Women's Gymnastics Pac-12 Conference

Pac-12 Women’s Gymnastics Weekly Rundown - February 1, 2023

STANDINGS | SCHEDULE | RECORD BOOK

SAN FRANCISCO - One month is in the books for Pac-12 womens gymnastics and Conference squads brought the heat through the first four weeks with seven programs ranked in the top 25 of the Road to National rankings, including three in the top 10 and four in the top 12. Pac-12 duals were in full swing in week four and the drama was high as rivals faced off and the slate concluded with a rare tie between No. 12 Oregon State and No. 5 UCLA. Week five will feature all head-to-head action between league foes, kicking off with a top-five matchup between No. 5 UCLA and No. 4 Utah live on ESPN2 on Friday, Jan. 3 in Salt Lake City. Saturday's lineup has the Beavers visiting No. 25 Washington, No. 21 ASU traveling to the Bay Area to take on the unbeaten and No.7-ranked California Bears and concludes with No. 28 Arizona at No. 24 Stanford on Saturday night. All three meets will be broadcast live across Pac-12 Network channels.

THIS WEEK

  • Week five gets underway with a marquee matchup between the Pac-12s top-two ranked squads as No. 5 UCLA visits No. 4 Utah Friday night in front of what will surely be a packed house at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. Competition gets underway at 6 p.m. PT in a nationally televised meet on ESPN2. This will be the Utes third regular season meet broadcasted on ESPN networks this year, which is the most in program history. The two squads have combined for nine of the last 10 Pac-12 Championships with Utah capturing five and UCLA four since 2013. The Utes are looking for their fourth straight Pac-12 regular season dual win over the Bruins, but it is sure to come down to the wire as the past three regular season meetings have been decided by less than 0.125 points.
  • Oregon State , who moved up four spots from No. 16 to No. 12 after posting a pair of 197.275 scores last weekend, will be looking for its fourth straight regular season dual win over No. 25 Washington on Saturday. The Huskies last defeated the Beavers in 2020 in Corvallis and will be seeking their first win over OSU in Seattle since 2018. The action begins at 1 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks, Pac-12 Oregon and Pac-12 Washington.
  • No. 7 California , off to an 8-0 start and a 2-0 mark in Conference standings, will put its unbeaten streak on the line Saturday hosting No. 21 Arizona State . In recent history, this matchup has been a back-and-forth affair during the regular season with the squads taking turns beating each other each year since 2017. The Bears will have revenge on their mind while the Gym Devils will hope for a repeat after ASU won 197.075-196.850 and handed Cal its first loss of the season in Tempe a year ago. The 2023 edition will begin at 2 p.m. PT live on Pac-12 Arizona and Pac-12 Bay Area.
  • To finish the weekend, No. 24 Stanford will welcome No. 28 Arizona to Maples Pavilion for a Saturday night showdown at 6 p.m. PT live on Pac-12 Insider. Both teams will be hoping to rebound after dropping duals against their rivals last weekend as Stanford suffered its first loss of the season at Cal and Arizona fell to ASU despite posting its best team score of the season. The Cardinal and GymCats are meeting in a dual meet for the first time since 2020 after competing in a quad meet last season and having the 2021 matchup canceled. While Stanford bested Arizona in last seasons quad-meet competition, the Wildcats took the last dual matchup in 2020 in Tucson; however, Stanford has won the last two dual meetings in Maples (2017, 2019).

