Saturday, Mar. 21 - 7pm MT / 6pm PT (Session Two)
TV - Pac-12 Networks
Live Stats - utahutes.com (Session One | Session Two)
UCLA Competes at Pac-12 Championships
No. 7 UCLA (11-1) is the No. 2 seed and will compete in the evening session at the Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, Mar. 21. The meet will take place at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah at 7pm MT/6pm PT. Also in the afternoon session are host and No. 1 seed Utah, No. 3 seed Oregon State and No. 4 seed Stanford. Competing in the afternoon session at 2pm MT/1pm PT are No. 5 seed Washington, No. 6 California, No. 7 seed Washington and No. 8 Arizona State. Seeding is determined by national rankings, which are based on Regional Qualifying Score (RQS). The Pac-12 champion will be the team with the highest score from the two sessions. Individual champions will also be determined via combined sessions.
Follow Live
Both sessions at the Pac-12 Championships will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks, with Jim Watson and Amanda Borden on the call. Live stats will be available at utahutes.com, and live updates can be found on Twitter by following @UCLAGymnastics.
Rotation Order
The Nos. 1 (Utah) and 5 (Arizona) seeds will start on vault. Nos. 2 (UCLA) and 6 (California) will start on bars. Nos. 3 (Oregon State) and 7 (Washington) will start on the beam, and the Nos. 4 (Stanford) and 8 (Arizona State) seeds will begin on floor.
Pride of the Pac
The Pac-12 Conference has seven teams ranked in the Top 25. Utah is 4th, UCLA 7th, Oregon State 12th, Stanford 13th, Arizona 17th, California 20th and Washington 22nd. Arizona State ranks 49th.
In the Rankings
UCLA moved up one spot to No. 7 in the national rankings with a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 197.130. RQS is determined by taking the top six scores, three of which must be on the road, dropping the high score and averaging the remaining five marks. The Bruins are ranked No. 7 on vault (49.375), No. 12 on bars (49.240), No. 4 on beam (49.345) and No. 8 on floor (49.315). Samantha Peszek is ranked on three events - No. 8 on vault (9.925), No. 15 on bars (9.895) and No. 2 on beam (9.925). Four other Bruins have Top 20 rankings - Christine Peng-Peng Lee, who is fourth on bars (9.920), Danusia Francis, who ranks third on beam (9.920); Jordan Williams, who is 19th on vault (9.910) and Sadiqua Bynum, who is 19th on floor (9.910).
Conference Championship History
UCLA has won the most conference championships among the eight member schools with 16 Pac-12 titles (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012) and 1 WCAA title (1981). Oregon State (1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2011, 2013), Stanford (1998, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008) and Utah (2014) are the only other teams to win Pac-12 titles. Since the conference expanded from 10 to 12 teams in 2011-12, a different team has won the Pac-12 Gymnastics Championship - UCLA in 2012, Oregon State in 2013 and Utah in 2014.
UCLA has dominated individually at the Pac-12 Championships, winning a conference-best 84 individual titles. The Bruins have been especially dominant in the all-around, winning 18 titles, including 12 in the last 18 years (includes ties). UCLA gymnasts have won 20 titles on bars, 16 on vault and floor and 14 on beam.
There are six reigning or former Pac-12 individual champions in the field, including 2014 beam champion Samantha Peszek from UCLA. Also returning to defend her event titles is 2014 vault, bars and floor champion Georgia Dabritz, who also captured the 2012 bars title. Four more former champions are competing this year as well - 2014 all-around champion Tory Wilson from Utah; 2014 vault co-champions Allison Flores and Shelby Edwards from Arizona and 2012 all-around champion Corrie Lothrop from Utah.
Pac-12s Return to Salt Lake
Due to scheduling conflicts with preliminary rounds of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, the Pac-12 Championships were moved to Salt Lake City for the second time in four years. Utah hosted the Championships in 2012, and UCLA took home the title thanks to a final rotation rally on balance beam that pushed the Bruins into first place ahead of the second-place Utes, 197.425-197.375.
This is UCLA's second trip to Salt Lake City this season. On Jan. 23, the Bruins lost their only meet of the season, 194.725-196.725, to the Utes. Since that loss, UCLA has won seven-straight meets.
Last Year at Pac-12 Championships
Utah won its first Pac-12 team title in 2014, coming out of the afternoon session to win running away with a score of 197.925. Stanford placed second with 197.175, and host California earned its highest-ever finish at third place, edging out UCLA, 196.550-196.525. Oregon State placed fifth (196.275), Arizona sixth (196.250), Arizona State seventh (195.500) and Washington eighth (195.125).
