Brenna Brooks gives Isa Weiss a pep talk

LIVE BLOG: Pac-12 Championship Session 1

No. 18 UCLA | 196.795 NQS | 198.050 season high | Final ranking range 9-20
No. 27 Stanford | 196.415 NQS | 196.975 season high | Final ranking range 22-30
No. 29 Washington | 196.290 NQS | 197.275 season high | Final ranking range 20-37
No. 32 Arizona | 196.230 NQS | 196.850 season high | Final ranking range 28-38

Most eyes at this meet will be on UCLA. The surging Bruins have delivered great numbers for the last two weeks at home and have a real, if not massive, chance to upset Utah for the title. UCLA still hasn’t cracked 197.000 on the road this season, though, and there’s major pressure just to produce a respectable NQS score today. Even a relatively disappointing performance could secure UCLA a seed to regionals since its drop score is just 195.475, but leaving it this late still adds unnecessary tension.

The other three teams are fairly close in ranking right now but Stanford is locked into regionals, while the other two aren’t. Washington needs just a 195.150 to guarantee qualification to regionals and a 196.425 would assure a spot in the top 28 to avoid a play-in regional, while Arizona needs 196.375 to be sure of making regionals. Stanford can assure a place in the top 28 with a 196.700.

Rotation 1: UCLA VT, Stanford UB, Arizona BB, Washington FX

Flatley (UCLA): FTY, leg split on the table and piked down, small hop. 9.8

Malabuyo (UCLA): FTY, also leg split on the table but a bit more amplitude than Flatley, scoot back. 9.775

Chiles (UCLA): Tsuk full, medium hop back. About the same hop back on every UCLA vault so far. 9.85

Wright (UCLA): One and a half with very soft knees, squats and then runs about six steps back. 9.3

Campbell (UCLA): FTY, great height, scoots back just a couple inches.

Brunette (Stanford): Half turn to Deltchev to overshoot, feet and a little lack of control but nothing crazy, double layout stuck dead. 9.85

Bryant (Stanford): Neault fell right before this. Toe on to Tkachev, good Pak but almost kicked Vince which is honestly on him, slightly arches a handstand on the high bar, double layout pinged off a bit with a medium hop forward. 9.75

Deets (UA): BHS LOSO, lean. Full turn. Cat leap kickover front, check with arm swing. Switch to gainer full stuck. 9.825

Mueller (UA): Side aerial LOSO, nailed it. Full turn, switch split, beat jump. Looking icy so far. One and a half twist with a baby hop forward. 9.875

Linton (UA): Double wolf great. BHS BHS LOSO, very quick adjustment of the front foot. Switch split, drilled the side aerial back full. Looked like she was trying to hold herself back from grinning all routine and is almost crying to Taylor Spears at the end.

Killough-Wilhelm (UW): Front double full, larger pace forward but not a major control issue. Switch to switch ring half solid, one and a half front lay a bit bouncy but dances out and makes it work. Good start. 9.675 is a scam.

Thompson (UW): Whip through double tuck, scoots back and goes OOB with one heel. Switch to tour jete full solid. Double pike overrotated, awkward bounce. 9.65

Cunningham (UW): Front through double back overrotated ever so slightly, front foot definitely moved. Switch half wolf full wolf full is tidy, great double pike. 9.85

Davis (UW): Rudi LOSO, a bit of leg form which is normal for her but great landing, well-rotated leap series. Front double full, steps back but it wasn’t substantially underrotated. 9.85

Weiss (UW): High double pike, great landing. One and a half front lay with a little bounce forward, borderline OOB there? Commentators didn’t mention anything. Tour jete half split full with sketchy splits, double tuck stuck. 9.75

After 1: Arizona 49.225, Stanford 49.025, UCLA 49.025, Washington 49.025

Update: Skylar Killough-Wilhelm’s score was raised from 9.675 to 9.775 in the rotation break.

Fantastic start for Arizona which looked so steady on beam. UCLA survived vault but didn’t stand out while Stanford met expectations on bars. Washington apparently got to choose its rotation order and elected to start on its worst event and finish on its best. Floor was nothing special, but that’s normal since the Huskies are only ranked No. 40 here. Onward and upward.

Rotation 2: Washington VT, UCLA UB, Stanford BB, Arizona FX

Campbell (UCLA): Maloney to bail, feet and leg separations throughout, blind to double front with a big step forward. 9.8

Brooks (UW): Yurchenko half, little hop forward, looks THRILLED. 9.8

Lawson (Stanford): Drilled the Arabian. Switch half great, looking steady. She is following a fall. Full turn slightly overturned but no fuss, off on her BHS LOSO. Stanford counting a fall. Gainer pike, big step forward. 9.1

Killough-Wilhelm (UW): Jim thinks she’s Navarro… pretty FTY but a major hop back. 9.75

Malabuyo (UCLA): Maloney to Pak, little leg separations and a soft catch on the Pak, nice clean half turn. Double layout hollow, slightly undercooked with a medium hop forward. 9.8

Deets (UA): She has such great presentation. Ring leap full, step back, front lay front full with great control. Tour jete half Popa, little hop. Double tuck solid. 9.825

Chiles (UCLA): Great first handstand, piked Tkachev to Pak and the knees in the Pak looked soft. Maloney, very messy backswing, to Gienger. Over on a handstand, cast back, FTDB stuck with low chest. 9.85 why. that was like a 9.6 routine.

