Pac-12 Gymnastics Week 2 Preview: UCLA, Utah on ABC; Stanford, Arizona make debuts

All eight Pac-12 gymnastics teams will compete this week for the first time in 2024, with Stanford and Arizona making their debuts. This week will also see five teams compete in quad meets, with the majority participating at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad.

Here’s a preview of all eight Pac-12 meets:

Stanford at #20 Michigan

Stanford is on the road at Michigan for their first meet of the season on Friday at 7 p.m. ET with streaming on Big Ten +.

The Cardinal was one of two Pac-12 teams that didn’t compete during Week 1. They will start their season with a challenging matchup against Michigan, who are the reigning Big Ten champions and came into the season ranked sixth.

Stanford head coach Tabitha Yim provided some updates on the team’s lineups and gymnasts to the All Things Gymnastics Podcast ahead of their first meet. This included that none of Stanford’s freshmen will compete this week. Stanford will also be without sophomore Anna Roberts, who’s expected to return by midseason.

The Cardinal do get to look forward to the return of Anapaula Gutierrez and Porsche Trinidad (ACL). Both were unable to compete last season.

Must-Watch Routines:

• Anapaula Gutierrez on vault: Gutierrez is training both vault and bars as she comes back to competition this year. Assuming she’s in the Week 1 vault lineup, it will be exciting to see her back on an event she has a career-high of 9.925.
• Chloe Widner on floor: The fifth-year is competing in her last-first meet, and this will be her final time showcasing a new floor routine for Stanford.

#23 Washington at Iowa 

Washington is on the road for the second straight week after competing at the Mean Girls Super 16 in Las Vegas. During Session 1 of the Super 16, Washington finished third with a 195. They will go up against Iowa, who is competing in their first meet of the year. The meet will begin on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten +.

Going up against Iowa, the Huskies will see some changes in the bars lineups. After two falls a week ago, Washington is looking to turn that outcome around against Iowa, and trust in their preparation.

“Our focus is really on the intangibles,” head coach Jen Llewellyn said. “The gymnastics is there. We’ve prepared them enough, they’ve done enough numbers, and it’s really just trusting themselves to be present where their feet are.”

Must-Watch Routines:

• Emily Innes on vault: After putting in a career-high 9.875 last week for her stuck Yurchenko full, the plan should be to replicate the result.
• Chelsea Hallinan on beam: Hallinan was a nominee for both the Pac-12 Newcomer of the Week and Coach’s Choice awards after receiving a 9.875 in her beam debut.
• Olivia Oppegard on bars: The sophomore was a nominee for Pac-12 Specialist of the Week after putting in a 9.850 a bars. Oppegard was one of the bright spots during a tough bars rotation, sealing her routine with a stuck double layout.

Arizona vs. #16 Nebraska, Boise State, North Carolina

The GymCats make their 2024 debut against Nebraska, Boise State, and North Carolina at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad. The meet will take place on Friday at 9 p.m. ET on ACC Network.

All eyes will be on the Arizona freshman class, which is one of the top-ranked classes coming into this season. With some programs choosing to showcase their freshmen early on as others take their time adding them in lineups, it’ll be interesting to see how the Wildcats choose to introduce their newcomers to the collegiate meet experience.

Arizona has a good opportunity to place well as both a team and individually in this meet. For a young team, that would be a significant confidence boost to start the season.

Must-Watch Routines:

• Alysen Fears on bars: Fears earned Arizona’s Specialist of the Year award in 2023 for her work on bars and beam.
• Malia Hargrove on vault: The fifth-year was one of the top vaulters in the country a season ago with her Yurchenko 1.5.

#13 Oregon State @ Rutgers quad

Oregon State is competing against new program Utica, Southern Connecticut, and Rutgers as part of a quad meet that will take place on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on Big Ten +.

Heading into the second week, Oregon State will look to repeat its performance on bars and rebound on beam. The Beavers had plenty to smile about on bars in Week 1, as they tied for the highest score of the week with a 49.625. This is a great score for a team who’s known for bars, but the Beavers aren’t – it was their worst event in 2023, making the improvement that much more notable. The bars scoring seemed admittedly high at last week’s Mean Girls Super 16 meet, though, so we’ll see if they can match it in front of a new panel of judges.

There’s good reason to believe that this was no fluke though, thanks to newcomers like freshman Taylor DeVries and transfer Sage Thompson. Both DeVries and Thompson were known for their work on bars prior to their arrival and have had an immediate impact for the Beavers.

The Beavers will want to improve on beam, where they had two falls. Counting one of the falls was the difference between getting the win in Session 3 of the Mean Girls Super 16, as they finished less than half a point behind the winner, Minnesota. The Beavers know they can do better on beam – an event where they ranked fourth in the country a year ago.

Must-Watch Routines:

• Taylor DeVries on bars: DeVries was one of several Oregon State gymnasts to claim Pac-12 weekly awards in Week 1, earning the Pac-12 Newcomer of the Week award.
• Sophia Esposito on beam: The freshman put in a 9.825 on beam in Week 1. She was known for her beam work coming into college and was as advertised at the Super 16.
• Jade Carey: The reigning Olympic floor gold medalist, Carey is simply a must-watch weekly.