Conference Awards Up for Grabs
Conference awards for Gymnast of the Year, Freshman/Newcomer of the Year, Specialist of the Year, Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Coach of the Year will be handed out at the conclusion of the Pac-12 Championship meet. UCLA has won 13 of the last 18 Gymnast of the Year awards, most recently Vanessa Zamarripa in 2013 and 2010, and a total of 18 in 28 years. Head coach Valorie Kondos Field has won Coach of the Year honors four times (1995, 2000, 2003, 2012). UCLA has produced seven conference Freshmen/Newcomers of the Year since the inception of the award in 2000 - Olivia Courtney in 2011, Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs in 2009, Brittani McCullough in 2008, Ariana Berlin in 2006 (co-winner), Tasha Schwikert in 2005, Kate Richardson in 2003 and Doni Thompson in 2000. The Scholar-Athlete of the Year was established in 2008, and UCLA has one winner - Ariana Berlin in 2009. The Bruins have not had a winner as Specialist of the Year, which was just introduced in 2013.
UCLA Closes Regular Season with Win at Arkansas
UCLA posted its sixth-consecutive 197 score in a 197.175-195.900 victory at Arkansas to close the regular season. Samantha Peszek won vault and beam, earning a perfect 10 from one of the two judges on beam, and Sadiqua Bynum won floor for the fifth time this season. The Bruins led from the get-go, grabbing a .125 lead after one rotation and then extending it to .425 at the halfway mark. UCLA finished with scores of 49.3 on floor and 49.325 on beam to post its third-highest team score of the season.
Peszek Honored for Fourth Time by Pac-12
Redshirt senior Samantha Peszek was named the Pac-12 Specialist of the Week after recording two event victories at Arkansas last weekend. Peszek won vault and beam and placed third on bars to lead UCLA to a 197.175-195.900 road victory. She earned a perfect 10 from one of the two judges on beam and finished with a final score of 9.95 to record her third victory and fourth 9.95 of the season. She also scored 9.925 on vault, her seventh consecutive score of 9.9 or higher on vault. Peszek has earned four weekly honors by the Pac-12 this season, having previously won Gymnast of the Week honors on Jan. 26, Feb. 23 and Mar. 2.
Bruins Smash Season-High vs. Stanford
UCLA smashed its season-high score in a 197.950-196.625 win over 13th-ranked Stanford in front of a school-record 9,531 fans in Pauley Pavilion on Mar. 7. The 197.950 team total was the highest by a UCLA team since the Bruins scored 198.050 in a dual meet win over Arizona State on Feb. 26, 2012. On senior day, seniors Samantha Peszek and Jordan Williams tied for first on vault with Stanford's Elizabeth Price, with all three scoring 9.95. Peszek also captured first place on bars with a 9.9. UCLA also won the other two events, with Danusia Francis and Christine Peng-Peng Lee winning beam with scores of 9.95 and Bynum capturing the floor title with a career-high 9.975. The Bruins had team scores of 49.375 or better on every event, earning 49.475 on vault, a season-high-tying 49.375 on uneven bars, 49.475 on balance beam and a season-high 49.625 on floor exercise.
Show-Stopping Floor
The Bruins' team score of 49.625 on floor exercise Mar. 7 was not only a season-high but the highest floor score by a Bruin team since the 2004 team scored 49.7 on Mar. 7 vs. Michigan. Four Bruins scored career-highs - Mikaela Gerber with a 9.85, Hallie Mossett with a 9.875, Sadiqua Bynum with a 9.975 and Samantha Peszek with a 9.95. Angi Cipra tied her season-best with a 9.9, and Danusia Francis recorded her fifth 9.9+ score of the year with a 9.925.
On the Rise
Since a tough loss at Utah on Jan. 23, UCLA has been unbeatable, recording wins in seven consecutive meets and team scores of 197 or higher in six straight meets. The Bruins scored 48.1 on two events in that Utah meet but have scored 49+ on all events in their last seven meets, a streak of 28 consecutive events.
Bruins are Beaming
UCLA recorded a 49.525 on beam on Feb. 21, earning the eighth-highest beam score in school history. Only two other UCLA teams in the 2010s have scored higher on beam - the 2010 team, which scored 49.65 at Georgia, and the 2012 team, which scored 49.55 at California. The Bruins earned their 49.525 with six strong routines. Mikaela Gerber led off with a 9.8, followed by a 9.775 from Sonya Meraz. Sophina DeJesus scored 9.85, and then the back half of the lineup went stratospheric, with Danusia Francis scoring 9.95, Christine Peng-Peng Lee 9.975, and Samantha Peszek 9.95. The Bruins are averaging 49.438 on beam in their last four meets, with scores of 49.525, 49.425, 49.475 and 49.325.
