UCLA
Pac-12 Championships - Session #2
UCLA to Defend Pac-12 Gymnastics Crown Saturday
March 15, 2017 | Gymnastics
Pac-12 Championships - Session 2
Saturday, Mar. 18 - 6 pm PT (Maples Pavilion)
TV: Pac-12 Networks (Jim Watson, Amanda Borden, Samantha Peszek)
Online: pac-12.com/now
Tickets: gostanford.com
Live Stats: gostanford.com
Twitter: @uclagymnastics
UCLA Competes in Pac-12 Championships
No. 3 UCLA (9-2) will defend its Pac-12 title this weekend at the Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships in Stanford. The Bruins, who are seeking their 18th Pac-12 team title, are the top seed and will compete in the evening session at 6pm along with No. 2 seed Utah, No. 3 seed Oregon State and No. 4 seed Washington. Competing in the afternoon session at 1pm are No. 5 seed California, No. 6 Arizona, No. 7 seed Stanford 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 and UCLA alumna Samantha Peszek serving as a sideline reporter. Live stats will be available at gostanford.com, and live updates can be found on Twitter by following @UCLAGymnastics.
Rotation Order
As the top seed, UCLA has chosen to start the meet on vault and end on floor exercise, giving the Bruins Olympic order, which they also had last season en route to winning the Pac-12 title. Utah chose to start on uneven bars, Oregon State chose to begin on floor exercise, and Washington will start on balance beam. In Session 1, California starts on vault, Arizona on beam, Stanford on bars and Arizona State on floor.
Conference Championship History
UCLA has won the most conference championships among the eight member schools with 17 Pac-12 titles (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2016) and 1 WCAA title (1981) in 30 years. Oregon State (1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2011, 2013), Stanford (1998, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008) and Utah (2014, 2015) are the only other teams to win Pac-12 titles.
UCLA has dominated individually at the Pac-12 Championships, winning a conference-best 88 individual titles. The Bruins have been especially dominant in the all-around, winning 18 titles, including 12 in the last 21 years (includes ties). UCLA gymnasts have won 21 titles on bars, 17 on floor, and 16 on vault and beam. There are six reigning Pac-12 individual champions in the field: reigning champions JaNay Honest (UCLA), Elizabeth Price (Stanford) and Kaitlin Duranczyk (Washington) on bars; Baely Rowe (Utah) and Madeline Gardiner (Oregon State) on beam; and Tiffani Lewis (Utah) on floor. Cal's Toni-Ann Williams is also a reigning Pac-12 floor co-champion but is out for the season due to a torn Achilles.
Last Year at Pac-12 Championships
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, who scored 9.9 to clinch the victory on the last floor routine of the meet. The meet was truly won by UCLA on the balance beam in the third rotation, however, as the Bruins delivered the sixth-highest beam score in school history โ 49.575 โ 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 โ Mikaela Gerber, Sonya Meraz, Katelyn Ohashi and Sophina DeJesus โ each scored 9.9. UCLA's uneven bars set, which scored a meet-high 49.300, also helped the Bruins move into the lead. Sophomore JaNay Honest won a share of the uneven bars title with a 9.9.
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 20 Gymnast of the Year awards, most recently Vanessa Zamarripa in 2013 and 2010, and a total of 18 in 30 years. Head coach Valorie Kondos Field has won Coach of the Year honors four times (1995, 2000, 2003, 2012). UCLA has produced seven Freshmen/Newcomers of the Year since the introduction of the award in 2000, most recently Olivia Courtney in 2011. 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.
Pride of the Pac
The Pac-12 Conference has seven teams ranked in the Top 36. UCLA ranks 3rd, Utah is 5th, Oregon State 10th, Washington 15th, California 16th, Arizona 30th and Stanford 31st. Arizona State ranks 45th.
Attendance Records Set
Fans came out to see the Bruins in record numbers this season. UCLA set a new record for average attendance with 7,568 and a new record for single-meet attendance with 12,576 fans in attendance to see UCLA vs. California on March 5.
