Pac-12 gymnastics faces top non-conference competition this week

SAN FRANCISCO - Pac-12 Gymnastics has seven of its teams ranked in the WCGA Top 25.

• Unbeaten #3 UCLA and #4 UTAH surpass school records and both look to post their seventh consecutive 197+ team score.
• Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week, Kyla Ross and Pac-12 Specialist of the Week, Katelyn Ohashi of UCLA each score a perfect 10 for the second time this season.
• No. 4 Utah performed victoriously in front of its second sell-out crowd (15,558 fans) in a Saturday matinee versus the California Golden Bears.
• Four Pac-12 schools will face Top 10 non-conference competition this week in the Perfect 10 Challenge at #1 Oklahoma and in the Gymquarters Invitational at #15 Missouri (with #5 LSU).
• UCLA will host its first-ever Bruinclusion meet on Saturday at 2:30 pm, to be televised live on Pac-12 Networks.

PAC-12 TEAM NOTES

ARIZONA - No. 25 Arizona outscored No. 11 Oregon State on the uneven bars (48.950-48.875) but the GymCats’ bar routines weren’t enough to defeat the Beavers who ultimately prevailed 196.350-195.475 ... The GymCats earned a score of 49.000 on the floor, their third 49.000+ score on floor exercise this season ... The Arizona gymnastics squad will hit the road next week to take on defending national champion, No. 3 UCLA on Saturday.

ARIZONA STATE - After ending the meet with a season-best floor rotation, No. 19 Arizona State gymnastics earned its first Pac-12 win of the season over No. 24 Stanford, scoring a season-high 196.375 to the Cardinal’s 195.000 in front of a home crowd at Wells Fargo Arena ... In the Salute to Service meet, Cairo Leonard-Baker earned her first all-around title with a 39.325 and Jasmine Gutierrez and Justine Callis scored 9.850s on the beam to tie for the individual title ... Sunday’s meet was Gutierrez’s collegieate debut alongside freshman teammate Stephanie Tripodi who scored a 9.750 on the vault.

CALIFORNIA - California’s freshmen led the No. 14 Golden Bears with a pair of event titles in Cal’s loss at No. 4 Utah, 197.150-196.225 in Salt Lake City on Saturday ... Milan Clausi, a native of Salt Lake City, picked up the floor crown. Teammate Maya Bordas anchored bars with a career-best performance (9.875) for the event title.  Bordas also scored a career-high 9.80 on the floor ... The Golden Bears will travel to Corvallis next to face No. 12 Oregon State on Sunday.

OREGON STATE - No. 11 Oregon State remains undefeated on the road after its victory in the desert versus No. 25 Arizona (196.350-195.475) ... The Beavers surpassed the Wildcats in all four events, topping the 49 point mark in the vault (49.175), the beam (49.025), and the floor (49.275) ... The Beavers’ fifth ranked floor marked the highest scoring event of the meet (49.275) behind a pair of 9.90s from Kaitlyn Yanish and Isis Lowery, a 9.85 from Savanna Force, a 9.825 from Madi Dagen, and a 9.80 from Mary Jacobsen.

STANFORD - No. 26 Stanford posted season-bests on the uneven bars and the floor exercise, but No. 19 Arizona State prevailed in the final event on Sunday at Wells Fargo Arena ... The Cardinal led after the first event by scoring 49.050 on bars, as sophomore Kyla Bryant finished second (9.900) and freshman Grace Waguespack tied for third (9.875), tallying her career high ... Bryant placed second on floor (9.925) two spots above fellow sophomore Taylor Lawson who placed fourth (9.900) ... Stanford returns to competition on Friday at the GymQuarters Invitational in St. Charles, Mo., against No. 5 LSU, No. 15 Missouri and No. 4 Utah.

UCLA - For the second time this season, Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week, Kyla Ross and Pac-12 Specialist of the Week, Katelyn Ohashi each scored a perfect 10, leading the Bruins to a perfect 8-0 after a 197.600-196.000 victory in front of a record crowd of 7,228 fans in Ohashi’s hometown of Seattle ... No. 3 UCLA won event titles in every event and led the meet from start to finish ... The Bruins will return home for the first-ever Bruinclusion meet presented by Wescom on Saturday in Pauley Pavilion against No. 25 Arizona.

UTAH - The No. 4 Utes topped 197.000 in front of yet another sell-out crowd of 15,558 fans at the Huntsman Center to beat No. 14 California 197.150-196.225 ... Utah shined on vault putting up a 49.475, just off its season high of 49.500, that included two impressive vaults with 10.0 start values from MaKenna Merrell-Giles and MyKayla Skinner ... Merrell-Giles scored a season-best 9.925 and Skinner followed it up by scoring a 9.950 in arguably the most difficult vault performed in college gymnastics history ... The Utes’ resiliance will be tested as they face three meets against national powers in eight days, starting with the GymQuarters Invitational in St. Charles, Mo., on Friday, then a dual meet at Stanford on Monday, and finishing with a Top 10 Pac-12 showdown against defending national champion, No 3. UCLA on Feb. 23.

WASHINGTON - The No. 18 Washington Huskies reached a 196.000+ score for the second time this season in front of a record-breaking crowd of 7,228 fans, but 196.000 wasn’t enough to defeat the Bruins who outscored the GymDawgs 197.600-196.000 ... Kristyn Hoffa recorded a score of 9.875 on floor, giving her three meets in a row with a score of 9.875 or higher ... The Huskies will face non-conference competition this week as they head to Oklahoma City to perform in a quad meet against No. 19 Arizona State, George Washington University, and No. 1 Oklahoma.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE 

CONFERENCE STANDINGS 

BIGGEST PAC-12 CROWDS IN 2019