2022 Pac-12 gymnastics season kicks off this week

SAN FRANCISCO - The 2022 gymnastics season kicks off with five Pac-12 squads scheduled to compete in the season's first week.

• Due to the recent COVID-19 developments within the Arizona State Gymnastics program, the meet against Kentucky scheduled for Wednesday, January 5, has been canceled. No. 4 Utah starts its season later this week at the third annual Rio Tinto Best of Utah on Friday, Jan. 7. That event features all four of Utah's Division I gymnastics programs – Utah, No. 19 Brigham Young, No. 25 Southern Utah, No. 26 Utah State – and is at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah, also the site of the 2022 Pac-12 Women's Gymnastics Championships on March 19.
• Arizona State and Kentucky saw each other at last season's NCAA Regional Finals, where they finished tied for third place. The programs are tied 2-2 in the all-time regular season series.
• Utah looks to win its third consecutive Rio Tinto Best of Utah, after scoring 197.000 and 196.900 in the previous two quad meets. The Utes are in the top-five of the WGCA Preseason Poll for the fifth consecutive season.
• Due to the recent COVID-19 developments within multiple programs, the Collegiate Challenge meet scheduled for Saturday, January 7, has been canceled. Originally scheduled to participate, No. 7 California, No. 8 UCLA, No. 12 Arizona State, No. 17 Oregon State, No. 27 Arizona and No. 34 Washington are unable to compete due to COVID-19 protocols.
• Currently, 21 meets are set for broadcast on Pac-12 Networks this season, including the 2022 Pac-12 Women's Gymnastics Championships, while another two are slated to air nationally on ESPN. 
• All eight Pac-12 programs begin the season in the 2022 WCGA Preseason Coaches Poll in No. 4 Utah, No. 7 California, No. 8 UCLA, No. 12 Arizona State, No. 17 Oregon State, No. 27 Arizona, No. 33 Stanford and No. 34 Washington. 
• Utah, UCLA and California went 1-2-3 in the Pac-12 preseason coaches poll, while Arizona State, Oregon State, Arizona, Stanford and Washington rounded out the league poll.

Olympians Made Here

• The 2022 Pac-12 gymnastics season will feature a strong connection to the recently-concluded 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with four Olympic medalists beginning their collegiate careers on Pac-12 campuses this year. Oregon State's Jade Carey (USA) won an individual gold medal in the floor exercise, UCLA's Jordan Chiles and Utah's Grace McCallum were silver medalists in the team competition with the United States, and Utah's Amelie Morgan helped Great Britain to team bronze, its first gymnastics medal since 1928.
• Rounding out the Pac-12 freshmen with Olympic ties are UCLA's Brooklyn Moors, who competed for Canada in Tokyo, and Utah's Kara Eaker and UCLA's Emma Malabuyo, who were alternates for the United States. 

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (Full Schedule)