WEEK FOUR ROUNDUP

  • 12th-ranked Oregon State had a busy but impressive weekend to put a bow on the first month of the 2023 campaign. The Beavers began by dominating Rutgers 197.275-194.150 at home Friday in its final non-conference dual action, then matched that score Sunday at No. 5 UCLA to tie the Bruins in the Beavers Pac-12 opener. OSU led through three rotations and appeared to have fallen just short as UCLA turned in a monster performance on the floor, but a late score adjustment resulted in the identical team scores, a rare outcome in gymnastics. Olympic Gold Medalist Jade Carey collected six more individual titles and her third all-around title en route to earning her third consecutive Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week honor. UCLA freshman Selena Harris also continued her superb start to her collegiate career, posting three 9.925s and finishing third in the all-around. The Las Vegas, Nevada native has earned all four Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Week awards in 2023.
  • No. 4 Utah hosted No. 25 Washington in its Pac-12 opener and posted its highest team score of the season to defeat the Huskies 197.975-196.350. The Utes, being their usual model of consistency, have scored 197.275 or better in all four meets this year with their only defeat coming against top-ranked Oklahoma. Utahs performance was too much for the Huskies to overcome as the home squad swept all four events and the all-around. Sophomore Grace McCallum won the all-around to go along with event titles on bars and floor, while senior Jillian Hoffman won the vault with a career-high 9.95 and senior standout Maile OKeefe won the beam title with a meet-high 9.975.
  • Last weekends Bay Area showdown between No. 24 Stanford and No. 7 Cal paired two unbeaten squads, but it was the Bears who were able to stay perfect with the 197.525-196.075 win at home. Cal continued its dominance in the series as of late, winning the regular season rivalry meet every year since 2014. The Bears swept all four events and captured the all-around title thanks to junior All-American Andi Li . Freshman eMjae Frazier won her third different event in as many meets as she finished first in vault and earned a share of the floor title to earn Pac-12 Specialist of the Week honors.
  • No. 21 Arizona State made it seven straight dual wins over in-state rival Arizona as the Gym Devils edged the GymCats 196.800-196.475 in Tempe. ASU took the lead after the first rotation and never relinquished it as the Sun Devils recorded season-highs on vault (49.300), beam (49.175) and floor (49.350). ASU saw individual titles on every event, led by senior All-American Hannah Scharf who took the all-around title with a season-high 39.400 to go along with a tie for first on bars. Despite the loss, the GymCats did post their highest team score of the year while four Wildcat gymnasts earned career highs, including sophomore Elizabeth LaRusso s career highs on vault, bars and floor, earning her the Pac-12 Coaches Choice Award for the week.

