Pac-12 gymnastics showdown: No. 3 California to host No. 4 Utah in battle of conference unbeatens

Before Gabby Perea even mounted the beam on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion, Cal gymnastics had sealed their highest score in program history thanks to Mya Lauzon earning her first perfect 10 of the season.

Another week, another milestone for the Golden Bears. Cal has spent the season breaking program records, and after defeating UCLA on the road, the team is within reach of claiming the Pac-12 gymnastics regular season title.

So who’s standing in their way? Utah.

Though the stars appear to have aligned for Cal this season, Utah remains the power of the Pac-12. Utah has won the last three Pac-12 Championships and tied or outright won the last four Pac-12 regular season titles.

With Cal and Utah facing off as the regular season winds down, the Pac-12 regular season title is at stake, as the winner of Saturday’s meet will remain undefeated in the conference and secure at least a share of the regular season title. (The winner can then claim the title outright with a win in their final Pac-12 dual the following week.)

The meeting could not come at a more exciting time; both Cal and Utah are coming off their first 198s of the season. The Bears and the Red Rocks have been on the cusp of the 198 mark multiple times already, but both teams crossed it for the first time all year in Week 8.

So how did we get to this point? Let’s take a look back on the season so far.

Cal

Leading up to Cal’s historic day, the Bears had slowed down after a hot start. They looked so good many were wondering if they could be the ones to take down a seemingly-unbeatable Oklahoma squad.

After coming up just short of a 198 for four consecutive weeks, with the team scoring either a 197.875 or 197.950, the Bears scored a 197.125 in Week 6 versus Arizona and a 197.400 at the Metroplex Challenge in Week 7.

So how did they bounce back against UCLA? Instead of trying to simulate the pressure of competition, Cal focused on their technique and execution. They instilled the belief that when skills and routines are done right, it will come together.

“We’ve been going back to basics and foundational work,” Cal head coach Justin Howell said. “This week in training, we didn’t do any lineups. We didn’t do any pressure sets, none of that. We really trained all week long and very specific intentional things. We know when they do the gymnastics right that the landings come, the scores will come, that stuff will be there. Over the last couple of weeks, we got a little bit tight on some of the events. We were trying too hard to be perfect. So we kind of said, ‘throw all that out the window right now. Let’s focus on the how we do it and not what it means.'”

eMjae Frazier echoed the message from Coach Howell after the meet. Despite breaking the program all-around record that she set, this time with a 39.825, Frazier believes her team has much more to give.

“There’s the little details that we’re still working on that will come, and they’re so, so close that I think my team can get a lot more. We’re ready,” Frazier said.

Beyond their training, Cal reevaluated their performances.

Data isn’t often a word used in gymnastics compared to other sports that employ entire analytics departments. In gymnastics, scores are the primary numerical measure instead of just a piece of data that coaches use to predict whether to go for it on fourth down or to implement a pitch count and prevent injury to a pitcher.

For Cal, scores aren’t part of this “data.” Instead, data signifies taking a closer look at how the different factors like lineup orders, pressure, and the environment factor into overall team performance.

“The data is not necessarily the score; you can’t control those things,” Howell said. “And week-after-week, you can have the same performances and completely different scores. The data is where is this person in the lineup and how are they scoring … It’s really about the skills and the environment and the energy and the things that we’re seeing from each athlete. That’s the data that we’re taking in week-after-week.”

One move backed by this data was putting Andi Li later in the bars lineup. Li, who has primarily been the team’s leadoff on bars, was moved back since her form and handstands make her a contender for a top score. The decision paid off, with Li earning a season-high 9.925 against UCLA in the third spot.

This type of decision making also factors into routine construction. Cal encourages individuality in gymnasts’ routines. This is apparent on beam. While there are only so many combinations of acro and leap series that NCAA gymnasts can typically perform consistently to satisfy requirements and earn strong scores, Cal finds other ways to add flair to routines.

For Li, in the leadoff position, she mounts beam with a handstand before rolling into a chin stand pose that shows her flexibility and grace. Later in the rotation, Lauzon performs a tick-tock after her mount, using her strength and balance to lower herself closer to the beam before kicking back over.

Howell gave credit to his co-head coach and wife, Liz Crandall-Howell, for these details that keep their routines from appearing compulsory.

“Liz is brilliant at choreography. Liz is also a Brevet-level judge,” Justin said. “She’s really smart with routine construction … She’s really good at bringing out each person’s unique qualities. We’re very fortunate we have a team of incredible artistic ability, and Liz is really, really good at designing routines that brings that out. Part of our brand of gymnastics is really good form and really good artistry. We are messaging that and working that every single day.”