#2 Utah & #12 UCLA vs. #5 LSU, #1 Oklahoma @ Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad

Four of the preseason’s top five face off in just the second week of the season, providing what could very well be a nationals preview. The meet will take place on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on ABC.

Utah

Utah comes into this meet ranked second after being one of four teams to finish with a score of 197+ in Week 1. Now, Utah gets an opportunity to compete on podium for the first time this season while facing some of its toughest competition in the NCAA.

This meet will be a big test for Utah’s newcomers and freshmen. Camie Winger and Ella Zirbes made their debuts against Boise State and will likely try to build off those performances in Week 2.

This is the first of two meets Utah will participate in over the three-day weekend, so keep an eye out for how the Red Rocks manage their lineups and athletes; there may be an emphasis on pacing this weekend.

Must-Watch routines:

• Maile O’Keefe on beam: One week into the season and O’Keefe already has a 10 on her signature event, beam. O’Keefe was named the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week after winning bars, beam, and floor.
• Ashley Glynn on vault: The Temple transfer scored a 9.850 on her first vault as a Red Rock, and was a nominee for Pac-12 Newcomer of the Week.
• Abby Paulson on floor: After several years, fifth-year Paulson was finally able to put together her dream Taylor Swift floor routine.

UCLA

The Bruins come into this meet looking to improve off their 196.550 from the Mean Girls Super 16. Key to that goal will be avoiding counting any falls. Expect to see some lineup changes on beam, where they had two falls and had to count one. One candidate to take a spot is Brooklyn Moors, who performed an exhibition routine last week.

Outside of beam, one question for the Bruins is whether they can repeat or improve their 49.325 on vault. This score was one of the larger positives for UCLA at the meet, along with their 49.500 on floor. Both of those event scores rank top-three in the nation currently.

Also watch for freshman Katelyn Rosen, who is expected to become a staple in the UCLA lineups. Rosen earned a 9.800 on bars and a 9.825 on beam in her first meet while performing exhibitions on vault and floor. We expect Rosen to ease into a consistent all-around role with the Bruins.

Must-Watch Routines:

• Selena Harris on bars: With the way she hit her handstands and stuck her double layout dismount last weekend, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Harris earn her first 10.0 on bars this season.
• Nya Reed on floor: Though all of UCLA’s floor lineup is a must-watch, Reed’s debut last week brought in a 9.900. There was an outcry during the Mean Girls Super 16 stream when the broadcast did not switch to show the beginning of her routine, so this meet should allow fans the chance to see the Delta Sigma Theta tribute in all its glory.

#6 Cal vs. #14 Michigan State, #19 BYU, NC State @ Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad

The Bears are one of five Pac-12 teams competing in a quad meet this weekend, going up against Michigan State, NC State, and BYU. The meet will be available to stream Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on ACC Network.

Similarly to UCLA and Oregon State, the Bears want to clean up on beam and avoid balance checks. Three of their usually solid beam routines uncharacteristically lost multiple tenths in deductions at the Mean Girls Super 16 last week and kept Cal from starting the year with a 197 and beating Alabama.

Look out for Mya Lauzon, who won the Session 4 all-around and has a good chance of repeating that performance in this meet. Lauzon put up a 9.9+ on every event except bars, stuck her Yurchenko 1.5, and was a nominee for the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week.

Must-Watch Routines:

• Maddie Williams on bars: Williams is Cal’s anchor on bars for good reason. Her toe point and stuck double layout led to her tying for the bars win with a 9.950 at the Super 16.
• eMjae Frazier on floor: Frazier has some of the best tumbling and expression on floor, featuring her double layout opening pass.

Arizona State @ #6 Denver

Arizona State will travel to Denver for their second meet of the year on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on Denver’s streaming platform. Both teams come into this matchup off wins, with Arizona State beating Central Michigan on Monday, while Denver won Session 1 of the Mean Girls Super 16 over Illinois, Washington, and San Jose State. Denver tied for the sixth-highest score of opening week with a 196.850. Arizona State put up a 195.725.

The question for the Gym Devils will be if they can finish out this meet strong. Arizona State had a strong start to last week’s meet on vault, bars, and beam, but had two falls on floor, which meant they had to count one. This didn’t keep the Sun Devils from getting the win, but it did keep them from hitting the 196 mark. However, against a team like Denver, it’s unlikely that Arizona State will have the same room for error.

Must-Watch Routines:

• Anaya Smith on vault: Smith is one of several gymnasts bringing 10.0 start value vaults to the Sun Devils. Though she was unable to stick her vault in meet one, she has clean form and tied Hannah Scharf for the event win with a 9.850.
• Hannah Scharf on beam: It’s Scharf’s last season as a Sun Devil, and she started her first meet by sticking her beam dismount to put in a 9.850. Also be on the lookout for her potential return to bars and the all-around.

#2 Utah vs. #17 Southern Utah, #19 BYU, and Utah State @ Best of Utah

Utah will be competing a second time over the long weekend when they participate in the Best of Utah meet against BYU, Southern Utah, and Utah State on Monday. The good news for Utah is though they will be competing in two meets over three days, both meets are in or around Salt Lake City, so there won’t be any extensive travel.

This meet will be a good early-season test for Utah’s endurance with two quad meet over a short span. This experience could come in handy – especially for all the newcomers – later in the season at regionals and nationals when they’ll be in a similar situation.