Friday, Jan. 23 - 6pm MT/5pm PT @ Salt Lake City
TV: Pac-12 Networks (Jim Watson, Amanda Borden)
Live Stats - utahutes.com
UCLA Travels to Utah for Dual Meet Friday
The Pac-12's top two teams will face off on Friday, Jan. 23 as No. 8 UCLA travels to No. 4 Utah for a dual meet at 6pm MT/5pm PT. The meet will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks, with Jim Watson and Olympic gold medalist Amanda Borden on the call.
Follow Live
Live stats will be available at utahutes.com. Live updates can be found on Twitter: @UCLAGymnastics.
In the Rankings
Only one of UCLA's meets is counting towards this week's rankings, as the Bruins competed on Monday afternoon, the day after scores were submitted. UCLA ranks eight overall, fifth on vault and eighth on bars and beam. Utah ranks fourth overall, third on bea, fourth on bars and floor and ninth on vault.
Individually, Utah's Georgia Dabritz and UCLA's Samantha Peszek are ranked 1-2 in the all-around. Dabritz has a 39.6 average, Peszek a 39.55. Peszek ranks third on vault, 13th on bars, 15th on floor and 21st on beam. Other Bruins ranked are Sadiqua Bynum on vault (25th) and Christine Peng-Peng Lee on bars (eighth) and beam (seventh).
Pac-12 Powers
UCLA and Utah are the Pac-12's - and among the nation's - most successful teams, having won 15 NCAA Championships between them (6 for UCLA, 9 for Utah). The Bruins and Utes are also the two highest-ranked teams, at No. 8 and 4, respectively. UCLA has 16 Pac-12 titles. Utah, who just joined the conference in 2012, won its first in 2014.
About the Utes
The nine-time NCAA champion Utes are coached by reigning Pac-12 Coaches of the Year Greg and Megan Marsden. The Utes return 2014 Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year and all-around champion Tory Wilson, 2014 Pac-12 vault, bars and floor champion Georgia Dabritz and 2012 Pac-12 all-around champion Corrie Lothrop. The Utes are 4-0 to start the season, having won a home quad meet last weekend with a 196.675 and a road dual meet at BYU in the season opener, 196.900-193.350.
The Series with Utah
Utah leads the all-time regular season series with UCLA, 26-8. The two teams faced each other five times last season, with Utah winning in a home dual, the Pac-12 Championships, NCAA Regionals and NCAA semifinals. UCLA outscored the Utes in a tri-meet at Michigan.
UCLA has only won twice in the regular season at Utah, but both wins were significant - the snapping of Utah's 23-year, 170-meet home streak in 2003 and a Pac-12 Championship victory in 2012.
Bruins Start Pac-12 Play 2-0
UCLA started the season with a pair of games against Pac-12 Conference opponents, first beating Oregon State on the road on Jan. 12, 196.000-195.450, and then downing Arizona at home on Jan. 19, 195.975-195.300. The Bruins face six-straight conference foes before facing their first non-conference opponents on Feb. 21.
Peszek in Primetime Form
Fifth-year senior Samantha Peszek has been lights out in the Bruins' two meets, scoring 39.55 in the all-around in the season opener at Oregon State and recording a 9.975 on bars, 9.95 on beam and 9.875 on vault to win all three events in which she competed in the home opener versus Arizona. Peszek has six of a possible eight victories this season.
Lee Makes Long-Awaited Return
Nearly three years after her last competition, redshirt sophomore Christine Peng-Peng Lee made her highly-anticipated collegiate debut at Oregon State on Jan. 12. Lee showed zero signs of rust, winning two events and placing fourth in another. She stuck every dismount and hit every skill in her difficult routines, scoring 9.9 to win bars, 9.825 on a stuck Yurchenko full vault, and 9.875 to tie for first on beam. Lee tore ligaments in her knee in 2012 just before the Canadian National Championships and had two surgeries, one in 2012 and another in 2013..
Walk-On Freshmen Impress
Walk-on freshmen JaNay Honest, LaNiesha-Jopré Irvin and Sonya Meraz have impressed with scores of 9.825 or higher on their routines last week. Honest has scored 9.825 on every routine she has competed this year (two vaults and one uneven bars routine). Irvin made her collegiate debut on Monday and stuck a vault to tie for second with a 9.85. Meraz scored 9.825 on her floor debut Monday and also earned 9.825 on an exhibition beam routine.
Gerber Enjoying Breakout Season
Sophomore Mikaela Gerber has enjoyed a breakout season so far, with strong and consistent routines in each of her two meets. In the season opener, she scored 9.8 on beam in just her second counting beam routine of her career and recorded the Bruins' second-highest mark on floor (9.725). Against Arizona, she was moved into the leadoff position on beam and delivered another 9.8 that paved the way for a 49.35 team score. She also scored a career-best 9.825 on floor.
Francis. Danusia Francis
Junior Danusia Francis set a new career-high on floor on Monday vs. Arizona, scoring 9.925 with her James Bond-themed routine to win the event for the first time in her career. Using her limbs as a weapon, Francis engaged the crowd and judges and also nailed her tumbling passes, including a stuck-cold double pike to close. Francis had a strong meet overall against Arizona, scoring 9.925 on beam and 9.775 on bars.
Looking Ahead
UCLA is hosting a pre-Super Bowl party/dual meet with Cal on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 10am. The meet will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks.