Cal Women's Gymnastics defeats Utah, earns back-to-back-to-back Pac-12 regular season crown
Golden Bears get their best home score yet in 2024 with a 198.100
Staying perfect in Pac-12 action, No.3 California Golden Bears defeated No.4 Utah on Saturday afternoon from Haas Pavilion. With the win, Cal Bears not only improved their NQS score but also earned a share for the Pac-12 regular season title. Golden Bears have also shared the Pac-12 regular season title in the last two years, but they can earn the program's first sole Pac-12 title if they beat rival Stanford down at The Farm next Sunday on March 10th.
https://twitter.com/CalWGym/status/1764076295435293151
Uneven bars turned out to be the one event that really separated the two Pac-12 rivals for the last time in the regular season. Utah started the meet on the bars and dropped points due to their inability to have clean landings but still managed a decent 49.400 score. Cal started the meet on the vault where 4 out of 6 vaults had the 10.0 starting value and posted the season's 2nd best score with 49.400.
The two squads switch apparatus for the second rotation. Utah could have had all six vaults with the 10.0 starting value, but opted to swap in a safer vault for their last routine to earn only a 49.3. Cal had their best rotation of the afternoon when eMjae Frazier, Gabby Perea, and Maddie Williams all posted the near perfect 9.975 (AKA when you earned a 10 from one of the two judges) to close the uneven bars rotation. Golden Bears finished with 49.725, good for second best all-time behind only the then NCAA-tying performance in 2021.
https://twitter.com/CalWGym/status/1764058164352479262
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Utah is a squad that has the extremes of experience and none. They have not been the most consistent team so far in 2024, despite the clear talent. The Red Rocks had a fine floor rotation to get 49.575 score, but Golden Bears countered with a great balance beam rotation of their own. Maddie Williams (9.900), eMjae Frazier (9.95), and mya Lauzon (9.925) all had high scores. With a 49.400 locked in, Cal did not mind that Gabby Perea had an uncharacteristic fall as the anchor.
https://twitter.com/CalWGym/status/1764066256217575740
Going to the final rotation, Cal Bears had the lead. They did not letup by having a strong floor exercise rotation. After freshman Kyen Mayhew and junior Mya Lauzon both earned 9.925, sophomore eMjae Frazier got the opportunity to clinch the win and the Pac-12 title by performing 5th. Her near perfect 9.975, after earning a 10 at UCLA last weekend, was enough.
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Frazier finished with the meet best all-around score of 39.750, good for 3rd best in Cal history behind her own records at No.1 (last weekend at UCLA) and No.2 (earlier this season, which was also tied by teammate Mya Lauzon). Maddie Williams earned a 39.625 for her best result of this year. Lauzon had a solid but below-average for her 39.575.
While the Pac-12 regular season schedule wraps next weekend, there will be two more out-of-conference home meets ahead of the Pac-12 Championships for the Bears to improve their NQS team score. Cal will need to best Utah again at the not-quite-neutral site in Utah (just a few miles away from Utah's home) then to earn the program's first Pac-12 team title.Â
The 198.1 on Saturday was Cal's best home score yet, but they are capable of more. The next of (hopefully) several realistic historic firsts for the program would be a perfect Pac-12 season and the sole regular season title. They just need to maintain their form at Stanford.
GO BEARS!
Preview:
While both squads will have one more regular season Pac-12 meet after this one (Cal is at Stanford next weekend, Utah is at Arizona), the winner today will be in command to earn sole possession of the last Pac-12 regular season title. The winner today will earn at least a share of that title, so the official Pac-12 champion banner should be at Haas. Cal had earned a share of the Pac-12 regular season title in the last two years, but to accomplish a perfect Pac-12 regular season and win the sole possession of that title would be a special feat and yet another historic first for the program.
NO. 4 UTAH (9-3, 5-0 PAC-12) AT NO. 3 CALIFORNIA (12-3, 5-0 PAC-12)
Where: Haas Pavilion (Berkeley, CA)
When: 2 PM PT
Live Video (Free): Pac-12 Insider
Live Stats: LINK
The tentative starting lineup for Cal is similar to last week
https://twitter.com/CalWGym/status/1764012297771475146
About Utah:
The Women's Gymnastics are known as "Red Rocks"
Their Team NQS is 197.645 with a season-high of 198.075 set last week at home.
Vault: 9
Bars: 7
Beam: 2
Floor: 7
Utah has several familiar names to those who follow Team USA Gymnastics.
Grace McCallum is a 2020 USA Olympian. Maile O'Keefe, a past member of the USA National Teams but not for the Olympics, is the reigning NCAA all-around champion. Neither of them is regularly competing in the all-around this season.
Cal Bears:
Cal's Team NQS is 197.810 with a season-high (and program record) of 198.40 set last weekend at UCLA.
