Pac-12 Gymnastics Week 3 Preview: Cal on 198 watch, Stanford looking to rebound
Week 3 will see the first Pac-12 gymnastics dual meet of the season, with Washington hosting No. 2 Cal.
Utah is off this week after competing twice last weekend at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad and Best of Utah.
Here’s what to know for the seven schools competing in Week 3.
#24 Arizona State @ Southern Utah Tri-Meet
Week 3 Matchup: Friday, January 19 @ 9 p.m. ET | Arizona State, Utah State @ Southern Utah – Live Stats | Video
Arizona State is on the road versus two Utah teams who competed at the Best of Utah meet on Monday. The Sun Devils are coming off a loss against Denver where they put up their first 196 of the season.
Watch out for the Sun Devils on beam, where they currently rank ninth in the nation. Kayla Lee and Emily White scored 9.9 or higher last week, with Lee’s 9.925 winning the event title outright.
Routine to watch:
- Emily White on floor: White scored a 9.9 last week on floor. Her routine is a must-watch not just because of her clean form, but also for her fun Lady Gaga-themed set.
#2 Cal @ Washington
Week 3 Matchup: Saturday, January 20 @ 3 p.m. ET | California @ Washington – Live Stats | Video (Pac 12)
Washington
It’s Washington’s first home meet of the season, and they’re hosting No. 2 Cal. This is the first of four consecutive Pac-12 dual meets for the Huskies and their first home meet of the year. Washington is hosting its Purple Strong meet, where the team brings attention to causes – such as Alzheimer’s and mental health – that they care about.
Routine to watch:
- Skylar Killough-Wilhelm on beam: Killough-Wilhelm tied her career high on beam last week with a 9.925. If she can stick her side aerial to back 1.5 twist dismount, don’t be surprised if she sets a new personal best.
Cal
Cal is currently the team to beat in the Pac-12 after their incredible performance at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate quad (197.875), which vaulted them to No. 2 in the national rankings. They now face Washington for their first conference dual meet of the year. Cal will be expected to win this one, but Washington could certainly upset the Bears for an event title or two, especially if Cal can’t fully pull it together on beam this week.
Routine to watch:
- Kyen Mayhew on vault: Mayhew made her much-awaited freshman debut for the Bears in epic fashion last week, sticking her Yurchenko 1.5 vault and earning a 9.950.
#11 UCLA & Stanford @ #10 Denver quad
Week 3 Matchup: Sunday, January 21 4 p.m. ET | Oklahoma, Stanford, UCLA @ Denver – Live Stats | Video ($)
UCLA
UCLA is competing in its third straight quad meet to start the season and will face top-ranked Oklahoma for the second week in a row. The Bruins did well last Saturday, earning their first 197 of the season.
Even though the Bruins finished third at their last meet, their total should see a boost this week after an unusually low 49.200 on floor – one of their best events. Cleaning up landings this time around should improve UCLA’s chances at finishing in at least second this Sunday.
Routines to watch:
- Emma Andres on beam: Andres made her beam debut in Week 2, posting a 9.90. Watch for her unique gainer layout stepout and front toss to Korbut connection.
- Brooklyn Moors on floor: Moors has now started her season with two scores of 9.9+. For dramatic choreography and front tumbling, there are few better than Moors.
Stanford
The Cardinal are looking to rebound from a rough start to the season, when they scored a 193.625 in their opening meet. A large reason for this score was the Cardinal had to count multiple falls since they only competed using five gymnasts in their vault and bars lineups. The Cardinal didn’t start their freshmen in Week 1 and have some injuries, but the question remains if they will now use six gymnasts in all their lineups or continue with five this week.
Look out for Stanford on beam, where the Cardinal is currently tied for second in the NCAA after putting up a 49.425 to close against Michigan.
P.S. Check out our feature on their “Angry Tree” leo.
Routines to watch:
- Chloe Widner beam: Widner was nominated for Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week after putting in a 39.525 in the all around to begin her season, highlighted by a 9.950 on beam.
- Claire Dean on beam: Dean scored a 9.925 on beam versus Michigan after nailing her side aerial to layout stepout series and sticking her dismount.
Sacramento State @ #21 Arizona
Week 3 Matchup: Saturday, January 21 @ 3 p.m. ET | Sacramento State @ Arizona – Live Stats | Video (Pac 12)
Arizona is coming off an impressive quad meet win over Rutgers, Nebraska, and North Carolina, where they posted the highest opening meet score in program history with a 196.475. With their first home meet of the year versus Sacramento State, Arizona has a great chance of staying undefeated.
The Wildcats especially shined on floor in their first meet, where every routine scored a 9.825 or higher, resulting in a 49.400 total. This is a great chance to see where they’ve improved most between the other three events.
Routines to watch:
- Malia Hargrove on vault: Hargrove scored a 9.90 on her Yurchenko 1.5 last weekend, even with a small hop. Look for the fifth-year to be in contention for her first career perfect 10 if she can stick the landing.
- Abigayle Martin on bars: The freshman made her debut on three events last week, including bars, where she scored a 9.825. Watch for her lovely form and floaty double layout dismount.
Brown @ #21 Oregon State
Week 3 Matchup: Sunday, January 21 @ 5 p.m. ET | Brown @ Oregon State – Live Stats | Video (Pac 12)
Oregon State has a great shot at a second straight win with a home meet against Brown, who will be competing in their first meet of 2024 after the MLK Invitational was cancelled last week. The Beavers will hope to rebound on beam, where they had some unusual balance checks in Week 2 from two of their veterans. They will also want to improve on floor, where they had multiple falls last time out and contributed to the drop to No. 21 overall.
Routine to watch:
- Sophia Esposito on vault: The freshman earned the best score of her young career when she received a 9.90 for her Yurchenko 1.5 in Week 2.
