LIVE BLOG: No. 16 Oregon State at No. 2 California

Happy meet day, everyone! 2024 is the last year of the Pac-12, and today’s in-conference matchup features the Oregon State Beavers and the California Golden Bears. Cal very likely has this meet in the bag, but today is still an important day for each team. Oregon State would love  to show improvement from previous weeks, and the Bears need to prove that they can live up to the hype. 

Cal is ranked second in the country with three weeks of the season underway, and that stellar ranking was made possible by back-to-back 197.875s on the road. Today is the Bears’ home opener, so we might just see that already massive score get even higher. Today could be a big day for junior Mya Lauzon, who scored a 9.975 on beam last week and a 39.775 in the all around. Will she continue to improve her all around score, or was 39.775 her peak? We’ll have to wait and see. 

And even though they’re going up against the second-ranked team in the NCAA, don’t count the Beavers out! Oregon State put up a 197.575 at home last week against Brown, so it’s clearly capable of a winning number. That score is also without a floor score from Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey, who has proven her ability to reach perfection time and time again. If Oregon State can go big like last week, it may be able to put up a fight with its Pac-12 rivals. If not, the Beavers might need to rely on some mistakes from Cal to stay in this meet. 

Today’s meet is the celebration of 50 years of California’s gymnastics, and the Bears are wearing a new leo! It would be fitting for Cal to get a win today on the anniversary celebration, but Oregon State will likely give it a run for its money!

Jade Carey will only be doing bars and beam today due to her preparation for the Paris Olympics, so freshman Sophia Esposito will have to step up to the plate and deliver some big scores.

Rotation 1: Cal VT, Oregon State UB

Williams (Cal): Nice Yurchenko full, legs glued together in the air, just a pretty decent sized hop back. 9.825

Weaver (OSU): Starts on the high bar with a blind full to Geinger, not too much height but good form. Nice shootover down to low. She has hit every one of her handstands. Finishes up with a blind full to double tuck and she sticks it! Great leadoff for the Beavers! 9.85

Brown (Cal): Yurchenko full, maybe the tiniest bit pikey at the very beginning, but I’m being picky, and she sticks it! 9.8

Briones (OSU): Mounts on the low bar with a beautiful handstand. Gorgeous Maloney to Pak combination, just some leg separation on the Pak. Hits the last handstand and sticks the double layout! Some more leg separation in the dismount, but her lines throughout the routine are just beautiful. 9.825

Silvers (Cal): Alright, this is her debut and it’s supposed to be a Yurchenko 1.5! I’m excited. Alright, it was pretty nice! Good form in the air but she hops forward on the landing. Good debut for her! 9.775

DeVries (OSU): Starts out with a held handstand on the low bar before her Maloney to Pak combination. Some leg separation on the Maloney. A little short on the final handstand, and takes a pretty big step back on the double layout dismount, but she keeps that other foot planted in place. 9.8

Frazier (Cal): Yurchenko double full! She twists a bit early on the table and takes a pretty big hop back on the landing. 9.9

McMillan (OSU): Starts the routine with a Maloney to shootover connection, a tiny bit of ankle separation in the Maloney but the shootover was textbook. A bit short on the last handstand but sticks a gorgeous double layout dismount! 9.875

Lauzon (Cal): Another Yurchenko 1.5 for the Bears and that was a nice one! Picture perfect form in the air and just the tiniest hop forwards on the landing. 9.925

Thompson (OSU): Mounts on the low bar and holds that handstand. Her legs are glued together for the entire Maloney to Pak combination! Nice final handstand, and her chest is down and she hops forward on the double layout. 9.8

Mayhew (Cal): Yurchenko 1.5, this one had some bent knees towards the end, and she also takes a tiny hop forwards. Her hop was miniscule, but she should get deducted for the form break.

