WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah
After completing the regular season with an undefeated Conference record, UTAH impressed from start-to-finish to secure the 2021 Pac-12 Womens Gymnastics championship at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah, on Saturday. The Red Rocks, led by stellar all-around performances from sophomore
Maile OKeefe
and junior
Cristal Isa
, edged out CALIFORNIA, UCLA and ARIZONA STATE in session No. 2 of the championship event, for their first Conference title since 2017 and third since 2014.
UCLA took a slight lead after an impressive opening on the vault, only to see UTAH seize control on the beam and grab hold of a lead it would never relinquish. The Red Rocks swept the podium on beam, with OKeefe, Isa and
Abby Paulson
sharing the top spot with matching 9.950 scores. OKeefes all-around victory (39.700) was punctuated by a 9.950 score on the floor, a mark she shared with six other gymnasts, including teammates
Jaedyn Rucker
and
Sydney Soloski
. On the evening, UTAH captured eight first-place finishes, accentuated by four from OKeefe and two from Isa.
The Red Rocks finished with 197.725 points, besting second-place California (197.375), which entered the competition as the top seed in the field. The Bears were led by
Nevaeh DeSouza
s third-place 39.550 all-around performance, and as a team took the top spot on the uneven bars (49.475).
Kyana George
joined Utahs trio with a 9.950 on the floor, while DeSouza tied for third on vault in a competitive field. Despite finishing in second, CALIFORNIA achieved its highest finish at the Conference championship and set a program-best Pac-12 championship score.
UCLA and ARIZONA STATE rounded out the top-four with 196.725 and 196.375 points, respectively. UCLAs
Sekai Wright
outlasted the field on vault, posting a 9.950 score while ARIZONA STATEs
Anaya Smith
took second at 9.925. The Bruins and Sun Devils both posted strong performances in session No. 2, as UCLA placed in the top-two and the Sun Devils top-four in three events. In addition to Wrights outstanding vault showing,
Margzetta Frazier
,
Chae Campbell
and
Pauline Tratz
tied for first in individual events for the Bruins.
During the first session of competition, OREGON STATE (195.625) edged ARIZONA (195.275), STANFORD (195.175) and WASHINGTON (194.400), with the Cardinals
Kyla Bryant
earning a 9.95 floor score for the top mark of the early afternoon action. WASHINGTONS
Allie Smith
(9.900) led the first session on the vault, while a trio of gymnasts shared the highest scores on bars and beam.
While STANFORDs floor score of 49.350 stood as the top event after session No. 1, the Beavers consistency across the board gave them the early team lead. The Red Rocks, Bears, Bruins, Sun Devils and Beavers entered competition in the top-25 nationally, and will now look forward to NCAA postseason events.
Regular Season Honors
Following the competition, UCLAs
Pauline Tratz
was honored with 2021 Pac-12 Womens Gymnastics
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
. UTAHs
Maile OKeefe
earned Gymnast of the Year, UTAHs
Alexia Burch
won Specialist of the Year and UCLAs
Chae Campbell
collected the Freshman/Newcomer of the Year award. CALIFORNIA co-head coaches
Justin Howell
and
Elisabeth Crandall-Howell
took home Pac-12 Coaches of the Year honors.
For a full release of 2021 Pac-12 award winners, click
here
.
Individual Results
Vault
1. Sekai Wright, UCLA (9.950)
2. Anaya Smith, Arizona State (9.925)
T3. Nevaeh DeSouza, California (9.900)
T3. Pauline Tratz, UCLA (9.900)
T3. Nia Dennis, UCLA (9.900)
T3. Allie Smith, Washington (9.900)
Bars
T1. Maile OKeefe, Utah (9.950)
T1. Cristal Isa, Utah (9.950)
T1. Margzetta Frazier, UCLA (9.950)
Beam
T1. Maile OKeefe, Utah (9.950)
T1. Cristal Isa, Utah (9.950)
T1. Abby Paulson, Utah (9.950)
Floor
T1. Maile OKeefe, Utah (9.950)
T1. Kyla Bryant, Stanford (9.950)
T1. Chae Campbell, UCLA (9.950)
T1. Kyana George, California (9.950)
T1. Pauline Tratz, UCLA (9.950)
T1. Jaedyn Rucker, Utah (9.950)
T1. Sydney Soloski, Utah (9.950)
All-Around
-
Maile OKeefe, Utah (39.700)
-
Cristal Isa, Utah (39.650)
-
Nevaeh DeSouza, California (39.550)
Team Results
-
Utah, 197.725
-
California, 197.375
-
UCLA, 196.725
-
Arizona State, 196.375
-
Oregon State, 195.625
-
Arizona, 195.400
-
Stanford, 195.175
-
Washington, 194.400