Amanda Borden previews 2016 Pac-12 Women's Gymnastics Championships
While the Utah Utes sit as the No. 1 seed in this weekend's Pac-12 Women's Gymnastics Championships, it appears that this year's title is as wide-open as ever.
To preview all the action, Pac-12 Networks insider sat down with Pac-12 Networks Women's Gymnastics analyst Amanda Borden to get her take on this year's competition.
On the overall strength of the Conference...
“It should be our strongest Conference tournament in a long time. Our top four teams have always really dominated and they’ve also made big marks in the national scene. Now we have other contenders that, if they do their job and put up their best score of the season, they are definitely in the mix. For example, if Stanford does what they did last week against Georgia and UCLA, they potentially could win the Pac-12 Championship out of the first session. I think our depth is a lot deeper, and both sessions are going to be really exciting.”
On what she's expecting in this tournament...
"All the coaches, and myself included, want to see all the teams do what they’re capable of doing and see how the chips fall. I think that every team, for the most part, has a legitimate chance to be in the top three in the Conference. I love seeing the teams go head-to-head with their best gymnastics."
On potential freshmen standouts...
"Katelyn Ohashi from UCLA - she is one of the best competitors on the Pac-12 floor at this point. She brings a lot of international experience, and I think she is a fierce competitor. She reminds me a lot of Sam Peszek - you put the lights on, and she is just a gamer; she wants to pull through for her team. Ohashi had an injury earlier in the season, and we’ve watched her continue to add events back into the lineup. I know she’ll be in at least two events for UCLA, potentially even more than that. She’s the biggest freshman I’ll be watching."