Raising the Bar on Floor
UCLA is raising the bar on floor exercise, with many of the competitors now performing E tumbling passes. Both Jennifer Pinches and Hallie Mossett inserted new full-in opening passes in February, joining Angi Cipra (full-in), Napualani Hall (Arabian double front), Sadiqua Bynum and Samantha Peszek (double layout), who have had their E passes in their routines since the start of the season. The Bruins have scored 49+ on floor in eight-straight meets, with a high of 49.625 set Mar. 7.
Bynum Scores Big for Bruins
Redshirt junior Sadiqua Bynum has been consistently delivering big scores all season on vault and floor, averaging 9.858 on vault and 9.881 on floor. Bynum came oh-so-close to perfection on Mar. 7, scoring a career-high 9.975 on floor, breaking 9.925 for the first time in her career. Ranked 19th in the nation on floor, Bynum has scored 9.925 or higher on floor in six of her last seven meets and has a team-best five event wins on the event. Bynum has scored 9.85 or better on 15 of her 18 routines this year with no score lower than 9.7, which was scored in the season opener.
Peszek Power
Fifth-year senior Samantha Peszek has been lights out this season, averaging 39.494 in four all-around performances and scoring 9.85 or better on 29 of 32 routines competed. Peszek, the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week three times this season, has won three of four all-around competitions, scoring 39.55 to win at Oregon State and 39.625 to win at Utah and in the home quad meet. She has a team-high total of 16 victories out of a possible 35 and has placed in the Top 3 32 of 36 times. Peszek is averaging a team-best 9.917 on vault and has just one vault under 9.9 this season (9.875), along with a team-high six vault wins. She also has three event wins apiece on bars and beam. Peszek is a nominee for the AAI Award, which is given to the nation's top senior gymnast.
Francis. Danusia Francis
Week after week, junior Danusia Francis has been posting big scores for the Bruins. She has 13 scores of 9.9 or higher, including seven in her last four meets. Francis is averaging over 9.83 on all three events in which she competes - 9.855 on bars, 9.845on beam and 9.833 on floor. Taking away her scores in the season opener, Francis is averaging 9.9 on beam, where she has scored 9.95 in three of her last four meets, and 9.89 on floor, where she has four 9.9+ scores in her last five meets with her James Bond-themed routine. On the year, Francis has recorded four event wins on beam and two on floor, and she has scored 9.8 or better on 25 consecutive routines and hit 26 consecutive routines. Her uneven bars average of 9.855 and national ranking of 28th are especially impressive considering she is the Bruins' leadoff performer.
Lee Back After Two-Year Layoff
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. Against Cal on Feb. 1, she won both events in which she competed, scoring 9.95s on bars and beam, and was subsequently named the Pac-12 Specialist of the Week. She earned Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Week honors twice in the last four weeks and has contributed six 9.95+ scores this season, including a 9.975 on beam. Lee has totaled nine event wins this season, including five in nine meets on bars. 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.
Meraz Making Moves
Freshman walk-on Sonya Meraz became just the second Bruin this season to make it into the lineup as an all-arounder, competing in all four events in three meets. Meraz scored a career-best 39.3 in the all-around last weekend at Arkansas, placing third and also earning Top 3 finishes on three events. She set a new career-high on vault with a 9.85 and tied her career-best on beam with a leadoff score of 9.85. In her all-around debut vs. Washington, she won the meet with a score of 39.025 and capped her night with a career-high 9.875 on floor. She was even better at Stanford, scoring career-highs on all three events in which she competed, earning 9.85s on bars and beam and 9.9 on floor. At ASU, she earned Top 3 finishes on beam in the leadoff position and on floor, and vs. Stanford, she tied her career-bests on bars and beam with scores of 9.85.
Williams Vaults Ahead
Graduate student Jordan Williams has scored career-highs of 9.95 on vault in three consecutive meets and in four of her last five meets, moving into No. 19 in the national rankings. Williams earned her first 9.95 on Feb. 9 vs. Washington and then blasted three in a row on Feb. 21, Feb. 28 and Mar. 7. Williams, who came to Westwood from Arizona and is UCLA's first-ever graduate transfer, has averaged 9.889 on vault, with four victories and two second-place showings in nine meets. She has also competed on beam in three meets and earned a career-best 9.875 to place fourth vs. Stanford.