BY THE NUMBERS

  • OSUs Carey , who has earned three-straight Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week honors, is the only gymnast this season to win all four event titles and the all-around in a meet this season (Beaver Quad Meet). Her top all-around score this season of 39.825 ties her own mark for second-best all-around score in program history. Carey picked up six more individual event wins and her third all-around title of the year in duals against Rutgers and UCLA last weekend.
  • Oregon State posted back-to-back 197.275 scores last weekend, which not only marked the Beavers season high in 2023 but also their highest score at UCLA in program history.
  • No surprise here, in the tie between Oregon State and UCLA , Olympic Team teammates Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles placed first on every event with Chiles winning bars, the pair tying for first on the floor and Carey taking the vault and beam titles and the all-around title just ahead of Chiles in second.
  • Utahs 197.975 team score against Washington is the nations third-best single-meet mark in 2023.
  • Cal matched its season-high of 197.525 in the win over Stanford , which ranks tied for ninth-best score in program history.
  • Arizona State has recorded three straight meet scores of 196+.
  • UCLA freshman Selena Harris , the No. 1 ranked recruit in the nation last year, has lived up to her billing. Harris has earned all four Freshman/Newcomer of the Week awards, winning the all-around twice (at Wasatch Classic, at Washington) and scoring a 9.9 or better in 14 of her first 16 collegiate events, which has included six individual events titles.
  • On week three (Jan 17-19), the Conference saw two gymnasts reach milestones - UCLAs Margzetta Frazier and Washingtons Amara Cunningham each completed 100 consecutive career routines without a single fall during competition.
  • Utahs 49.675 on beam at the Rio Tinto Best of Utah meet on Jan. 13 is the second-best mark on beam in the country and second-highest score on any event overall.
  • Then- No. 4 UCLA nabbed the first career win for first-time head coach Janelle McDonald on Jan. 14 as the Bruins impressed in the night session over Washington (196.550), Minnesota (196.325) and Boise State (195.050) at the Wasatch Classic in Salt Lake City. Winning all four events, UCLAs 197.850 was its highest score on the road since 2019.
  • The Conference saw three perfect 10s on the weekend of January 13 - one by Utahs Kara Eaker in the beam (second of her career in just nine beam routines) and two by Oregon States Jade Carey - her third career 10 on floor and her first on vault. Carey was the first OSU gymnast to record a pair of perfect scores in a meet since former Beaver Chari Knight accomplished the feat in 1993, while the Olympic Gold Medalist is the only gymnast in the country this year to capture two 10s in the same meet.
  • Through three weekends, team and individual titles are as follows:
    • TEAM: California, 4 (Session 3 Super 16; Session 2, Wasatch Classic, at Arizona; vs. Stanford); Utah, 3 (vs. #6 LSU; Rio Tinto Best of Utah; vs. #25 Washington); Stanford, 3 (Session 2 Super 16; vs. San Jose State, at Arizona State); UCLA 2 (Session 1, Wasatch Classic; at Washington); Oregon State 2 (Beaver Quad Meet; vs. Rutgers); 1 Arizona State (vs. Arizona).
    • INDIVIDUAL: Alysen Fears, ARIZ - UB; Malia Hargrove, ARIZ - VA (x3); Sirena Linton, ARIZ - BB; Emily Mueller, ARIZ - FL; Sarah Clark, ASU - UB (x3); Jordan Jaslow, ASU - FL; Jada Mangahas, ASU - FL (x2); Hannah Scharf, ASU - FL, UB, AA; Anaya Smith, ASU - VA; Emily White, ASU - VA, FL, UB, BB, AA; Ella Cesario, CAL - UB; eMjae Frazier, CAL - FL, BB, VA; Nevaeh DeSouza, CAL - AA, VA; Mya Lauzon, CAL - FL, VA, BB; Andi Li, CAL - FL, AA (x2), UB (x3), BB; Maddie Williams, CAL - UB (x2); Jade Carey, OSU - AA (x3), FL (x3), VA (x4); UB (x2), BB (x3); Clair Dean, STAN - FL; Anna Roberts, STAN - AA, FL (x2), VA (x3); Chloe Widner, STAN - AA, BB (x3), FL; Amara Cunningham, WASH - FL (x2); Skylar Killough-Wilhelm, WASH - BB; Chae Campbell, UCLA - FL (x2); Jordan Chiles, UCLA - UB (x3), VA, BB, FL, AA; Selena Harris, UCLA - UB (x2), BB (x2), VA, AA (x2); Kara Eaker, UTAH - BB; Jillian Hoffman, UTAH (VA); Grace McCallum, UTAH - AA, UB (x2), FL (x2); Maile OKeefe, UTAH - BB (x3); Jaedyn Rucker, UTAH - VA (x2); Mckenna Smith, UTAH - VA.
  • 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 Utahs highest season-opening score since 2005 and the third-best in program history. The Utes improved to 62-6 all-time in season openers.
  • California kicked off its season with a historical performance, posting its best overall score in a season-opening meet in program history. The Bears 197.457 was the 11th-best team score all-time and secured them the first-place finish in their session at the Super 16 event in Vegas. Cals No. 3 Road to Nationals ranking after week one was its highest in the ranking system in program history.
  • The Huskies and the Bruins also recorded their highest opening scores in more than a decade as Washington posted its best since 2004 and UCLA its best since 2005 as they competed at different sessions of the Super 16 event in Las Vegas.

