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SAN FRANCISCO--This weekend, Pac-12 teams will travel to Seattle to compete in the 29th annual Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships. Two-time defending champion UTAH will be seeking thier third championship in a row. The Utes come in as the favorite yet again, leading the Pac-12 with an RQS of 197.205. 

Once again this week, seven Pac-12 squads are ranked among the top 21 teams in the nation,  matching the SEC for the most teams in that group. 

Championship History: UCLA has been crowned Pac-12 gymnastics champions more than anyone else with 16 championships under their belt. The Bruins are followed by OREGON STATE with six championships and then STANFORD with five. UTAH joined the league in 2011 and has since won the Pac-12 title twice, in each of the last two seasons. CALIFORNIA, WASHINGTON, ARIZONA, and ARIZONA STATE are all seeking their first ever Pac-12 gymnastics title.

Stars of the championship: Pac-12 Championships will feature four of the top 20 All-Arounders in the nation, two in each session of the championship. Session 1 will be highlighted by STANFORD’s Elizabeth Price (No. 2) and WASHINGTON’s Allison Northey (No. 15), and Session 2 will feature UTAH’s Breanna Hughes (No. 10) and OREGON STATE’s Madeline Gardiner (No. 19). 

Dawgs on the Rise: Pac-12 Championship host WASHINGTON, the 5-seed and top seeded team in Session 1, is currently enjoying its best stretch of the season. The Huskies have scored over a 196.325 in the last three meets and posted season-highs in their last two.

Hughes Closes Regular Season Career with a 10: UTAH senior Breanna Hughes had a storybook ending to her regular season career last weekend against #8 Georgia. In her final event of her final regular season meet in the Huntsman Center, Hughes scored a 10 on the floor, to lead the Red Rocks to a close win over #8 Georgia and earn the senior her first Gymnast of the Week honors.

Awards season: Several Conference awards will be announced in conjunction with Pac-12 Championships this weekend. The annual Scholar Athlete of the Year award will be announced via press release on Friday. The Gymnast of the Year, Specialist of the Year, Freshman / Newcomer of the Year, and Coach of the Year will all be announced at the conclusion of Pac-12 Championships on Saturday. UTAH co-head coach Megan Marsden will look to repeat as Coach of the Year, and STANFORD’s Elizabeth Price and CALIFORNIA’s Toni-Ann Williams will both look to pick up annual awards again this year after being named Specialist of the Year and Freshman of the Year respectively last season.

Salt Lake City Regional: #5 UTAH will host an NCAA Regional on April 2. For tickets, visit Utahtickets.com. More information to come on credentials.

NCAA Selections: The NCAA Gymnastics Selection Show will take place this coming Monday at 1 p.m. PT on NCAA.com.

Champs history quick notes: STANFORD won the last two Pac-12 Gymnastics championships in Seattle in 2001 and 2008. UTAH is seeking to win three in a row; no school has won three Pac-12 titles in a row since UCLA won four in a row from 1987 through 1990.

Sat., Mar 19
Pac-12 Championships Session 1    1 p.m. PT
    WASHINGTON, STANFORD, ARIZONA, ARIZONA STATE
Pac-12 Championships Session 2    6 p.m. PT
    UTAH, UCLA, CALIFORNIA, OREGON STATE