2023 PAC-12 WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | RECORD BOOK

SAN FRANCISCO - With the regular season in the books, Pac-12 women’s gymnastics turns its attention to the postseason, beginning with the 2023 Pac-12 Championships, presented by Sprouts Farmers Market, on Saturday, March 18 at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. The first session of the day will feature #14 Arizona State, #19 Stanford, Washington and Arizona and begin at 1 p.m. MT. The evening session will be a showdown of four of the top-11 ranked teams in the country - No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Utah, No. 7 California and No. 11 Oregon State - beginning at 6 p.m. MT. Both sessions will air live on Pac-12 Networks.

Utah will try to become the first team in Pac-12 history to win three-straight conference championships after winning back-to-back titles the last two years. Since joining the league, the Utes have claimed five championships (2014, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022), the most by any team in the conference. UCLA, who last won it two straight years in 2018-19, enters the event with the top-ranked National Qualifying Score (NQS) after surpassing the Utes last weekend. California and Oregon State will have something to say about it too as the head-to-head competitions between these four programs came down to the wire during the regular season, which included three ending in ties. The last team to win a Pac-12 title outside of Utah and UCLA was in 2013 when Oregon State took the conference crown.

The conclusion of the regular season went much like most of the year with drama until the very end. Utah needed a win at Oregon State in the final Pac-12 dual to secure the regular season title outright, but the Beavers played spoiler with a victory in Corvallis, earning themselves a share of the title with Utah, UCLA and Cal as part of a four-way tie at the top of the standings.

With six teams ranked in the top 20 of the Road to Nationals NQS rankings and all eight Pac-12 programs in the top 28, Saturday’s competition is sure to be intense with all eight squads eying a spot in NCAA Regionals for a second straight year.

CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE (with Starting Rotations) - SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2023

Session 1 (1 p.m. MT) 

• No. 14 Arizona State - Vault
• No. 19 Stanford - Bars
• Washington - Beam
• Arizona - Floor  

Session 2 (6 p.m. MT)

• No. 4 UCLA - Vault
• No. 5 Utah - Bars
• No. 11 Oregon State - Beam  
• No. 7 California - Floor

LIVE SCORING: 

• Tournament Central: http://statb.us/central/843
• Session 1 link: http://statb.us/b/460435
• Session 2 link: http://statb.us/b/460436

MAVERIK CENTER

The Maverik Center is home to the Pac-12 Championships for the second-straight year in 2023, and fourth time overall. Located in the heart of the Salt Lake Valley in West Valley City, Utah, the Maverik Center can seat over 9,000 for women’s gymnastics.

TICKETS

• Tickets for the 2023 Pac-12 Women’s Gymnastics Championships, presented by Sprouts, are on sale now at Pac-12.com/tickets. 

198 CLUB

Utah, Oregon State, California and UCLA all posted team scores over 198 this season, representing four of just 11 teams in the country to do so in 2023. In all, the Pac-12 saw seven scores over 198 in 2023.

• California ended the regular season with a ton of momentum, scoring back-to-back 198s at a pair of home quad meets, marking the Bears’ two highest scores in program history and just the second and third times all-time to go over the 198 plateau. Cal also broke the program balance beam record in the quad meet on Friday, March 10 with a 49.600.
• In a top-25 showdown on March 5, UCLA came out on top over the Cardinal (198.175-196.825) with the Bruins joining the 198 club behind their third-highest bars score in school history (49.725). UCLA recorded its second 198+ of the season in the finale against Iowa State on March 11, with their score of 198.275 being the sixth-highest in program history.
• Utah’s 198.550 in the top-10 win over Cal on Feb. 24 marked the second 198+ score of the season for the Utes, which was its third-best score in program history. The Utes’ first of the season came in a 198.200-197.450 win in a top-five matchup against UCLA on Feb. 3.
• In the win over Stanford on Feb. 24, Oregon State topped the 198 mark for the first time in program history, scoring a 198.075. The Beavers also broke the program’s beam record with a 49.650 at the meet. 

PERFECT 10s

The Conference saw 18 Perfect 10s during the 2023 regular season. Six-time Gymnast of the Week Jade Carey led the way with seven. After earning 10s on floor, bars and vault this season, Carey became just the 13th NCAA gymnast to complete the gym slam with her first career perfect 10 on beam on March 4.