ROAD TO NATIONALS RANKINGS

  • The Road to Nationals rankings serve as the official rankings for NCAA gymnastics as it tracks team and individual scores and averages on the events throughout the season. Through four weeks of competition, seven of eight Pac-12 programs posted scores that landed them in the top 25 in the country and all eight sit in the top 28, including three in the top 10 - No. 4 Utah (197.569), No. 5 UCLA (197.325) and No. 7 California (197.231).
  • Oregon State has made the biggest jump of any team in the country in 2023, moving up 14 spots - No. 26 to now No. 12 - from week one to week four with a 196.810 average. Arizona State gained three spots, moving from No. 24 to No. 21 (196.250), followed by Stanford at No. 24 (196.144) and Washington at No. 25 (196.050). Arizona remained at No. 28 (195.850).
  • On team events scores - Utah (49.413) is No. 4 and UCLA (49.288) is No. 7 on vault; In bars, UCLA (49.450) is third with California close behind in fourth (49.444); Utah (49.544) continues to have the nations top average in balance beam with Cal in fourth (49.388) and Oregon State in fifth (49.345); UCLA has the Pac-12s top floor average of 49.525, which ranks second in the country while Oregon State sits in sixth at 49.350.
  • Several individual gymnasts rank among the top-10 performers in the country on individual events:
    • In the all-around, OSUs Carey is tied for second with a 39.675 average. UCLA freshman phenom Selena Harris is fourth overall at 39.650 with her teammate Jordan Chiles in eighth overall at 39.575.
    • In vault, Carey leads the country with a 9.940 average, followed by UCLAs Harris in a tie for seventh at 9.925 and Utahs Jaedyn Rucker in a tie for ninth at 9.913.
    • On bars, UCLAs Chiles is tied for first at 9.956, followed by Cals Andi Li in fourth at 9.950 and UCLAs Harris in a tie for sixth at 9.931.
    • On the floor, UCLAs Chae Campbell and OSUs Carey are tied for second at 9.944 with UCLAs Chiles in a tie for sixth at 9.931.
    • On the balance beam, Utahs Maile OKeefe has the best average in the nation at 9.963 with teammate Kara Eaker in fourth at 9.925. OSUs Carey is in seventh at 9.915.

PRESEASON RANKINGS

  • All 8 Pac-12 women's gymnastics teams were ranked in the top 25 of the 2023 Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Preseason Poll . The annual preseason poll, which is voted on by Division I women's gymnastics coaches, featured every Pac-12 program in the top 25 for the first time since 2014. The eight teams in the top 25 were tied for the most with the SEC.
  • Utah, which finished third at the national championships and won its second consecutive Pac-12 title in 2022, was the Conference's top-ranked team coming in at No. 3 with a pair of first-place votes. It was the Utes' highest preseason ranking since they were picked second overall in the national poll in 2010.
  • Joining Utah in the top 10 was California at No. 8 and UCLA at No. 10. Oregon State checks in at No. 14, followed by Stanford at No. 17, Washington at No. 21, Arizona State at No. 24 and Arizona at No. 25.

OLYMPIC STRENGTH

  • Pac-12 lineups this season feature four Olympic medalists from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Reigning Pac-12 Gymnast and Freshman of the Year, Oregon State's Jade Carey (USA) won an individual gold medal in the floor exercise, All-American, 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, which was its first gymnastics medal since 1928.
  • Rounding out the Pac-12 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.
  • Carey and Chiles recently also won individual medals at the recent 2022 World Championships and a silver medal team championship. Bruin freshman Ciena Alipio also competed at the World Championships, winning a silver medal on the balance beam.

ALL-AMERICAN PARTY

  • The Pac-12 has 17 All-Americans returning that have won over 50 career All-American honors, including reigning USA Gymnastics Athlete of the Year Jade Carey , who was an eight-time All-American during her freshman campaign at Oregon State last year.
  • Other returning All-Americans include: Abby Brenner , UTAH; Chae Campbell (4-time), UCLA; Jordan Chiles , UCLA; Kara Eaker , UTAH; Margzetta Frazier (3-time), UCLA; Madi Dagen , OSU; Nevaeh DeSouza (3-time), CAL; Cristal Isa (5-time), UTAH; Andi Li (3-time), CAL; Sirena Linton , ARIZ; Grace McCallum (5-time), UTAH; Maile O'Keefe (11-time), UTAH; Abby Paulson (4-time), UTAH; Jaedyn Rucker , UTAH; Hannah Scharf (3-time) ASU; Sage Thompson , UTAH.

