Pac-12 Gymnastics Week 5 Preview: Can Cal take down Oklahoma?

Midseason is steadily approaching as we enter Week 5 of the Pac-12 gymnastics season. All eight teams are competing once again, with the highlight of the week being a tri-meet between Cal, Arizona State, and Oklahoma.

#18 Arizona @ #11 UCLA

Week 5 matchup: Sunday, February 4 @ 5 p.m. ET | Arizona @ UCLA – Live Stats | Video (Pac-12)

Arizona

Arizona is coming off its first 197 of the season, a score the team will likely need to build off of if they want to contend against UCLA.

Look for the continued rise of freshman Sophie Derr, who excels on bars and competed a couple exhibition routines on beam and floor for Arizona. Derr performs a front tuck on beam, unique for NCAA, but may need more time before she’s thrust into the main lineups on the other events.

Routine to watch:

• Emma Strom on floor: Strom’s floor routine is a crowd-pleaser with the music of classic hit “Come on Eileen.” Her first pass – a Rudi to an airy back layout stepout – is also a crowd favorite.

UCLA

UCLA is hosting its Pride Meet this Sunday at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins are looking for their second straight win at home against a young, rising Arizona squad.

Most important for the Bruins is to put together a second consecutive high scoring meet like they did against Washington in Week 4 (197.825). The Bruins had season highs on all four apparatus, but bars is still their worst overall ranking. If they can figure out their six best in the bars lineup, they could continue to increase that team score.

Routine to watch:

• Chae Campbell on floor: Pauley Pavilion went wild for Campbell’s first home floor routine of the season, which earned a 9.950. The reigning Pac-12 Specialist of the Week, Campbell’s latest Black Panther themed routine already looks to be a classic for the senior.

#16 Oregon State @ #4 Utah

Week 5 matchup: Friday, February 2 @ 8 p.m. ET | Oregon State @ Utah – Live Stats | Video (Pac-12)

Oregon State

The Beavers are coming off of a loss to Cal that showed they still have some work to put in before they’re hanging with the best of the Pac-12. Of course, Oregon State is taking on another top Pac-12 team in Utah, where they’ll have a chance to go for the upset. Going into Red Rocks territory, it might be tricky for Oregon State to pull of the win.

The Beavers also have a big hole to fill in three of their lineups after Ellie Weaver tore her ACL. Weaver has put up some high scores this season, like a 9.975 on beam in Week 3. Olivia Buckner replaced Weaver on beam against Cal, but it’ll be interesting to see who the Beavers use in her spot on bars and floor.

Routine to watch:

• Ariana Young on floor: Young incorporates upbeat ’80s music, including the music to “Celebrate Good Times” in her floor routine. Outside of the upbeat dance, she does a lovely job landing her high tumbling passes with control.

Utah

Utah moves up a spot to fourth in the rankings after its win over Arizona State in Week 4. Even while getting their freshman adjusted and not putting up their top scores yet, the Red Rocks have been steady this season.

Watch for freshman Camie Winger to continue getting more involved in the lineups. Winger has been part of the vault lineup for weeks now and just made her bars debut with a 9.8 against Arizona State.

Routine to watch:

• Ella Zirbes on bars: After some key mistakes during her first two collegiate bars routines, Zirbes is slowly getting her routine together. She has exquisite form on the event, which makes her routine pleasant to watch.

#2 Cal, #1 Oklahoma @ #23 Arizona State

Week 5 matchup: Friday, February 2 @ 9 p.m. ET | California, Oklahoma @ Arizona State – Live Stats | Video (Pac-12)

Cal

Cal has the opportunity to prove it’s able to beat Oklahoma in a preview of team teams likely to make the national semifinals and final. While a win in this tri-meet likely won’t be enough to jump the Bears over the Sooners in the standings, since Oklahoma has a three-tenth lead in the average scores, the Bears could be the team to hand Oklahoma its first loss of the year.

Cal has continued its overall dominance this season, with Mya Lauzon winning Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week for the second week in a row. A Cal gymnast has now won the award three consecutive weeks – a program record.

Routine to watch:

• Mya Lauzon on beam: Lauzon is radiant on beam these days, bringing life to her arm movements and poses throughout the exercise. From her artistry to her mount and acrobatics, Lauzon is one of the most polished athletes on the event, ranking third in the country.

Arizona State

Arizona State returns to the top 25 after scoring a season-high 196.700 in Week 4. However, the Sun Devils will have to cross into the 197 territory to have any chance at keeping up with Cal or Oklahoma.

What’s more likely for the Sun Devils is to steal an event title. Anaya Smith on bars, Hannah Scharf on floor, and Emily White on beam are the Sun Devils’ best options for this, but they’ll be facing stiff competition.

Routine to watch:

• Emily White on bars: White is such a clean gymnast altogether, which makes her bars handstands and transitions so pleasant to watch.

Washington @ Stanford

Week 5 matchup: Monday, February 5 @ 10 p.m. ET | Washington @ Stanford – Live Stats | Video (Pac-12)

This matchup could really go either way, with a great opportunity for either Stanford or Washington to get a win over a conference rival for the first time this season. While Stanford has seen higher peaks in scoring on certain events, the team has lacked consistency and depth in lineups.

Washington

Watch to see if the Huskies continue their roll on bars, where they had a season-high performance against UCLA (49.25). If they can hit those handstands and stick their dismounts, they might start rolling in higher scores on the event.

Routine to watch:

• Deiah Moody on bars: Moody was just one of the Washington gymnasts showing off with handstands on bars last meet, particularly on the low bar. She also had a crucial stuck dismount to earn a 9.850.

Stanford

Stanford is hosting its first home meet of the season, and the big question is if the Cardinal will be filling their lineups in this meet. Using five gymnasts instead six in a lineup has cost them multiple times this season. Also, watch out for if Chloe Widner returns to the all-around. Widner only competed bars last week, and the Cardinal could have used her on beam and floor.

The Cardinal did get a good bump thanks to the return of sophomore Porsche Trinidad, who tore her ACL during her freshman season. Trinidad competed for the first time since against Arizona and earned a 9.8, earning Pac-12 Coach’s Choice of the Week.

Routine to watch:

• Brenna Neault on beam: Neault is coming off a tie for the beam win at Arizona with a 9.925. Neault does a gorgeous mount to open her routine and works so lightly on the event.