UCLA
Pac-12 Championships Session #2
UCLA Wins 2016 Pac-12 Championship
March 20, 2016 | Gymnastics
Seattle, Wash. - Ninth-ranked UCLA won the 2016 Pac-12 Gymnastics Championship, scoring 197.250 to record its 17th Pac-12 title in school history. The outcome of the meet came down to senior Sadiqua Bynum, a role that has become familiar to her this season. And for the third time this season, Bynum delivered, scoring 9.9 to clinch the victory.
Oregon State and Utah tied for second place with scores of 196.925. California was fourth with 196.725. Stanford was fifth with a 196.125, Arizona placed sixth at 195.525, Washington was seventh with a 195.300, and Arizona State was eighth with 191.725.
Watch: UCLA Celebrates Pac-12 Championship
Watch: Post-Meet Interview
Watch: Sophina DeJesus and Danusia Francis Meet Young Fans
Even with Bynum's heroics, the meet was won by UCLA on the balance beam in the third rotation, as the Bruins delivered the sixth-highest beam score in school history – 49.575 – to pull away. All six Bruin gymnasts scored 9.9 or higher, with Danusia Francis leading the way with a meet-high-tying 9.95 that gave the senior star her first career Pac-12 event title. Freshman Nicki Shapiro delivered a career-high 9.925, and the other four competitors – Mikaela Gerber, Sonya Meraz, Katelyn Ohashi and Sophina DeJesus – each scored 9.9.
UCLA started the meet with a 49.125 on vault, getting strong landings on vault from leadoff Angi Cipra (9.8) and JaNay Honest (9.825), who had a tiny hop on their Yurchenko layout fulls, and Napualani Hall, who stuck her Yurchenko 1.5 for a 9.85. Meraz followed with another strong vault with a tiny hop to score 9.825. Bynum added another 9.825, and the Bruins' score was just a hair behind first-place Oregon State, who totaled 49.15 on floor to take first place. California was close behind in third place with a 49.000 on bars, and Utah had to count a fall on balance beam and scored 48.775.
The Bruins were all about the stuck landings on uneven bars, with four stuck dismounts. Honest led the way with a meet-winning 9.9, Francis and Stella Savvidou each scored season-highs of 9.875, and DeJesus added a 9.85. The Bruins also received a 9.8 from Meraz to record a team total of 49.3 and move into the lead with a two-event score of 98.425. Utah surged back into contention with a 49.475 on floor exercise, moving into a three-way tie for second place with Oregon State and California with a score of 98.250.
UCLA's domination on beam led the way to a Bruin party on floor exercise as they danced their way to their coronation. Ohashi led off with a 9.8, followed by a 9.825 by Honest and 9.875 by Francis. Madison Preston rebounded from a fluke fall on vault to score 9.85. When Cipra had an uncharacteristic fall, the Bruins' title hopes fell squarely on Bynum. Needing to hit her routine for the Bruins to win, Bynum scored 9.9 to set off the celebration.
The Pac-12 title was UCLA's record 17th in 30 years and the Bruins' first since 2012. Honest's bars title was UCLA's 21st but the first by a Bruin since Olivia Courtney and Aisha Gerber in 2011. Francis' beam title was UCLA's fifth in a row and 16th overall.
Players Mentioned
