BERKELEY – Justin Howell and Liz Crandall-Howell have known
Nina Schank was ready to debut on floor for weeks, but Schank wasn't so sure. For the last two weeks, she'd been putting off her chance at the floor lineup despite the encouragement of her coaches.
At the end of this week, after dozens of practice runs, she changed her mind – just in time, too.
When it finally came down to a must-hit routine in the final performance of the night, Schank delivered her first collegiate floor routine exactly the way her coaches had believed she could.
Schank's 9.825 debut as the floor anchor following an earlier miss in the lineup was one of many bright spots as California women's gymnastics shined with another season-best performance as the No. 12 Golden Bears topped No. 24 Stanford Monday night. Cal outscored the Cardinal, 196.575-196.125, in the home opener in Haas Pavilion.
"We threw her in at the end of floor having the confidence that she could hit, and I think that was huge for her confidence bank," Howell said. "She didn't feel like she was ready, and she anchored floor when we really needed it. She can take that and carry it with her in training and the rest of the season."
The Bears took home five event titles, led by
Toni-Ann Williams' vault and beam wins. She shared the vault crown with
Kyana George, and 2018 All-Pac-12 uneven bars selection
Nina Schank picked up her first title of the event this season. Freshman
Milan Clausi earned the second title of her career with a meet-high 9.925 on floor.
"It was so much fun being back home. I was so excited for our team – our freshmen who haven't been in Haas, our seniors who have their last first home meet – and I was really happy with our crowd tonight," Howell said. "It's always fun competing against Stanford. They're a great team and a great rivalry, so they're always going to bring their best when they're here at Cal. It was fun to keep it close and have an exciting finish at the end."
George's season-high 9.875 as the leadoff vaulter set the tone for a 49.075 first rotation by the Bears. Williams matched George with her own season-high 9.875 as five of the six Bears in the lineup went 9.775 or higher.
The Bears pulled ahead with their best uneven bars rotation of the year, with four gymnasts setting season-highs for a 49.200 team total. Schank claimed the event title with her season-high 9.90, and George continued her strong night with a 9.85 to share second with
Emi Watterson.
Talitha Jones and
Chelsea Shu also notched season-best totals with a pair of 9.80s.
A big beam rotation fueled the Bears to five season or career-high totals. George once again started her teammates off with a 9.825, and Clausi matched her best 9.725.
Cassidy Keelen's 9.85 was a career-high and earned her a share of third place alongside
Sofie Seilnacht. Williams continued the streak with a 9.90 to take the crown. Cal finished with a season-best 49.150 on the event.
"We've gotten better on beam every weekend. It was good to see our confidence was on a different level than it was even two weeks ago," Howell said. "We're a talented team on beam who does beautiful gymnastics, and we saw a lot more glimpses of that tonight."
Cal capped off an already-strong outing with a 49.150 floor rotation that saw three Bears notch career-best totals, including Schank's 9.825 debut on the event. Clausi's 9.925 on a routine with two E level passes led the meet, and
Rachael Mastrangelo upped her personal best to 9.85 to earn third.
"Milan's floor routine was beautiful. We changed her last pass, so that was new. She's an amazing athlete who is working on connecting with the audience, and I saw her smile a few times and look at her teammates and have fun. That makes all the difference. She has the athletics and the skill behind it," Howell said.
California wraps up the week at Arizona, where the Bears will face the Wildcats in a dual meet beginning at 3:30 p.m. in Tucson, and airing live on the Pac-12 Networks.