Bryant (Stanford): Full turn, BHS LOSO with soft knees and a check. Beat to switch split jump great, front tuck awesome, double back overcooked with two large steps back. 9.675

Thompson (UW): Solid FTY, small hop back 9.85

Herry (UA): Double back solid, I didn’t see any front foot movement, switch half Popa with GORGEOUS control. One and a half front full a little awkward on the landing, double pike again just slightly lukewarm on the landing. So fun to watch, though. 9.8

Widner (Stanford): Back-to-back Texas Dreams alums! Switch split lovely. BHS LOSO super controlled. Front aerial to split gorgeous. Haven’t seen anything to deduct yet. MAYBE slight adjustment on the full turn, I’m reaching now, side aerial back full and holds for a second before scooting to salute. Awesome. 9.9

Hargrove (UA): Full in, great landing. Often has just a little too much gas there so good for her keeping the front foot down. Bounced out of the combo pass but nothing catastrophic, switch ring tour jete half great, nailed the double tuck. 9.875

After 2: Arizona 98.250, Washington 98.175, UCLA 98.150, Stanford 97.600

They’re having some tech issues with scores in the arena so scores are coming in slowly, but expect Stanford a little behind after a counted beam fall and Arizona still marginally in the lead.

Rotation 3: Arizona VT, Washington UB, UCLA BB, Stanford FX

Killough-Wilhelm (UW): I hate her leading off so much. Hop change to pike Jaeger to overshoot, lovely, blind to half to double back stuck. Ice. Cold. Let her anchor. 9.8 SCAMMED.

Chiles (UCLA): Front aerial BHS, switch to straddle to wolf flat-footed and I wasn’t sure about that split. Side somi, major check, double pike with chest… well, it’s been worse. 9.85 WHY.

Mayberry (UA): FTY, piked down with low chest and a step back. 9.625

Flatley (UCLA): Front aerial BHS LOSO, baby adjustment. Switch to split, leaning a little the whole time but no check, BHS 1.5 and salutes immediately and bails before anyone can see a landing deduction. 9.925

Nosek (UA): Solid FTY, baby hop back. 9.75 is low.

Campbell (UCLA): BHS LOSO, check. Split to switch half, a little shaky, split to straddle quarter. Full turn, BHS gainer full. 9.85

Neault (Stanford): Front lay to Rudi a little low but made, wolf full tour jete half with a hop back. Amazing double back landing,

Sakti (UCLA): Switch to BHS LOSO, major check. Cat leap switch half, full turn. Side aerial back full with a hop. 9.800 WHAT.

Hargrove (UA): FTY solid, little hop back. 9.875

Bowles (UW): Deltchev to overshoot, as clean as she’s ever been, slightly off on one handstand, double layout stuck. Good one. 9.825

Hoang (Stanford): Double layout lovely, well controlled. Super precise leap series, front lay front full nearly stuck. Chest a little low on the double pike but gets it to lunge fine. 9.85

Bryant (Stanford): Full in, a little overrotated. A little over on the double pike as well, switch side Popa solid, overrotated AGAIN on the open double back. It’s OK, it’ll go 9.9 anyway because nothing matters. Yeah 9.9, great.

Malabuyo (UCLA): BHS LOSO good, major check on the front aerial, split to ring to beat. BHS LOSO back full stuck. 9.85

After 3: UCLA 147.525, Arizona 147.150, Washington 147.150, Stanford 146.850

UCLA came through on beam (and the judges did too…) while Washington and Arizona survived weaker events. Stanford had a strong showing on floor, though there are still a few tenths to make up.

Rotation 4: Washington BB, UCLA FX

Flatley (UCLA): Triple twist, bits of form but solid landing. Front double full good. Switch switch half good, one and a half front lay with form and underrotated. 9.875

Linton (UA): Tkachev solid, toe on to bail a little wonky but found the vertical. Aggressive handstands, double layout stuck WOW. 9.75 is a SCAM.

Moors (UCLA): Front double full front tuck, weird connection there but makes it with just a step back. Switch ring switch half wolf full solid, Rudi with a lot of leg form. 9.9

Russon (UW): Front aerial sissone, BHS LOSO super steady. Switch split 3/4. Full turn, one and a half twist with a baby step back. 9.8

Bryant (Stanford): Stuck the full, unbelievably hyped. That’s Stanford’s day. 9.9!

Fears (UA): Shy first handstand, great Tkachev with lovely pointed toes. Good bail to toe shoot, double layout stuck. That’s the best bars routine I’ve seen today. 9.9

Tratz (UCLA): Double pike, overrotated and OOB. Tour jete half split full, one and a half front lay a little bouncy. Another possible OOB on her double back but commentators said no flag.

Killough-Wilhelm (UW): Front aerial BHS LOSO nailed, gorgeous. Drilled the kick front, such a satisfying sound. Switch split, one and a half twist stuck and getting 10 cheers from the team. 9.9

Chiles (UCLA): Double lay, overrotated and pulls the front foot back. Front through double back substantially underrotated, chest low, steps forward to lunge. Tour jete half to wolf 3/2, awkward rotation and crunchy landing, rebounds back a yard on the double pike. 9.875 is at least two tenths too high.

Thomas (UW): 9.750 is the drop score. Beat jump, kickover front BHS looked a little off but no check, full turn. One and a half twist with a little hop forward. 9.8

Campbell (UCLA): Full in, super underrotated with a big step forward. Ankle cruncher. Front lay front full is solid, double tuck solid.

FINAL: UCLA 196.950, Washington 196.400, Arizona 196.350, Stanford 196.000

AA Champ: Malia Hargrove (Arizona) 39.475

VT Champ: Kyla Bryant (Stanford), Chae Campbell (UCLA) 9.900

UB Champ: Malia Hargrove, Alysen Fears (Arizona) 9.900

BB Champ: Norah Flatley (UCLA) 9.925

FX Champ: Emma Malabuyo (UCLA) 9.925


Live Blog by Rebecca Scally

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