This week in Pac-12 gymnastics
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SAN FRANCISCO--With regular season conference competition now complete, No. 6 UTAH and No. 7 UCLA both end the 6-meet slate with 5-1 records, leading the conference. The Utes and Bruins each lead the Pac-12 in two events: UTAH leads on vault and bars, UCLA leads on beam and floor.
This week, six Pac-12 squads are ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation and over the next two weeks those teams will test their skills against some of the highest-ranked teams from outside the Pac-12. Both #7 UCLA and #19 ARIZONA will take on the nation’s top team, Oklahoma, over the next two weeks.
Several Pac-12 gymnasts are also ranking high in the individual rankings this week. STANFORD’s Elizabeth Price is No. 3 in the nation in the all-around, No. 2 on vault, and No. 6 on bars. UCLA’s Sadiqua Bynum is still leading the nation on floor and UCLA’s Danusia Francis is the second-best in the country on beam.
Pac-12 teams use non-conference foes to prepare for postseason: With regular season Conference competition completed for 2016, Pac-12 teams will now resume challenging non-conference foes in the two weeks leading up to Pac-12 Championships in Seattle. This weekend Pac-12 squads will take on the likes of No. 1 Oklahoma, No.5 Michigan, and No. 10 Georgia-- with No. 4 LSU and No. 8 Auburn still on the slate after that.
Gymnasts of the Week demonstrate depth of conference: WASHINGTON’s Allison Northey’s Gymnast of the Week win this week marks the fifth different school to claim a Gymnast of the Week honor this season. Northey is currently the conference’s second-highest ranked all-arounder, behind STANFORD’s Elizabeth Price and just ahead of OREGON STATE’s Madeline Gardiner.
Three top-15 teams to meet in L.A.: No. 7 UCLA will host No. 10 Georgia and No. 15 STANFORD this coming Sunday in a non-conference tri-meet. The Bruins and Cardinal have not met yet this season but STANFORD did already defeat Georgia in Athens on Jan. 18. The meet will feature the Pac-12’s individual leaders in every event as STANFORD’s Price leads the conference in the all-around, vault, and bars, while UCLA gymnasts lead on beam and floor.
Utes head to Ann Arbor: No.6 UTAH and No. 5 Michigan will go head to head in Ann Arbor on Friday. The Utes lead the series with Michigan 26-13 all-time.
Pac-12 Championship Credentials: The media credential application site for the 2016 Pac-12 Gymnastics Championship is 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.
Upcoming Schedule:
Fri., Mar. 4
#6 UTAH at #5 Michigan 4 p.m. PT
#19 ARIZONA at #1 Oklahoma 4:45 p.m. PT
Penn State at ARIZONA STATE 6 p.m. PT
Michigan State at #12 CALIFORNIA 7 p.m. PT
with Southern Utah, Lindenwood
Seattle Pacific at #17 OREGON STATE 7 p.m. PT
with Ball State
Sat., Mar. 5
Western Michigan at WASHINGTON 6 p.m. PT
Sun., Mar. 6
#15 STANFORD at #7UCLA P12N, LA 12 p.m. PT
with #10 Georgia
Mon., Mar. 7
WASHINGTON at Seattle Pacific 6 p.m. PT