California Golden Bears Athletics
Saturday, February 4
Salt Lake City, Utah
12:30 PM
California
195.725
at
196.450
Utah
Photo by: cal.isiphotos.com
No. 15 Cal Falls Short at No. 4 Utah
2/4/2017 2:36 PM | Women's Gymnastics
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Consistent routines through four rotations opened the door for a potential upset of No. 4 Utah by No. 15 Cal women's gymnastics, but the Golden Bears fell short, 196.450-195.725, on Saturday afternoon in Salt Lake City for their first loss of the season.
The meet was tied at 97.700 halfway through the afternoon, but the Utes put together a stronger second half to come away with the win despite the second-highest team scores of the season on beam and floor for the Bears.
Emily Richardson won the Bears' lone title of the day, picking up the uneven bars crown with a 9.85.
Freshman Mariah Peterson, who made her debut on vault and floor last week against Arizona State, improved on both of her scores in those events with a 9.725 on vault (up from 9.70) and a 9.70 (up from 9.675) on floor.
Cal started off with a solid rotation on bars, going 48.875 with five scores at 9.725 or higher. Richardson's title-winning 9.85 led the lineup. Alicia Gallarzo made her season debut on the event, but two falls put a damper on her first routine back on bars this season.
After the first routine, the Utes looked to be in control with a 49.275-48.875 lead over the Bears.
A tough bars rotation for Utah and another solid set of performances by Cal opened the door for a close finish. For the Bears on vault, Sylvie Seilnacht turned in a team-best 9.825, and Richardson finished just behind her with a 9.80. Gallarzo stayed mentally tough and rebounded from her bars mishap with a 9.725.
The Utes went 48.425 on bars, while Cal logged a 48.825 on vault to knot the meet up with 97.700 scores for both teams halfway through the meet.
Utah pulled ahead once again with a 49.275-48.900 advantage in the third rotation, though California logged its second-highest floor score of the season with a 48.900. Both of Cal's top two floor scores this season have come in the last two week as the Bears continue to toy with the lineup and improve on their skills. Zoe Draghi and Desiree Palomares each added 9.825s, while Arianna Robinson contributed a 9.80 in the rotation.
In a make-or-break beam finale, the Bears stayed composed to turn in their strongest event of the afternoon with a 49.125. Leading off the event, Sofie Seilnacht turned in a team-high 9.85. Last week's beam champion Gallarzo, Draghi and Palomares were all second among the lineup with a trio of 9.825s, and Richardson added a second 9.80 score to her total.
California was missing heavy-hitter Toni-Ann Williams, who is out for the season after suffering a torn Achilles in practice earlier this week, as well as freshmen Cassidy Keelen (dislocated knee) and Alex Dudschus (back), who both appeared in Cal's lineups earlier this season.
NEXT UP
California remains on the road for a meet at Arizona, set for 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10 in Tucson, Ariz. The meet will be broadcasted live on Pac-12 Network.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Join Cal Women's Gymnastics in the social media realm for behind-the-scenes access to the Bears. Follow Cal on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for meet scores, practice updates, exclusive photos, videos and more. Find Cal at:
• Twitter: @CalWGym
• Facebook: Facebook.com/CalWomensGymnastics
• Instagram: @CalWGym
The meet was tied at 97.700 halfway through the afternoon, but the Utes put together a stronger second half to come away with the win despite the second-highest team scores of the season on beam and floor for the Bears.
Emily Richardson won the Bears' lone title of the day, picking up the uneven bars crown with a 9.85.
Freshman Mariah Peterson, who made her debut on vault and floor last week against Arizona State, improved on both of her scores in those events with a 9.725 on vault (up from 9.70) and a 9.70 (up from 9.675) on floor.
Cal started off with a solid rotation on bars, going 48.875 with five scores at 9.725 or higher. Richardson's title-winning 9.85 led the lineup. Alicia Gallarzo made her season debut on the event, but two falls put a damper on her first routine back on bars this season.
After the first routine, the Utes looked to be in control with a 49.275-48.875 lead over the Bears.
A tough bars rotation for Utah and another solid set of performances by Cal opened the door for a close finish. For the Bears on vault, Sylvie Seilnacht turned in a team-best 9.825, and Richardson finished just behind her with a 9.80. Gallarzo stayed mentally tough and rebounded from her bars mishap with a 9.725.
The Utes went 48.425 on bars, while Cal logged a 48.825 on vault to knot the meet up with 97.700 scores for both teams halfway through the meet.
Utah pulled ahead once again with a 49.275-48.900 advantage in the third rotation, though California logged its second-highest floor score of the season with a 48.900. Both of Cal's top two floor scores this season have come in the last two week as the Bears continue to toy with the lineup and improve on their skills. Zoe Draghi and Desiree Palomares each added 9.825s, while Arianna Robinson contributed a 9.80 in the rotation.
In a make-or-break beam finale, the Bears stayed composed to turn in their strongest event of the afternoon with a 49.125. Leading off the event, Sofie Seilnacht turned in a team-high 9.85. Last week's beam champion Gallarzo, Draghi and Palomares were all second among the lineup with a trio of 9.825s, and Richardson added a second 9.80 score to her total.
California was missing heavy-hitter Toni-Ann Williams, who is out for the season after suffering a torn Achilles in practice earlier this week, as well as freshmen Cassidy Keelen (dislocated knee) and Alex Dudschus (back), who both appeared in Cal's lineups earlier this season.
NEXT UP
California remains on the road for a meet at Arizona, set for 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10 in Tucson, Ariz. The meet will be broadcasted live on Pac-12 Network.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Join Cal Women's Gymnastics in the social media realm for behind-the-scenes access to the Bears. Follow Cal on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for meet scores, practice updates, exclusive photos, videos and more. Find Cal at:
• Twitter: @CalWGym
• Facebook: Facebook.com/CalWomensGymnastics
• Instagram: @CalWGym
Players Mentioned
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