PAC-12 PRESEASON POLL & WATCH LISTS

  • In the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll defending Pac-12 champion Utah was selected as the preseason favorite to claim a third straight Conference title in 2023. UCLA checked in at second place in the poll. The two teams have taken turns capturing Conference titles since 2014, with UCLA winning in 2016, 2018 and 2019, and Utah in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2022. California finished third in the poll followed by Oregon State in fourth, Stanford in fifth, Washington in sixth, Arizona State in seventh and Arizona in eighth.
  • In December, the Pac-12 introduced the inaugural preseason watch lists for the 2023 season , which were nominated by the eight Pac-12 coaches. The 12-member Preseason Watch List included: Brenna Brooks , WASH; Jade Carey , OSU; Jordan Chiles , UCLA; Madi Dagen , OSU; Malia Hargrove , ARIZ; Caroline Herry , ARIZ; Skylar Killough-Wilhelm , WASH; Andi Li , CAL; Grace McCallum , UTAH; Hannah Scharf , ASU; Emily White , ASU; and Chloe Widner , STAN. The 4-member Newcomer Watch List included: eMjae Frazier , CAL; Selena Harris , UCLA; Anna Roberts , STAN; and Makenna Smith , UTAH.

BEST IN THE WEST

  • For the first time in Pac-12 history, every Pac-12 Womens Gymnastics program was selected to compete at the NCAA Womens Gymnastics Regionals last season. (All eight current programs were selected).
  • Utah advanced to its 46th-consecutive national championship after winning the Seattle Regional and is the only program in the nation to qualify to every national championship, including all 40 NCAA Championships (began in 1982). Several individuals from the conference also advanced to compete at nationals.
  • Utah advanced to the NCAA Finals and finished third overall for the second consecutive year.
  • All eight teams finished in the Top 26 in the final rankings - #3 Utah, #11 California, #12 UCLA, #14 Stanford, #17 Oregon State, #21 Washington, #22 Arizona State, #26 Arizona.

ON TV

  • Pac-12 Networks will broadcast 22 womens gymnastics meets this season as well as the 2023 Pac-12 Womens Gymnastics Championships, presented by Sprouts, on Saturday, March 18. Utahs battle with LSU on Friday, Jan. 6 aired live on ESPN2 and ESPN also carried Utahs non-conference meet at No. 1 Oklahoma on Sunday, Jan. 22. The league matchup between Utah and UCLA on Friday, Feb. 3 will be the final Pac-12 regular season meet airing on ESPN.

2023 PAC-12 WOMENS GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIP

  • Tickets for the 2023 Pac-12 Womens Gymnastics Championships, presented by Sprouts, are on sale now at Pac-12.com/tickets . The one-day, two-session event returns to the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah on Saturday, March 18.

2023 PAC-12 GYMNASTS OF THE WEEK

Gymnast Specialist Freshman/Newcomer Coaches Choice
Jan. 10 Jordan Chiles, UCLA Mya Lauzon, CAL Selena Harris, UCLA Ella Cesario, CAL
Jan. 17 Jade Carey, OSU Kara Eaker, UTAH Selena Harris, UCLA Ira Alexeeva, STAN
Jan. 24 Jade Carey, OSU Amara Cunningham, WASH Selena Harris, UCLA Chloe Lashbrooke, UCLA
Jan. 31 Jade Carey, OSU eMjae Frazier, CAL Selena Harris, UCLA Elizabeth LaRusso, ARIZ

UPCOMING SCHEDULE ( Full Schedule )

Friday, Feb. 3 TV/Stream Time
No. 5 UCLA at No. 4 Utah ESPN2 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT
Saturday, Feb. 4
No. 12 Oregon State at No. 25 Washington Pac-12 Network
Pac-12 Oregon
Pac-12 Washington 		1 p.m. PT
No. 21 Arizona State at No. 7 California Pac-12 Arizona
Pac-12 Bay Area 		2 p.m. PT
No. 28 Arizona at No. 24 Stanford Pac-12 Insider 6 p.m. PT