• (7) Jade Carey, Oregon State
  • Jan. 14 at Wasatch Classic - 10.0 on floor and vault
  • Feb. 18 vs. Arizona - 10.0 on floor and vault
  • Feb. 24 at Stanford - 10.0 on floor and bars
  • March 4 at Arizona - 10.0 on beam
• (3) Jordan Chiles, UCLA
  • Feb. 10 vs. Arizona State - 10.0 on floor
  • March 5 vs. Stanford - 10.0 on bars
  • March 11 vs. Iowa State - 10.0 on bars
• (3) Maile O’Keefe, Utah
  • Feb. 3 vs. UCLA - 10.0 on beam
  • Feb. 10 at Metroplex Challenge - 10.0 on beam
  • Feb. 24 vs. California - 10.0 on beam
• (1) eMjae Frazier, Cal (First career)
  • March 3 at LSU Podium Challenge - 10.0 on floor  
• (1) Mya Lauzon, Cal (First career)
  • March 12 at Haas Quad Meet #2 - 10.0 on beam
• (1) Kara Eaker, Utah
  • Jan. 13 at Rio Tinto Best of Utah Quad Meet - 10.0 on beam 
• (1) Jaedyn Rucker, Utah (First career)
  • Feb. 24 vs. California - 10.0 on vault
• (1) Cristal Isa, Utah
  • March 3 vs. Arizona - 10.0 on beam

BY THE (HISTORIC) NUMBERS

It was a season full of record-setting numbers for Pac-12 women’s gymnastics squads and gymnasts. Two programs - Oregon State and California - posted their highest team scores in program history, with OSU breaking the 198 mark for the first time. Other highlights include:

• Olympic Gold Medalist Jade Carey has been superb in her sophomore campaign at Oregon State, earning six Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week honors in 2023. She broke the OSU all-around record two straight weeks with back-to-back 39.875s, which is tied for the second highest all-around score in the country this year. At the Wasatch Classic on Jan. 14, Carey became the first OSU gymnast to record a pair of perfect scores in a meet since former Beaver Chari Knight accomplished the feat in 1993. She went on to do it two more times during the regular season, scoring a 10.0 on floor and bars on Feb. 24 vs. Stanford and a pair of 10s on floor and vault in the win over Arizona on Feb. 18. 
• Carey’s 2020 Olympic teammate, UCLA sophomore Jordan Chiles earned five Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week honors this year, including two straight to end the regular season. In the finale against Iowa State, Chiles posted the nation’s best all-around score of 2023 with a 39.900, which was the second-highest all-around score by a Bruin in program history. 
• Carey and Chiles were the only Pac-12 gymnasts to sweep all four event titles and the all-around in a single meet this year. Jade did it three times (Beaver Quad Meet on Jan. 21, vs. No. 7 California on Feb 10, vs. Arizona on Feb. 18) while Chiles did it once against Iowa State.
• In the final Pac-12 dual of the regular season on March 11, Oregon State upset then No. 4 Utah 197.950-197.700. The 197.950 was the Beavers’ second-best score in all-time and highest score inside Gill Coliseum in program history, while the home victory kept OSU’s home record perfect over the last two seasons of competition.
• California sophomore Mya Lauzon, a two-time Specialist of the Week honor this year, ended the regular season on a high note, winning five of the six events she competed in at Cal’s two home quads meets on March 10 & 12. After breaking the program beam record with a 9.975 on Friday, she followed that performance with the first perfect 10 on the event in school history on Sunday. The Sunday performance helped the Bears to the second-highest team beam score in NCAA history (49.825), which is also tied for the highest team score on any event in 2023.
• Utah senior Maile O’Keefe, last year’s Pac-12 Specialist of the Year and a two-time Specialist of the Week honoree in 2023, has posted three perfect 10s on beam this season to give her seven for her career, setting a new Utah record for most 10.0s in a career and breaking the tie with Theresa Kulikowski (1999-2003), who earned six during her career. 
• California competed at LSU’s Podium Challenge on March 3 where freshman eMjae Frazier made history, becoming the first Bear to earn a 10.0 on the floor and first freshman to earn a 10.0 on any event since former Bear Toni Ann Williams in 2015. Earlier in the season on Feb. 18 in a win over Arizona, Frazier tied the Bears’ program record of 39.700 to win the first all-around title of her career.
• In the loss to the Beavers on Feb. 24, Stanford’s 197.575 was the fifth-best in program history and the best in Maples Pavilion dating back to 1999.
• The Sun Devils’ upset over No. 4 Utah by just .050 of a point on Feb. 20 was ASU’s first win over the Utes since 2003 and first in Tempe since 2000 behind the 11th-best score in program history. ASU senior Hannah Scharf was key to the win, setting a career high of 39.675 in the all-around against Utah, which ranks as the 10th-best AA score in program history. With the meet against the Utes coming down to the last rotation on the floor, Scharf scored a 9.925 to win the event and secure the Sun Devil upset.
• After the conference had not seen a tie in a regular season league dual since Feb. 23, 2020, there were ties in three consecutive weeks. The first came between Oregon State and UCLA on January 29 in LA, the second came a week later as Oregon State hosted California at Gill Coliseum on Feb. 10 and the third was between UCLA and California in Berkeley on Feb. 18. 
• Cal’s score of 197.600 in the win over Arizona State on Feb. 4 was the sixth-highest score in program history, while its 9-0 mark to start the year was one win shy of matching the record of 10, which was set back in 2015. 
• Utah matched its school record on beam against UCLA on Feb. 3, scoring a 49.775. 
• Oregon State’s 197.275 in the tie at UCLA on Jan. 29 was their highest score at UCLA in program history. 
• UCLA freshman Selena Harris, the No. 1 ranked recruit in the nation last year, has lived up to her billing in her first collegiate season. Harris earned five straight Freshman/Newcomer of the Week awards to start the season, tying the Pac-12 record for most consecutive weekly awards, held by Toni-Ann Williams from California in 2015. Harris earned the honor for a sixth time on March 14 to tie the all-time record for most freshman honors in a season since the award was introduced in 2013, held by Williams, Utah’s MyKayla Skinner (2017) and Oregon State’s Jade Carey (2022).
• Utah opened the season taking down the then-No.6 LSU Tigers (197.275-196.775) in front of a packed house of over 11,000 fans at the Huntsman Center in an event that aired live on ESPN2. It was Utah’s highest season-opening score since 2005 and the third-best in program history. 
• California opened its season with a historical performance, posting its best overall score in a season-opening meet in program history (197.457), taking first at the Super 16 event in Las Vegas. Cal’s No. 3 Road to Nationals ranking after week one was its highest in the ranking system in program history.

