2024 Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships Preview: How to watch, who’s favored
The final Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships, as we know it, is on Saturday. This will be the last time that these eight teams all face off for the conference title before seven teams disperse into other conferences.
Read on for information on how to watch and who is favored to win the team competition and individual all-around.
How to watch
The Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships will be divided into two sessions on Saturday, March 23: No. 20 Stanford, No. 21 Arizona State, No. 22 Arizona, and Washington will compete in the first session, which begins at 3 p.m. ET. No. 2 Cal, No. 5 Utah, No. 11 UCLA, and No. 17 Oregon State will compete in the second session, which begins at 8 p.m. ET.
The championships will air on the Pac-12 Network. They are also set to be available to stream on the Fubo TV app.
Live Scoring:
- Tournament Central: http://statb.us/central/843
- Session 1 link: http://statb.us/b/523292
- Session 2 link: http://statb.us/b/523293
Starting orders
Session 1 (3 p.m. ET)
- #20 20 Stanford – Vault
- #21 Arizona State – Bars
- Washington – Beam
- #22 Arizona – Floor
Session 2 (6 p.m. MT)
- #2 California – Vault
- #5 Utah – Bars
- #11 UCLA – Beam
- #17 Oregon State – Floor
Who is favored?
The favorite to win the team title is Cal. The Bears became the sole regular season champions for the first time earlier this season and have swept all of their Pac-12 opponents. If Cal does win, they’ll become Pac-12 women’s gymnastics champions for the first time in school history.
The Bears have been the most consistent team across the conference this season and are also the highest ranked team. Cal has consistently ranked No. 2 or No. 3 in the country all season long.
Cal comes into this tournament hot, scoring above a 198 in four of their last five meets. They earned the three highest team scores in program history during this span.
Behind the Bears, Utah is also a strong contender to take home the title, having won each of the last three conference championships. The Red Rocks have also put in a strong year, ranking No. 5 heading into championships. Utah comes into the championships fresh off their second 198 of the year, after earning a 198.300 last Friday. Not only did they put in their highest score of the season, but they did so without Amelie Morgan, who is expected back this weekend.
The other benefit for Utah is that the championships will be held at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. This is only fifteen minutes from their campus, so they will have to travel the least and will almost certainly have the most fans in attendance.
The third primary contender to win the championship is UCLA. The Bruins have had an up and down season, but their peaks can match any team in the conference. They’re also coming into this meet with Emma Malabuyo back from the World Cup circuit and several gymnasts back from injury. With their top lineups in place, the Bruins notched a 198.550 last Saturday, tied with Cal for the highest score from any Pac-12 team this year (Utah’s peak was a 198.300 for comparison).
The primary question for UCLA will be if they can put up the necessary score to win on the road. It’s clear that UCLA can light up Pauley Pavilion, but they have yet to score above a 197.425 on the road.
Outside of the three favorites, it would take a huge upset for either Oregon State, Stanford, Washington, Arizona State, or Arizona to get the win. The first session of the championship will be up for grabs, with any of the four teams capable of being on top; this should be one of the most compelling matchups of championship Saturday. However, Stanford and Arizona State have been the highest scorers of the group recently, giving them a strong chance.
This will be a special championship as it’s the final one before the Pac-12 as we know it dissolves and splits up for other conferences. Next season, Washington and UCLA join the Big Ten, Stanford and Cal join the ACC, and Utah, Arizona State, and Arizona head to the Big 12. Oregon State’s plans are up in the air, but several of their other sports teams are becoming affiliated with the Mountain West Conference or the West Coast Conference.
Individual All-Around Favorites
Picking potential event champions is a difficult task, but the individual all-around champion race has some clear frontrunners.
Oregon State’s Jade Carey is the reigning two-time Pac-12 all-around champion. Though Carey has returned to the all-around for much of the latter part of the season, Carey has lowered her difficulty on vault and floor as she trains for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. This will be most impactful on vault, where her start value is now a 9.95 (unless she were to whip out an upgrade).
Other than Carey, Utah’s Maile O’Keefe is the 2021 Pac-12 all-around champion and reigning NCAA all-around champion. However, O’Keefe has yet to compete in the all-around this season. If she adds vault Saturday, she’ll be a contender. If not, look out for teammate Grace McCallum to contend for the title.
Top all-around competitors: eMjae Frazier (Cal), Mya Lauzon (Cal), Jade Carey (Oregon State), Grace McCallum (Utah), Selena Harris (UCLA)
Dark horses: Emily White (Arizona State), Makenna Smith (Utah), Katelyn Rosen (UCLA), Skylar Killough-Wilhelm (Washington), Chloe Widner (Stanford)
