2018 Gymnastics Season Highlighted By NCAA Title for Pac-12
May 14, 2018
The 2018 Pac-12 gymnastics season was highlighted by 18 perfect 10’s, four teams in the top 25 in the nation in the final rankings and a NCAA title win for UCLA. The eight Pac-12 teams reached milestones across the board, in an exciting and eventful year.
No. 1 UCLA
• Concluded the season by winning the 2018 NCAA Championship, the first national-championship victory for a Pac-12 team since the Bruins captured the title in 2010. The Bruins scored a record 49.75 on balance beam to claim the 2018 NCAA crown at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis. It marks the seventh NCAA title for UCLA, as the Bruins ended the evening with an overall score of 198.075, unseating the Sooners by 0.0375.
• Pac-12 Gymnastics Scholar Athlete of the Year Christine Peng-Peng Lee competed in her final collegiate meet during the championships, where she tallied two perfect 10’s, including a 10 on the balance beam that secured the NCAA title for her team, and one on the uneven bars to mark the second time this season she has scored two 10s in one meet. She finished her career with 10 perfect 10s and an also claimed the individual title on balance beam.
• Felicity Hano and Katelyn Ohashi also earned perfect scores for the Bruins this season on the floor exercise. Ohashi claimed three perfect scores and Hano had one.
• Concluded the season by winning the 2018 NCAA Championship, the first national-championship victory for a Pac-12 team since the Bruins captured the title in 2010. The Bruins scored a record 49.75 on balance beam to claim the 2018 NCAA crown at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis. It marks the seventh NCAA title for UCLA, as the Bruins ended the evening with an overall score of 198.075, unseating the Sooners by 0.0375.
• Pac-12 Gymnastics Scholar Athlete of the Year Christine Peng-Peng Lee competed in her final collegiate meet during the championships, where she tallied two perfect 10’s, including a 10 on the balance beam that secured the NCAA title for her team, and one on the uneven bars to mark the second time this season she has scored two 10s in one meet. She finished her career with 10 perfect 10s and an also claimed the individual title on balance beam.
• Felicity Hano and Katelyn Ohashi also earned perfect scores for the Bruins this season on the floor exercise. Ohashi claimed three perfect scores and Hano had one.
No. 5 UTAH
• Placed fifth at the NCAA Championships with a score of 196.9000, marking a record 43rd-consecutive trip to the NCAA’s Super Six.
• The Red Rocks have won 31 regional titles, this year winning the Salt Lake City Regional with a 197.475. They have never finished worse than second in a regional competition.
• Five time Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week MyKayla Skinner led her squad throughout the season, scoring high marks across the board. Teammate Makenna Merrell-Giles also notched top scores, earning a perfect 10 on vault and another 10.0 score on floor exercise this year.
• Placed fifth at the NCAA Championships with a score of 196.9000, marking a record 43rd-consecutive trip to the NCAA’s Super Six.
• The Red Rocks have won 31 regional titles, this year winning the Salt Lake City Regional with a 197.475. They have never finished worse than second in a regional competition.
• Five time Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week MyKayla Skinner led her squad throughout the season, scoring high marks across the board. Teammate Makenna Merrell-Giles also notched top scores, earning a perfect 10 on vault and another 10.0 score on floor exercise this year.
No. 9 CALIFORNIA
• Went a perfect 24-for-24 in its semifinal session to turn in a program-best 196.500 NCAA Championships total. The Bears finished just one place shy of advancing to the program's first-ever Super Six, taking fourth in the semifinal II session.
• Toni-Ann Williams' seventh-place finish in the all-around at the NCAA championships secured her a second team NCAA All-America honors, and Cal's first NCAA All-American since Alicia Asturias in 2014. She also added Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week to her list of awards this season.
• Went a perfect 24-for-24 in its semifinal session to turn in a program-best 196.500 NCAA Championships total. The Bears finished just one place shy of advancing to the program's first-ever Super Six, taking fourth in the semifinal II session.
• Toni-Ann Williams' seventh-place finish in the all-around at the NCAA championships secured her a second team NCAA All-America honors, and Cal's first NCAA All-American since Alicia Asturias in 2014. She also added Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week to her list of awards this season.
No. 11 WASHINGTON
• Qualified for nationals for the second-straight year, UW’s seventh trip all-time in program history and just the second time it has made it in back-to-back years ( first time since 1997 and 1998).
• The Huskies took fifth in the final weekend of NCAA Championship competition, posting a score of 196.250 for the program’s second-highest score at a NCAA Championship, surpassed only by last year's 196.562.
• Qualified for nationals for the second-straight year, UW’s seventh trip all-time in program history and just the second time it has made it in back-to-back years ( first time since 1997 and 1998).
• The Huskies took fifth in the final weekend of NCAA Championship competition, posting a score of 196.250 for the program’s second-highest score at a NCAA Championship, surpassed only by last year's 196.562.
