Pac-12 Gymnastics Week 4 Recap: Home teams take care of business as Cal continues to lead conference

It was a packed weekend of conference dual meets for the Pac-12 gymnastics teams, including Utah returning to form after a bye and a season high from UCLA. Meanwhile, Cal continues to take care of business and cement itself as a national title-contender.

Keep reading for a recap of Week 4 of Pac-12 gymnastics.

Washington @ #15 UCLA

“There’s no place like home,” UCLA gymnastics senior Chae Campbell said after the Bruins’ 197.825-196.300 win over Washington.

After three consecutive quad meets on the road, the Bruins returned to Pauley Pavilion for their first home meet of the season. The 197.825 was an overall season high, and the team posted a season-high score on every event.

Read the full recap from our on-site coverage here.

Arizona State @ #5 Utah

Final score: Utah: 197.675 – Arizona State: 196.700

Arizona State

The Sun Devils were unable to get a second straight upset over Utah, but still put in a season-high 196.700. Consistency was the star of the day for Arizona State on bars. Though their anchor, Sarah Clark, fell on the event, the first five Sun Devils all stuck their bars dismounts and four out of the five scored a 9.85.

Jada Mangahas continues to be Arizona State’s primary all-around performer. Mangahas scored between a 9.8 and 9.85 on all four of her routines, contributing much-needed consistency for the Sun Devils.

Though Arizona State scored between a solid 49.100-49.250 on all four events, they’ll need some more high-scoring performances to up those numbers. The Sun Devils had three gymnasts hit the 9.9 mark: Anaya Smith on vault (9.9), Emily White on beam (9.925), and Hannah Scharf on floor (9.925 – tied for event title), but they’ll need some more top numbers to contend or upset teams like Utah.

Utah

Utah started off its vault rotation strong with both Camie Winger and Ella Zirbes showing more consistency while posting 9.875s. Then their two sophomores, Ashley Glynn and Makenna Smith, each stuck their vaults for a 9.925 and 9.9, respectively. Glynn won the vault title for her effort. Smith went on to win the all-around with a 39.475.

The Red Rocks only built off that 49.325 start on vault with a 49.400 on bars, 49.450 on beam, and 49.500 on floor, for a convincing overall win in front of their home crowd.

Individually, Abby Paulson had a great day, posting a 9.925 on floor and a 9.975 on beam, notching a win on both events. Grace McCallum tied Paulson (and Scharf’s) 9.925 on floor for a share of the win as well, and she won the bars title outright with a 9.925.

#16 Oregon State @ #2 California

Final score: Cal 197.950 – Oregon State 196.775

Cal

Cal celebrated its 50th anniversary as a team in style, earning a season-high 197.950. The Haas Pavilion looked packed, as alumni came to watch the 2024 Bears team at home for the first time this season.

The Bears were exceptional on beam, with their second-highest score on the event in program history, a 49.675. Though Cal is known for its work on beam, the Bears had some wobbles and slip ups on the event early in the season, which were cleared up as all the Bears hit at least a 9.9.

Cal was similarly spectacular on floor, with a total score of 49.600 and four routines that went at least 9.9, led by Lauzon’s 9.975. Either Lauzon or eMjae Frazier were the winners on every event, with the two tying for the all-around with matching 39.7s, Lauzon winning vault (9.925), beam (9.975), and floor (9.975), and Frazier winning bars with a 9.95.

Oregon State

Oregon State’s meet was marred by a devastating injury to sophomore Ellie Weaver, who was injured on a double tuck and helped off the floor in visible pain. The Beavers gathered together after the injury, and credit to Sophia Esposito for responding with a 9.875 as Oregon State’s final floor routine.

Score wise, the Beavers had their highest total on floor with a 49.325, as Kaitlin Garcia led the team with a 9.9.

Outside of floor, Oregon State put up a 49.150 in each of the other three rotations. The Beavers were unable to hit their top scores on bars, which has been their highest-scoring event of the season (they rank fifth nationally). Overall, Oregon State’s highest scorers didn’t quite reach their best, including Jade Carey recording a pair of 9.8s instead of the 9.9 range we often see from her.

One gymnast who did score high was Sydney Gonzales on beam. Gonzales was crisp and landed all her skills without even the slightest hesitation or adjustment, resulting in a 9.925. This meet also saw the return of Sage Thompson, who missed last week’s meet while sick. She earned a 9.825 on vault and a 9.8 on bars.

Stanford @ #19 Arizona

Final score: Arizona 197.000 – Stanford 196.000

Arizona

Arizona remains undefeated through the 2024 season after notching a full 1-point win over Stanford. After a shaky start on vault with some hops and a lack of 10.0 start values, the Wildcats put in a terrific bars rotation with a 49.475, including three scores of at least 9.9. The headliner was freshman Abigayle Martin, who earned a near-perfect 9.975.

The Wildcats also had a big meet on floor overall, posting a 49.400. Emily Mueller and Caroline Herry put in the best floor scores of the day, tying for first with a pair of 9.9s. Both athletes showcased clean tumbling that helped Arizona close out the final rotation on a high note.

Other Wildcat event winners included Malia Hargrove on vault (9.875) and Elena Deets on beam (9.925).

Stanford

Stanford once again lacked depth, only using five gymnasts in its vault and floor lineups, with Chloe Widner noticeably absent on all events except for bars. Bars was the top event for the Cardinal on the day, with the team putting up a season-high 49.400, led by Widner’s 9.950 and Ira Alexeeva’s 9.925. Stanford’s next two rotations on vault and floor were rough, and the five-person lineups forced the Cardinal to count every score. On both events, the Cardinal did not reach the 49 mark. Finally, Stanford closed out the meet on beam, where the team earned its second-best score of the meet with a 49.175, led by Brenna Neault’s 9.925, which tied for the event title. Neault also won the all-around with a 39.275.

It’s unclear if injuries are the primary reason Stanford has featured four lineups now with only five gymnasts, instead of six, but it’s clear not having a routine to drop is affecting scores. They’ll especially want to see Anna Roberts back healthy soon, who is tremendous on both floor and vault but not expected back until the middle of the season.