No. 15 Cal at No. 4 Utah in Battle of Undefeateds

No. 15 Cal at No. 4 Utah

Saturday, Feb. 4 | 12:30 PM PT | Jon M. Huntsman Center | Salt Lake City, Utah

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The only two remaining Pac-12 teams with spotless records in 2017 are set for a battle of the undefeateds this Saturday when No. 15 California women's gymnastics heads to Salt Lake City to take on No. 4 Utah in a battle for conference control. Meet time is set for 12:30 p.m. from the Jon M. Huntsman Center, and the meet airs live on Pac-12 Network with Daron Sutton and Samantha Peszek providing analysis and commentary.

Fans can follow the meet online at Pac-12.com/live or by using the Pac-12 Now app. Live stats can be accessed via the women's gymnastics schedule page on CalBears.com. Follow @CalWGym on Twitter and Instagram for updates, behind-the-scenes photos and videos and the latest information, and like Facebook.com/CalWGym for more on the Bears.

BY THE NUMBERS

15
Cal gymnasts turned in 15 top-three finishes in last week's outing against Arizona State, which included five different Golden Bears earning event titles.

1-17
Cal is 1-17 in the all-time series against Utah, with the lone win coming last season in the semifinal session of the NCAA Championships. The Bears defeated Utah 195.950-195.7625.

8
Eight different Cal gymnasts have picked up event titles this season, showcasing the Golden Bear depth with a roster that did not lose a single competitive routine from last season's NCAA Championship squad.

LAST TIME OUT

California wrapped up a two-meet homestand with a decisive 196.025-193.575 victory over Arizona State. The Golden Bears improved to 8-0 overall and 3-0 against Pac-12 opponents. Highlights:
• Cal swept every single apparatus, taking the top three spots on all four events.
• Five different Golden Bears picked up event titles, including Emily Richardson (vault), Dana Ho (bars), Chelsea Shu (bars), Alicia Gallarzo (beam) and Toni-Ann Williams (floor).
• It was Williams' fourth consecutive floor win.
• Zoe Draghi made her first floor appearance of the season after missing the lineup in the first three meets as she recovered from an illness.
• Sylvie Seilnacht recorded a career-high 9.80 on floor.
• Gallarzo's 9.875 for the beam title was also a personal best.
• Mariah Peterson made her Golden Bear debut, tallying a 9.70 on vault and a 9.675 on floor.

BEAM QUEENS

California continues its reign over the balance beam in 2017 after taking the title in every meet so far this season, and in three of Cal's four meets this season, the Golden Bears have swept the balance beam event.

Desiree Palomares is the latest queen of the beam among the Bears with a team-best three consecutive titles in her first three outings this season, including a career-high 9.90. Alicia Gallarzo also owns one beam title, using a career-best 9.875 against Arizona State for her first crown on the apparatus.

Once considered Cal's worst event, the Bears have made significant improvement on the apparatus under coaches Justin Howell and Liz Crandall-Howell. The Bears owned a 48.285 RQS and ranked 44th in the country on beam in 2012, prior to the duo taking the lead in Berkeley. In 2016, Cal finished 13th on beam with a 49.205 RQS -- an improvement of nearly one point and 31 spots in the rankings. The Bears currently rank 14th on beam and are averaging 48.994 with a high of 49.175.

RANKED ON THE ROAD TO NATIONALS

Cal is set to face eight opponents who were ranked in the Road to Nationals preseason top 25 this season, including three in the top 10: top-ranked Oklahoma, UCLA (No. 4), Utah (6), Stanford (11), Nebraska (12), Oregon State (13), Arizona (18) and Washington (20). Additionally, seven of the Pac-12's eight gymnastics programs also rank in the top 25 in the preseason rankings.

Cal's results against top 25 ranked opponents so far in 2017 (using rankings at time of competition):
No. 11 Stanford -- W, 195.325-193.250
No. 24 Iowa -- W, 195.550-194.400
No. 17 Washington -- W, 196.300-195.325

NEXT ROTATION

The Bears stay on the road to take on Pac-12 foe Arizona on Friday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. The meet airs live on the Pac-12 Network.