Bruins Close Regular Season with Bang
UCLA closed its regular season campaign with a bang, scoring 197.8, its second-highest mark of the season, in an over two-point win over North Carolina. The Bruins scored a season-high 49.65 on floor exercise, posting five scores of 9.9 or higher. Two Bruins earned perfect 10s during the meet - Christine Peng-Peng Lee on bars and Katelyn Ohashi on beam - while two others received a perfect 10 from one of the two judges on floor - Macy Toronjo, who finished with a career-high 9.95, and Hallie Mossett, who finished with a 9.975. The Bruins' high marks were especially encouraging considering that its top all-around competitor, Madison Kocian, was resting on all four events.
Hall, Kramer Hit 10.0-Start Value Vaults
In the win over North Carolina, the Bruins competed and hit two 10.0-start value vaults. Junior Napualani Hall brought back her Yurchenko 1.5 and scored 9.85, and freshman Gracie Kramer hit her second-highest vault score of the year on her Yurchenko 1.5, scoring 9.875. Kramer has competed the 1.5 four times and has a high of 9.925, set Feb. 11. She has two second-place finishes on vault this year. Kramer became the first Bruin to hit a 10.0-start value vault - a Yurchenko 1.5. Kramer scored a career-best 9.925 on the vault to place second. Kramer has vaulted in eight of nine meets this season but had been throwing the 9.95-start value Yurchenko full in the first four meets, with a high mark of 9.8. She has thrown the 1.5 in her last three competitions.
Lee Named Pac-12 Specialist of Week
Christine Peng-Peng Lee earned her third Pac-12 Specialist of the Week award this season after scoring her second perfect 10 on uneven bars during UCLA's win over North Carolina. Lee also placed second on balance beam with a 9.925. In addition to winning Specialist of the Week honors, Lee was voted the UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week.
Ohashi Scores Second-Straight 10
Sophomore Katelyn Ohashi became the first Bruin ever to score perfect 10s on beam in consecutive meets when she accomplished the feat Mar. 5 and Mar. 12. Ohashi is also just the second Bruin ever to score multiple 10s on beam in the same year, joining Kate Richardson who did it in 2003 and 2004.
10.0 Club
Four Bruins have joined the 10.0 club this season, as Kyla Ross (Jan. 28, Feb. 18, Feb. 20), Madison Kocian (Feb. 11), Christine Peng-Peng Lee (Feb. 11, Mar. 12) and Katelyn Ohashi (Mar. 5, Mar. 12) have all scored perfect 10s. The four perfect 10 scorers this season are the most by a Bruin team since 2004, when five different gymnasts scored 10s (Jeanette Antolin, Jamie Dantzscher, Kristen Maloney, Kate Richardson and Yvonne Tousek). The eight perfect 10 routines are tied with Oklahoma for the most in the nation this year, and they are the most by a Bruin squad since the 2004 team scored a school-record 20, including 11 alone by Jeanette Antolin.
Twenty-nine different UCLA gymnasts have scored a total of 112 perfect 10s over the years. Twelve have totaled 25 perfect 10s on uneven bars, and seven have scored 12 perfect 10s on balance beam. Ross, Kocian and Lee are the first Bruin trio to score perfect 10s on the same event in one year since Richardson, Antolin and Maloney all did so on vault in 2004. Ross and Ohashi are the first pair of Bruins to score perfect 10s on beam in the same season since Maloney and Mohini Bhardwaj in 2001.
Perfect Scores Abound for Ross
Freshman Kyla Ross, a member of the gold medal-winning 2012 U.S. Olympic team and a five-time World medalist, has performed eight routines in her last eight meets that have earned at least one perfect score. Ross has scored two perfect 10s on bars, both on the road, and scored her first perfect 10 on beam at home on Feb. 20. Ross, along with Florida's Alex McMurtry, have the second-most 10.0s in the nation this season, behind only Oklahoma's Maggie Nichols, who has five.
