SEATTLE – Using their highest score in Pac-12 Championships history, a 196.725, the third-seeded Golden Bears proved they belonged among the conference's top four teams with a fourth-place finish at the event Saturday at the Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Wash.
UCLA was crowned Pac-12 Champion with a 197.250, followed by Oregon State and Utah in a tie for second with a pair of 196.925s. Cal finished ahead of Stanford (196.125), Arizona (195.525), Washington (195.300) and Arizona State (191.725).
Saturday's evening session marked a pinnacle for the Cal program as the Bears made their first appearance in the higher-seeded session in school history. While Cal has typically been seeded with the five through eight seeds based on regional qualifying score, the Bears worked their way to the stronger session with top-scoring meets week-after-week, which included tallying a program-best 197.500 last week and six meet totals above a 196.0. With Cal's No. 3 seed, the Bears replaced top-four mainstay Stanford in the second-session shakeup.
“I think people realize we're a strong competitive team and we have what it takes to be a top 10 program,” said head coach Justin Howell. “ We've always believed it, but it's taken several years to get everybody else to believe it. I think that we're there and this solidifies it.”
Howell was voted the Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, and sophomore Toni-Ann Williams won Cal's first individual event championship since 2004. Williams won floor with a 9.925, nabbing the Bears' first conference floor title since 1997 and just the second floor title all-time thanks in part to a well-executed full in third pass, one of the most difficult passes to land.
“Nobody is doing that level of difficulty on floor in the NCAA and Toni did it with ease, and it was a pretty neat thing to witness,” Howell said.
Junior Zoe Draghi finished third on floor with a 9.90, and sophomore Arianna Robinson was second on vault with a career-best 9.90.
“I was really happy with the team everywhere. We competed as a team, one after another. It was so much fun to watch,” Howell said.
Cal tallied 49.0s across the board, highlighted by scores that matched the fourth-highest floor total (49.375) and fifth-highest beam total (49.250) in school history.
From the get-go, the field proved to be one of the deepest in the country as Oregon State (49.150), UCLA (49.125) and Cal (49.0) roared off to nearly even starts, while Utah trailed after counting a fall in its beam start. Junior Jessica Howe led Cal's opening bar rotation with a 9.85 and the only stick on the event.
The Bears have blossomed into a consistent beam squad and showcased their elegance with a 49.250, the third-highest score on the event this season and fifth-highest in school history. Juniors Desiree Palomares and Emily Richardson each turned in a pair of career-high 9.90s. Richardson has sparked the Bears on beam with strong scores since she first debuted on the event three weeks ago. Freshman Sofie Seilnacht also notched a personal best in her championship debut, earning a 9.875 to lead off the event.
“Our beam team did an amazing job tonight,” Howell said. “I found myself being a fan of beam. I felt like I stepped out of my coaching shoes, sitting there with Toni, enjoying the moment of watching the team compete on beam.”
The conference showcased its depth via a three-way tie for second halfway through the second session. UCLA led with a 98.425 while Cal, Oregon State and Utah were knotted up with a trio of 98.250s.
“The energy and excitement of that competition was amazing. It was a really close race. All four teams out on the floor are just spectacular, and it was so much fun to be in such a great, tight competition,” Howell said.
Williams performed her impressive full in final pass on floor to captivate the audience and judges to earn a meet-best 9.925, and Draghi joined her in the top three with a 9.90 in the anchor spot, chipping in to Cal's 49.375 total.
“Zoe's floor is beautiful every week, and just when you think it can't get better, she ups her game a little bit,” Howell said.
Cal capped off the meet on floor, where a Yurchenko 1.5 by Williams and career-high 9.90 by Robinson highlighted the 49.100 rotation.
NEXT UP
Cal awaits the announcement of the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship field. The unveiling of the 36-team postseason field is set for Monday at 1 p.m., live on NCAA.com
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