ROAD TO NATIONALS RANKINGS

• The Road to Nationals rankings serve as the official rankings for NCAA gymnastics as it tracks team and individual scores overall and by event. After week seven competition, the rankings switched to the National Qualifying Score (NQS) rather than a straight average. The NQS, which is calculated by taking the highest six scores of the season, three of which must be road scores, then dropping the high score and averaging the remaining five, is ultimately used to determine which programs qualify for NCAA Regionals. Heading into the 2023 Pac-12 Women’s Gymnastics Championships, six of eight Pac-12 programs are currently in the top 25 in the country and all eight sit in the top 28, including five in the top 14.
• For the first time this season, UCLA moved ahead of Utah in the rankings with the Bruins sitting at No. 4 (197.940). Utah dropped back to No. 5 (197.940) while California stayed put at No. 7 (197.765).
• Oregon State has made the biggest jump of any team in the country in 2023, moving up 13 spots - No. 26 to now No. 11 - from week one to week 10 with a 197.490 NQS average. Arizona State made the second-biggest jump moving from No. 22 to No. 14 (197.105) in a three-week period after the switch to NQS. Stanford jumped into the top 20 after week 10 at No. 19 (196.930). Washington enters the championships ranked No. 27 (196.585) followed by Arizona at No. 28 (196.570).
• On team events scores - On beam, Pac-12 programs hold four of the top six NQS spots in the country, led by Utah in the top spot at 49.670, followed by Oregon State (49.565) in third, UCLA in fifth (49.545) and California (49.500) in sixth after posting the nation’s best overall score on the event last weekend (49.825), which was also the highest team total on any event in the country this year; On vault, Utah is tied for fifth (49.390) and UCLA is ninth (49.365); On bars, California is third (49.575), Utah is fifth (49.525) and UCLA in sixth (49.510.) UCLA has the nation's top floor average of 49.625 while Oregon State is tied for sixth (49.500), Utah is eighth (49.485) and California is in ninth (49.480).
• Several individual gymnasts rank among the top-10 performers in the country on individual events: 
  • In the all-around, Pac-12 gymnasts own the top two NQS averages in the country, OSU’s Jade Carey and UCLA’s Jordan Chiles, first and second, respectively, at 39.820 and 39.810. Bruin freshman Selena Harris is the third Pac-12 gymnast in the top 10 at fifth (39.680).
  • In vault, Carey is second in the country with a 9.960 NQS average with Chiles in third at 9.950. Cal’s Mya Lauzon is sixth (9.930), with UCLA’s Harris and Chae Campbell tied for 10th at 9.915.
  • On bars, UCLA’s Chiles is tied for first at 9.975, followed by OSU’s Carey in a tie for fourth at 9.965, Cal’s Andi Li in a tie for sixth at 9.960 and Cal’s Madelyn Williams in a tie for eighth at 9.950.
  • On the floor, OSU’s Carey leads the nation at 9.985, followed by UCLA’s Chiles in a tie for fourth at 9.960 and fellow Bruin Chae Campbell in a tie for ninth at 9.945.
  • On the balance beam, Utah’s Maile O’Keefe is alone in first with a 9.980 NQS average, followed by OSU’s Carey in second at 9.970, Utah’s Kara Eaker in fourth at 9.955 and UCLA’s Harris in a tie for seventh at 9.940. 

2023 Pac-12 Women's Gymnastics Weekly Awards