Ross' first perfect 10 came on Jan. 28 at Oregon State on uneven bars, and her second was earned on bars again at Utah on Feb. 18. She nabbed her first 10 on beam in the Bruins' tri-meet on Feb. 20, giving her two 10s in less than 48 hours. Ross also has two 9.975s - one on beam on Feb. 4 and another on bars on Feb. 11 - and has also scored 9.925 on her 9.95 start-valued vault in two meets, receiving the maximum 9.95 score from one of the two judges. Ross is the first Bruin gymnast to score three 10s in a season since Tasha Schwikert in 2005.
Perfect Pair
Madison Kocian and Christine Peng-Peng Lee made history on Feb. 11 when they became the first UCLA duo to score perfect 10s on uneven bars in the same meet. The perfect 10s were the first of their careers, and the second and third by a Bruin gymnast on bars this season. Kyla Ross scored the first 10.0 on Jan. 28. Kocian and Lee are the first Bruins to score perfect 10s on the same event in the same meet since Kristen Maloney and Jeanette Antolin scored a pair of perfect 10s on vault at the NCAA Regionals on Apr. 3, 2004.
Preston Hits Perfect 9.95 Vault
Sophomore Madison Preston was the third Bruin to receive a perfect score on one of her routines against Stanford Feb. 11, scoring 9.95 on her 9.95-start value vault. Preston stuck a perfect Yurchenko layout full to score a career-high and win the event. Preston has three vault wins in seven meets this season and is averaging 9.85 on the year, with three scores of 9.9 or better.
Mossett Becomes Latest Bruin to Go Viral
For the second year in a row, a UCLA floor exercise routine has gone viral. This year's viral sensation is Hallie Mossett, whose floor routine set to Beyoncรฉ music (Formation, Partition and Single Ladies) has been posted all over social media (4 million views on Facebook) and in the mainstream media by Entertainment Weekly, Cosmo, Time, People and the Daily Mail. Mossett scored a 9.975 on that routine against Arizona on Feb. 25 and matched the score against North Carolina on Mar. 12.
UCLA Captures Program's 700th Victory
UCLA's Feb. 25 dual meet win over Arizona marked the 700th all-time victory for the Bruins. Since 1977, the Bruins have posted an overall record of 702-206-3. Head coach Valorie Kondos Field has 490 of those victories in her 27 years as head coach.
Ross, Lee Ranked No. 1, 2 on Bars
Freshman Kyla Ross remains ranked No. 1 in the nation on uneven bars for the third-straight week, while redshirt senior Christine Peng-Peng Lee moves up a spot to No. 2. Ross, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist and 2013 World silver medalist, has a RQS of 9.965 and is averaging 9.963 in her last six meets. She is also ranked in the Top 20 on beam (No. 10) and vault (No. 16). Lee, who has won NCAA Regional bars titles in each of the last two years, owns a RQS of 9.955 and is averaging 9.938 in her last four meets. Lee also ranks 11th in the nation on beam.
Macy Makes Mighty Comeback
After sitting out over a year with a torn rotator cuff and having her comeback delayed this year due to a rare eye condition (VKH syndrome) that caused temporary blindness, redshirt freshman Macy Toronjo completed her comeback on Feb. 20. Toronjo made the competition lineup for the first time in her career and scored 9.9 on floor exercise to tie for first place. She improved her score a few days later on Feb. 25, earning a 9.925 to place third. She came close to perfection on Mar. 12, earning a 10 from one judge and a 9.9 from the other for a final score of 9.95. Toronjo has three 9.9+ scores in her four meets.
In the Rankings
UCLA has moved up to No. 3 in the nation with a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 197.500. UCLA is second on bars, third on beam, sixth on floor and seventh on vault. Kyla Ross is ranked No. 1 on bars for the third-straight week and is also Top 20 on her other two events, ranking 10th on beam and tied for 16th on vault. Madison Kocian ranks fifth in the all-around, tied for ninth on floor, and tied for 20th on beam. UCLA is 1-2 on bars - No. 1 Ross and No. 2 (tied) Christine Peng-Peng Lee. On beam, four Bruins are in the Top 20 - No. 3 Katelyn Ohashi, No. 10 Ross, No. 11 Lee, No. 20 Kocian. Hallie Mossett moved into the Top 20 on floor, checking in at No. 18. National rankings are based on Regional Qualifying Score, which takes the team's Top 3 away scores plus three other scores, drops the high and averages the remaining five scores.
