California men's gymnastics senior Chris Scales picked up his first career weekly award Tuesday morning, as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) announced that he had been named its Specialist of the Week for his standout performance last Saturday.
 
As the Golden Bears' last man up on rings, Scales posted a score of 14.150, shattering his old personal best by .550 and moving into a tie for third in modern program history. His routine also sealed a modern program record for the rings lineup, which totaled 69.100, and contributed to Cal's best team score in five years (404.950) – its fifth best on the modern program list.
 
"Chris's strength is impressive," associate head coach Bryan Del Castillo said. "He dedicates himself to conditioning and pushes the rest of the team to also get stronger. Watch out for Chris at the MPSF Championships."
 
This is the first year in the history of Cal men's gymnastics that five different gymnasts have earned weekly awards, either from the MPSF or from the College Gymnastics Association (CGA). Sophomore Theodor Roald Gadderud notched MPSF Gymnast of the Week honors March 5, while freshmen Jaxon Mitchell (Feb. 20), Brendan Strom (Feb. 13) and Carter Kim (Jan. 16) each picked up MPSF Rookie of the Week nods earlier this year.
 
Scales and the Bears will be back in action on April 6 at the MPSF Championships in Norman, Oklahoma.
 
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