Vault: 4
Bars: 3
Beam: 3
Floor: 5
Individually, Mya Lauzon (39.675) is ranked 4th nationally for the all-around. eMjae Frazier, after breaking the Cal program record last week, is up to 7th (39.640). Maddie Williams (39.405) and Ella Cesario (39.250) have done enough all-around in competitions to be ranked 24th and 31st nationally, respectively.
Instant reactions:
Bears will start on vault. Utah will start on bars.
Cal:Â
Maddie Williams - Full Yurchenko with a slight hop 9.875
Kyen Mayhew - 1.5 Yurchenko with a tiny hop 9.900
Ella Cesario - Full Yurchenko also with a slight hop 9.800
eMjae Frazier - powerful double Yurchenko but a noticeable step back 9.850
Mya Lauzon - 1.5 Yurchenko with a slight scoop back on landing 9.900
Jayden Silvers - 1.5 Yurchenko with a slight hop 9.875
Rotation Score: 49.400
Utah:Â
Makenna Smith - Solid routine but a notable step back on the landing 9.825
Abby Paulson - A huge step while saluting on her landing 9.750
Ella Zirbes - By far the best landing for Utah so far this rotation 9.900
Maile O'Keefe - a step forward on the landing and not really holding form on the top 9.850
Grace McCallum - hard for me to see any fault on the routine by the US Olympian 9.950
Alani Sabado - Solid routine that should allow them to drop the 9.7 score 9.875
Rotation Score: 49.400
Rotation 2: Cal to bars, Utah to vault
Cal:
Mya Lauzon - no major issues but a slight loss of momentum mid-routine, 9.825
Ella Cesario - tiny step forward on the landing, 9.850
Andi Li - should be the best score so far, a smooth routine for the senior, 9.925
eMjae Frazier - fun fact, she told me that Cal was specifically asking for someone to do bars in the new ad that's out this year, great routine with the best landing so far, 9.975
Gabby Perea - another great landing, 9.975
Maddie Williams - another great landing that's almost unreal, 9.975
49.725
Utah (apparently they have 10.0 starting value on all of the vaults):
Camie Winger - Yurchenko 1.5, almost stepped out of bound but kept it in but a clear step nonetheless, 9.850
Ella Zirbes - another Yurchenko 1.5, thought she got the landing but then she stepped back, 9.850Â
Ashley Glynn, Yurchenko 1.5, huge step on her landing, 9.900
Makenna Smith, almost sat down on her Yurchenko 1.5, 9.525
Jaedyn Rucker, lots of power on her Yurchenko 1.5 with a clear step, 9.900
Jaylene Gilstrap, a lineup change as Utah went with a safer Yurchenko full only, solid routine, 9.800
49.300
At the half:
Cal 99.125
Utah 98.700
Cal:
Andi Li, a very nice start that only had a slight balance check, 9.875
Maddie Williams, her routine felt effortless, particularly after the double wolf turn, 9.900
Ella Cesario, fought and got her landing without a step but deduction, 9.750
eMjae Frazier, another great beam routine, could this be her second career 10 on beam?, 9.950
Mya Lauzon, another routine that made difficult skills look effortless, 9.925
Gabby Perea, the first mistake of the meet as she fell off mid routine, 9.275
Rotation score: 49.400
Utah:
Abby Paulson, a fun routine to the music of T-Swift, 9.875
Ella Zirbes, beautiful routine, 9.925
Jaedyn Rucker, a high energy routine, 9.900
Jaylene Gilstrap, danced to a classical musical rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, 9.925
Maile O'Keefe, did not disappoint with what should be a great score, 9.950
Grace McCallum, everything was great until her last pass when she bailed out without completing it (you hope she's not hurt), 8.675
Rotation score: 49.575
Score after three rotations:
Cal: 148.525
Utah: 148.275
Cal:
Maddie Williams: what you want from the leadoff, a solid 9.875
Jordan Kane: always like her power, 9.875
Kyen Mayhew: the freshman with another fun routine, 9.925
Mya Lauzon: nails her routine, 9.925
eMjae Frazier: lineup change to let Frazier clinch this meet and I think she did it, 9.975
Ella Cesario: steps out of bounds on her first pass or maybe not (given the score), 9.800Â
49.575
Utah:
Camie Winger: a hit routine with some balance checks, 9.850
Elizabeth Gantner: solid routine but probably not going to cut into Cal's lead, 9.825
Grace McCallum (she is okay!): redemption for her after the last rotation, 9.90
Abby Paulson: should be the best score so far this rotation for Utah, 9.925
Maile O'Keefe: outstanding routine, 9.925
Jaylene Gilstrap: she won't improve Utah's score with a fall here
49.425
Final score:
Cal 198.100
Utah 197.700
ROLL ON YOU BEARS!
Just back from the meet. Privilege to watch this Bear team. Emjae Frazier is amazing. Actually the whole team is. I know next to nothing about gymnastics but I know enough to appreciate excellent athletes and Cal has them.
YARRRRRRRRR!!!!!!! Go Bears!