Streaks
UCLA has scored 49+ on vault and bars in every meet this season. Dating back to last year, the Bruins have gone 49+ on vault in 11 straight meets and on bars in 12 straight meets โฆ UCLA has scored 49+ on beam in its last nine meets โฆ Mikaela Gerber has a streak of 33 consecutive hit routines dating back to 2015. She hit all 19 of her routines last year, including 14 as the leadoff on beam โฆ Sonya Meraz has competed in 34-straight meets, and JaNay Honest has competed in 24-straight โฆ Madison Kocian competed on 24 consecutive events, going all-around in the first six meets before being held to just bars and beam at the Bruins' tri-meet on Feb. 20.
Lee Nominated for AAI Award
Christine Peng-Peng Lee has been selected as a nominee for the AAI Award, which is awarded to the nation's top senior gymnast. Lee ranks No. 2 in the nation on the uneven bars and has a team-high seven uneven bars wins this year, along with two perfect 10s. On balance beam, she ranks 11th in the nation and owns a season and career-high of 9.975.
Vaulting Upwards
Although the Bruins have only thrown a total of five 10.0 start-value vaults all season (four by Gracie Kramer and one by Napualani Hall), the team holds a solid season average of 49.230 and a high of 49.5 set Feb. 11. UCLA has scored 49+ on vault in every meet this season. Madison Preston has the team's highest vault score of the season with a 9.95. Kyla Ross has two 9.925s and two 9.9s and averages 9.885. Kramer scored a career-high 9.925 on her Yurchenko 1.5 on Feb. 11 and went 9.875 on Mar. 12. Seven Bruins are averaging 9.8 or higher on vault this season - Ross (9.885), Angi Cipra (9.838), Preston (9.850), Madison Kocian (9.853), Felicia Hano (9.825), Hall (9.805) and Stella Savvidou (9.8).
Raising the Bar
UCLA scored the highest uneven bars total in the nation on Feb. 11 with a 49.725 that included two perfect 10s and a 9.975. Three Bruins have scored five perfect 10s this year. Kyla Ross recorded the first in the nation on bars on Jan. 28 at Oregon State and her second one at Utah on Feb. 18. Madison Kocian and Christine Peng-Peng Lee each earned a perfect score against Stanford on Feb. 11, and Lee scored her second on Mar. 12. Lee leads the team in uneven bars victories with seven, followed closely by Ross, who has six. Ross, a World silver medalist on bars, ranks No. 1 in the nation on this event and has scored two perfect 10s on bars. Lee, who is right behind at No. 2 in the nation, also has two perfect 10s and a routine that is widely considered one of the most dynamic in the NCAA. She performs three difficult release moves in her routine - a Ray (toe-on Tkatchev), a Bhardwaj (full-twisting Pak salto) and a Shaposh half. Kocian is the reigning World co-champion and Olympic silver medalist on the event and has a perfect 10 to her credit this year. Additionally, JaNay Honest is the reigning Pac-12 co-champion with a career-high score of 9.95, and Stella Savvidou has scored a career-high 9.9 three times in her last five meets. Sonya Meraz has twice scored a career-high of 9.875 this season and has added difficulty to her routine this year, upgrading her Tkatchev to a toe-on Tkatchev (Ray). The Bruins are averaging 49.440 on bars and have scored 49+ in every meet.
