California Golden Bears Athletics
Friday, April 14
St. Louis, Mo.
10:00 AM
California
at
NCAA Championships
Photo by: Cal Athletics
4/12/2017 3:01 PM | Women's Gymnastics
For the fourth consecutive season, California women's gymnastics will be represented at the NCAA Championships. Senior Desiree Palomares, who won the balance beam title at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional, will represent the Golden Bears as a beam specialist this weekend, with a chance to compete for an individual national title and All-American status on Friday, April 14.
Palomares will compete in the semifinal II session as part of Florida's balance beam rotation, set for the fourth rotation of the evening. Semifinal II begins at 5 p.m. PT.
Fans can follow the second semifinal session by watching live on ESPNU or via the watchESPN app. A dedicated balance beam broadcast is also available via ESPN3 and the CalBears.com schedule page. 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.
10
Desiree Palomares owns 10 career balance beam titles, including five this season. She started the season with three consecutive beam wins.
9.90
Palomares has matched her career-high 9.90 on beam three times this season.
As the championship weekend no longer features individual event finals, individual champions for each event will be crowned based on Friday's semifinal sessions. The all-around champion is also determined in Friday's semifinals. The results from the two semifinals will be combined to determine the highest-scoring gymnast to be crowned an individual title on each event. A Cal gymnast has yet to be crowned national champion on any event.
All-Americans are determined as those who finish in the top eight (including ties) on any event in the semifinal sessions on Friday. The top four on each event earn First Team All-America status for that event, while those who finish fifth through eighth on the event are named to the second team.
Just four gymnasts have combined for six All-America honors in Cal history, with Alicia Asturias earning Cal's first All-America selection since 1992 at the 2014 NCAA Championships. Asturias posted a 39.150 all-around score in Birmingham, Ala. to earn Second Team All-America status. Prior to Asturias, Kristen Smyth, Mimi Goyer and Cindy Tom were all named All-Americans in 1992, the same year Cal qualified to the national championships as a team for the first and only time in program history.
This is the 12th overall appearance at the championships for the Cal program. The Golden Bears sent individuals in 2015, 2014, 2003, 1994, 1991, 1990, 1986, 1985 and 1984.
Palomares owns a team-best five titles, including three consecutive to start the season. She has matched her career-high 9.90 on the event thrice in 2017, and ranks 47th in the country with a 9.875 RQS.
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 finished the season 16th on beam and averaged 49.093 on the event with an RQS of 49.225 and a high of 49.325.
Palomares will compete in the semifinal II session as part of Florida's balance beam rotation, set for the fourth rotation of the evening. Semifinal II begins at 5 p.m. PT.
Fans can follow the second semifinal session by watching live on ESPNU or via the watchESPN app. A dedicated balance beam broadcast is also available via ESPN3 and the CalBears.com schedule page. 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
10
Desiree Palomares owns 10 career balance beam titles, including five this season. She started the season with three consecutive beam wins.
9.90
Palomares has matched her career-high 9.90 on beam three times this season.
WHICH WAY TO THE 'SHIP?
This weekend, Palomares will be competing for a number of individual accolades, from an individual balance beam title to All-America honors.As the championship weekend no longer features individual event finals, individual champions for each event will be crowned based on Friday's semifinal sessions. The all-around champion is also determined in Friday's semifinals. The results from the two semifinals will be combined to determine the highest-scoring gymnast to be crowned an individual title on each event. A Cal gymnast has yet to be crowned national champion on any event.
All-Americans are determined as those who finish in the top eight (including ties) on any event in the semifinal sessions on Friday. The top four on each event earn First Team All-America status for that event, while those who finish fifth through eighth on the event are named to the second team.
GOLDEN BEAR ALL AMERICANS
Just four gymnasts have combined for six All-America honors in Cal history, with Alicia Asturias earning Cal's first All-America selection since 1992 at the 2014 NCAA Championships. Asturias posted a 39.150 all-around score in Birmingham, Ala. to earn Second Team All-America status. Prior to Asturias, Kristen Smyth, Mimi Goyer and Cindy Tom were all named All-Americans in 1992, the same year Cal qualified to the national championships as a team for the first and only time in program history.
CAL'S HISTORY AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
As a team, Cal has qualified for the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships just twice in program history, including last season, when Cal clinched its first berth in 24 years after taking second at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. The Golden Bears finished seventh overall among the 12 semifinal teams, and fourth in the semifinal II session. The Bears claimed a championships berth in 1992 after hosting the NCAA Berkeley Regional. Cal finished eighth with a score of 190.725 in the 1992 championships held in St. Paul, Minnesota.This is the 12th overall appearance at the championships for the Cal program. The Golden Bears sent individuals in 2015, 2014, 2003, 1994, 1991, 1990, 1986, 1985 and 1984.
CAL AT THE NCAA FAYETTEVILLE REGIONAL
The Golden Bears fell shy of clinching their second consecutive NCAA Championships berth in program history after taking fifth at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional on April 1. Cal posted a 196.300 for the program's all-time record at a regional event, but Utah (197.150) and Denver (197.050) advanced out of Fayetteville. Auburn and Arkansas tied for third with a pair of 196.600s, and Cal finished ahead of Central Michigan's 195.675. Cal posted its second-highest bars score of the season with a 49.225, and Yuleen Sternberg matched her career-high 9.90 on the event. Desiree Palomares qualified as an individual for the NCAA Championships by matching her career-best 9.90 to win the event title.BEAM QUEENS
Desiree Palomares' appearance on the balance beam at the NCAA Championships marks the pinnacle of an already strong season on the event for the Golden Bears. Cal reigned over the balance beam in 2017, which saw the Bears post back-to-back 49.325s on the event, a total that ranked as the second-highest in school history. Cal gymnasts claimed a beam title in eight of 12 meets, and swept all three titles on beam in three meets this season.Palomares owns a team-best five titles, including three consecutive to start the season. She has matched her career-high 9.90 on the event thrice in 2017, and ranks 47th in the country with a 9.875 RQS.
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 finished the season 16th on beam and averaged 49.093 on the event with an RQS of 49.225 and a high of 49.325.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Gymnastics
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