Their brand, their approach, and their commitment is paying off so far this season. They’ll put it all to the test this weekend against the three-time reigning Pac-12 champions.

Utah

Utah’s performance this season has been impressive in its own right. Sure, the Red Rocks have been a consistent contender on the national stage for years, but they’ve maintained their spot in the top four this season despite several changes.

Beyond the head coaching change, Utah lost a bunch of routines with gymnasts like Abby Brenner, Jillian Hoffman, Sage Thompson, Cristal Isa, and Kara Eaker leaving, transferring, or graduating from the program.

Even so, Utah has performed at a level and earned scores that would seem to indicate little has changed.

Part of Utah’s success has been the successful integration of newcomers, including Ella Zirbes, Camie Winger, Ashley Glynn, and Elizabeth Gantner. Even though these gymnasts have had their share of ups and downs, Utah still manages to put up strong scores as a whole.

Zirbes in particular had to shake through some freshman woes. She fell early in the season on bars but improved her consistency over the last couple weeks. She seems to be putting it all together at the perfect time, winning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week this week after scoring career highs on her three events: vault (9.925), bars (9.925), and floor (9.950) against Stanford last weekend.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt for Zirbes’ scoring potential that she has one of the most stunning toe points in the NCAA. An exclamation point on her every skill and movement, Zirbes’ precise form down to her toes has helped her scores escalate quickly.

Utah Head Coach Carly Dockendorf also credited the Red Rocks’ upperclassmen for helping the newcomers transition swiftly to the team.

“Part of the freshmen integrating so seamlessly has been because of the upperclassmen,” Dockendorf said. “Their support that they’ve given to them, their guidance, really making them feel comfortable on this team, valued on this team. I think that’s why we’ve seen a lot of success from our new athletes.”

Look no further than Abby Paulson, who called this fifth year her “bonus lap.” From the assured tone as she speaks to reporters, it’s easy to see the composure and confidence on this team. Add in her clean routines — which earned her Pac-12 Specialist of the Week this week — and it’s not hard to connect the dots on why freshmen look up to her.

On Paulson’s part, she enjoys getting to team up with the freshmen.

“Honestly, I was super excited for these freshmen to come in,” Paulson said. “I wasn’t supposed to be with them. They’re all the best, the most fun, confident, aggressive gymnasts.”

Combine Paulson with upperclassmen teammates like reigning NCAA individual all-around champion Maile O’Keefe, 2022 NCAA vault champion Jaedyn Rucker, Olympians Amelie Morgan and Grace McCallum, and there’s still plenty of experience in each lineup.

This mix of upperclassmen and newcomers has kept Utah humming at their standard placing, which so happens to be in the top five nationally. No big deal.

Will it be enough for them to knock down an ascending rival in Cal? Only Saturday will tell.

What to expect in this meet

Don’t be surprised to see scores lower than what both teams hit in Week 8. Cal is typically known for having tighter judging at their home meets, which could be a nice change of pace.

The Bears and Red Rocks match up pretty evenly on beam and floor, the final two events. Utah is known for beam, ranking No. 2 in the nation behind only Oklahoma, but Cal fields a strong beam lineup as well (No. 3 in the nation). The Bears rolled to a 49.725 on beam against UCLA, the second-highest score in program history. While Utah has scored higher on the event more consistently, its peak so far has been a 49.550.

If both squads perform up to their level on these events, the scoring could be tight. The events to watch for separation are vault and bars in the first two rotations. The Red Rocks have plenty of 10.0 start values but can be inconsistent when it comes to finding their landings. The same is true for Cal; the Bears have the power but do not always maximize their potential scores.

On bars, Cal has the advantage and is more consistent on the apparatus (they rank third to Utah’s seventh). This could be the primary event the Red Rocks miss Morgan, who’s taking a few weeks off NCAA to boost her elite resume back home in England ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Still, Makenna Smith has been excellent (9.872 average), and as previously mentioned, Zirbes is trending up. Utah will need to avoid mistakes on bars but shouldn’t be counted out on the event.

Barring any major mistakes, expect this meet to come down to the last rotation, potentially even the last routine.

No. 4 Utah will face No. 3 Cal on Saturday, March 2 at 5 p.m. ET in Haas Pavilion. The meet will be broadcast on Pac-12 Insider. Follow live scores here.