Bruins are Beaming
UCLA's balance beam lineup is stacked with experienced, consistent, difficult and elegant routines from start to finish. Leadoff performer Mikaela Gerber missed three meets with a broken toe but returned on Mar. 5 to score a leadoff 9.8. She has hit 24 consecutive beam routines and has posted a career-high of 9.925. Hallie Mossett has two 9.9s to her credit this year and has consistently hit her unique dismount, a side somi to layout full. Kyla Ross ranks 10th nationally and has a perfect 10 on Feb. 20 and a 9.975 and 9.95 to her credit. She was the U.S. beam champion in 2013 and 2014 and the world silver medalist in 2013. Madison Kocian averages 9.844 and ranks 20th in the nation. She has twice scored 9.95 on the road (at ASU and at Utah). Christine Peng-Peng Lee tied her career-high of 9.975 Mar. 5 and has five scores of 9.925 or better this year. Lee does some of the most unique skills in NCAA, including the Homma flairs mount, a backhandspring-layout two feet, and a double turn. Katelyn Ohashi is the highest-ranked Bruin on beam at No. 3 and is coming off back-to-back perfect 10s. She has hit several times this season possibly the most difficult flight series in NCAA history, a backhandspring-backhandspring-layout full but has scored perfect 10s doing "just" a backhandspring-backhandspring two feet-layout two feet. Ohashi is averaging 9.963 in her last six meets. Sonya Meraz, who scored 9.85 or higher eight times last year, earned a season-best 9.875 at Utah on Feb. 18 and owns a career-high of 9.9. The Bruins average 49.350, with a high of 49.55 set Feb. 18 at Utah and Mar. 5 vs. Cal. In the last nine meets, UCLA has scored 49.25 or higher in each one.
Show-Stoppers
UCLA's floor exercise routines are not to be missed. With routines choreographed by Valorie Kondos Field and Hallie Mossett, the Bruins put on a show every time they step onto the floor. Mossett helped choreograph the floor routines for JaNay Honest, Gracie Kramer, Giulianna Pino and Mercedez Sanchez, along with co-choreographing her own Beyonce-inspired routine with Kondos Field that has gone viral. Mossett just missed out on a perfect 10 twice (Feb. 25 and Mar. 12), scoring a career-high 9.975 each time. Madison Kocian holds the team's highest season average with a 9.922 and a high of 9.95, set three times in her last five meets. She has scored 9.9 or higher in her last seven showings, and she has three event titles on floor this season. Macy Toronjo made her floor debut on Feb. 20 and hit 9.9 to capture first place. She bettered her mark in the Bruins' next meet, scoring 9.925 and posted a career-best 9.95 on Mar. 12. Katelyn Ohashi has won floor in two of the last four meets, and she has scored career-highs of 9.925 at each of her last two meets and averages 9.889 on the year. UCLA's floor lineup was bolstered in the last month and a half by the return of Angi Cipra, who earned All-America and All-Pac-12 honors a year ago. Cipra, who missed all of January with a sprained foot, has a season-high of 9.9 and is averaging 9.865. In 2016, she scored 9.9 or higher seven times, with a high of 9.975. Stella Savvidou and Napualani Hall each scored new career-highs on Feb. 11 with scores of 9.925 and 9.875, respectively. Sonya Meraz has a season-high of 9.85, and JaNay Honest has a season-high of 9.875. UCLA earned a season-high of 49.65 on floor on Mar. 12.
Looking Ahead
UCLA will compete at the NCAA Regionals on Apr. 1. Regional assignments will be announced on Monday.
No. 1 in Social Media Followers
UCLA Gymnastics has the largest social media followings in all of women's collegiate sports, ranking No. 1 across all women's sports in combined likes/followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, a total that surpasses 285,000. The Bruins rank first among all NCAA gymnastics teams on both Instagram (130k) and Facebook (137k) and third on Twitter (17.9k). Among all UCLA teams, gymnastics ranks first on Instagram and Facebook, and UCLA Gymnastics is the most followed Instagram team account in any sport in the Pac-12 and the most followed collegiate women's team in the nation. Follow the Bruins at @UCLAGymnastics on Instagram and Twitter and on Facebook at facebook.com/uclagymnastics. The team's Snapchat name is also uclagymnastics.
Players Mentioned
