both Madeline Gardiner and Mary Jacobsen took home Pac-12 weekly honors this week. Gardiner currently ranks 13th in the nation in both the all-around and on the beam. The well-rounded Beavers are ranked in the top 20 in every event:  No. 15 on vault, No. 17 on bars, No. 12 on beam, and No. 19 on floor

Elizabeth Price ranking high: STANFORD's Price has led the Pac-12 in the all-around for most of the 2016 season and is currently fourth nationally. She is also ranked in the top 20 in three of four events: she is No. 6 on the vault, No. 18 on the bars, and No. 15 on the floor.

Switch to RQS: This week, rankings switched from being based on all-around average to being based on regional qualifying score. The Pac-12 remained strong with six of eight teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation. 

Upcoming Schedule:
Sat., Feb 27
#5 UTAH at #14 CALIFORNIA                        P12N, BA, M     1 p.m. PT
ARIZONA STATE at #6 UCLA                        P12A, LA           1 p.m. PT
WASHINGTON at #25 ARIZONA                                              3 p.m. PT

Mon., Feb. 29
#12 STANFORD at #17 OREGON STATE    P12N, BA, O      7 p.m. PT