No. 23 ARIZONA STATE
• Competed at the University Park Regional, finishing in third with a 195.750 team score. The effort was the program's best at a NCAA regional since 2013. The Sun Devils wrapped up the year at the No. 23 spot in the nation.
• Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Cairo Leonard-Baker earned an individual all-around berth to the NCAA Championships with a tally of 39.200 at the regional competition. The last time an Arizona State gymnast qualified to the NCAA Gymnastics Championships as an individual was when Taylor Allex won the vault title (9.900) at the 2016 Tuscaloosa Regional. Leonard-Baker capped her freshman year recording an all-around score of 38.8875 for a 17th-place finish in the opening semifinal.
• Competed at the University Park Regional, finishing in third with a 195.750 team score. The effort was the program's best at a NCAA regional since 2013. The Sun Devils wrapped up the year at the No. 23 spot in the nation.
• Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Cairo Leonard-Baker earned an individual all-around berth to the NCAA Championships with a tally of 39.200 at the regional competition. The last time an Arizona State gymnast qualified to the NCAA Gymnastics Championships as an individual was when Taylor Allex won the vault title (9.900) at the 2016 Tuscaloosa Regional. Leonard-Baker capped her freshman year recording an all-around score of 38.8875 for a 17th-place finish in the opening semifinal.
No. 27 OREGON STATE
• Concluded the 2018 season after finishing sixth at the NCAA Raleigh Regional. The Beavers have now reached the regional round of postseason competition for 44 straight seasons.
• Freshman Kaitlyn Yanish earned Pac-12 second team honors on the floor exercise and was named an NACGC/W Regular Season All-American on floor in her first season at OSU.
• Oregon State is slated to return 15 letterwinners in 2019, including 22 out of 24 routines that were performed at the Raleigh regional.
• Concluded the 2018 season after finishing sixth at the NCAA Raleigh Regional. The Beavers have now reached the regional round of postseason competition for 44 straight seasons.
• Freshman Kaitlyn Yanish earned Pac-12 second team honors on the floor exercise and was named an NACGC/W Regular Season All-American on floor in her first season at OSU.
• Oregon State is slated to return 15 letterwinners in 2019, including 22 out of 24 routines that were performed at the Raleigh regional.
No. 28 STANFORD
• Earned a postseason berth to the NCAA Salt Lake City regional, finishing in fifth place with a score of 197.475.
• The squad was led by senior Elizabeth Price who qualified for the NCAA Championships for the fourth-consecutive year, competing an individual all-around performer. She capped her season by scoring a perfect 10 on the uneven bars, earning a top-10 finish in all four events to claim third in the all-around with 39.6750, the highest point total ever recorded by a Cardinal at the championship. The perfect score marked the fourth 10 of the season for Price and a program-record fifth of her career. In 12 meets this season, Price racked up 32 firsts and recorded 9.900 or higher 32 times.
No. 38 ARIZONA
• Sophomore Christina Berg and senior Madison Cindric represented Arizona at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, competing on the uneven bars (Berg) and all-around competition (Cindric).
• Berg had a solid uneven bars routine to a score of 9.775 and Cindric competed on four events, earning an all-around score of 39.225. She earned a 9.775 on vault, 9.850 on bars, 9.825 on beam, and 9.775 on floor.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
|
Teams
|
RQS
|
Pac-12 Record
|
Overall Record
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
UCLA
|
197.840
|
5-1
|
14-2
|
|
Utah
|
197.540
|
5-1
|
10-3
|
|
California
|
196.890
|
3-3 |
11-4
|
|
Washington
|
196.969
|
4-2
|
10-5
|
|
Arizona State
|
196.545
|
3-3
|
6-7
|
|
Oregon State
|
196.780
|
3-3
|
6-3
|
|
Stanford
|
196.080
|
0-6
|
9-10
|
|
Arizona
|
195.650
|
1-5
|
4-8
|
*Record for regular season
PAC-12 GYMNASTICS WEEKLY HONORS
|
|
Gymnast of the Week
|
Specialist of the Week
|
Freshman / Newcomer of the Week
|
|---|---|---|---|
GYMNASTICS ON PAC-12 NETWORKS
Pac-12 Networks, now in its sixth season of unprecedented coverage of Pac-12 sports, aired 25 women’s gymnastics meets this season, including a “Meet the Bruins” preview. All eight Pac-12 schools appeared on the Networks at least three times: Arizona (3), Arizona State (4), California (5), Oregon State (7), Stanford (4), UCLA (7), Utah (7) and Washington (4). Both sessions of the 2018 Pac-12 Women’s Gymnastics Championships will be televised live nationally on Pac-12 Network on Saturday, Mar. 24 at McKale Memorial Center in Tucson, Arizona.