Carey (OSU): Starts her routine on the low bar with a Maloney to Bjardwaj. Nice handstands her. Good Van Leeuwen. Almost stuck the full in dismount, but she took a step! It really didn’t look like she needed to take that step, that one surprised me.

After 1: California 49.300, Oregon State 49.150

Rotation one didn’t have any big breaks from either team, but it also could’ve better. Sticks were hard to come by in this rotation, and the Beavers were unable to capitalize on their best rotation and are down by a tenth and a half going into rotation two.

Rotation 2: Oregon State VT, Cal UB

Briones (OSU): Yurchenko full, a bit pikey in the air and appears to takes a hop sideways on the landing. 9.8

Li (Cal): Mounts on the high bar and starts with a blind to a super high Jaeger. Beautiful Pak to switch kip to the low bar. Hits the last handstand and has textbook control on the blind full and sticks the double tuck! 9.875

Garcia (OSU): Yurchenko full, that one was beautiful! Super straight body in the air and takes the smallest hop back. 9.825

Lauzon (Cal): Starts on the low bar with a Maloney to Pak, some foot separation on the Maloney. Holds that last handstand and fights for the stick on the full in dismount. 9.825, that seems a bit low.

Gonzales (OSU): Really nice full on pike off vault, the pike was pretty open and her legs were nice and straight. Just a hop backwards on the landing. 9.875

Cesario (Cal): Mounts on the high bar and starts her routine with a blind to Jaeger to bail combination, the bail had some pretty good height. A bit short on the last handstand, and takes a small step back on the double layout. She also had some leg separation on that double layout. 9.8

Buckner (OSU): Yurchenko 1.5, some bent legs at the end and she sits it down. She must not have gotten a big enough block. 9.3

Perea (Cal): Mounts on the high bar and holds her first handstand. Starts with a Pak down to the low bar. Nice Van Leeuwen back up to the high bar. Great handstands throughout the whole routine, and has a bit of a low chest which causes a hop forward on the double layout. 9.875

Thompson (OSU): Yurchenko full, some piked position throughout but she sticks the landing! Good vault after her teammate before her had a fall. 9.825

Frazier (Cal): Starts with a Maloney to Pak combination, her Pak was a bit low but no major problems. Some leg separation on the double layout, but sticks it cold! 9.95, that seems a bit high considering the other scores in this lineup.

Esposito (OSU): Yurchenko full, her form was nice and she flared it out at the end. She also had a hop back on the landing. 9.825

Williams (Cal): Starts on the low bar with a good handstand. Really nice Maloney to Pak combination, perfect form throughout. Good last handstand and unfortunately takes a step on the double layout. That would’ve been a huge score if it weren’t for that darn step! 9.85

After 2: California 98.675, Oregon State 98.300

Another good rotation for both teams! Oregon State bounced back on vault and even had some stuck landings after a fall from freshman Olivia Buckner. Judging on bars was tight, so Cal’s score of a 49.375 isn’t quite as big as it’s used to, but it was still a hit lineup.

Rotation 3: Cal BB, Oregon State FX

Li (Cal): Beautiful front aerial to back layout series, just a wobble on the layout. Switch leap to split jump to beat jump was nice as well. Dismounts with a tucked gainer full and she sticks it! Nice beam leadoff for the Bears. 9.9

Briones (OSU): Her first pass is a nice Rudi to back layout stepout, nice form and control on the landing. Switch half to Popa, that Popa showed off some really nice flexibility. Finishes up with a double pike, she jumps into the lunge, but not a major issue. 9.825

Williams (Cal): Starts the routine with a wolf turn, she looked a bit off at the beginning but didn’t wobble at all at the end. Really nice front aerial to split jump. Nice flic lay series, a tiny shoulder drop on the landing but nothing big. Nice switch leap to split jump. Dismounts with a back handspring to side gainer full. She piked the landing down but she stuck it. 9.95

Miller (OSU): First pass is a back 1.5 to front layout, a bit low on the layout but nice controlled lunge. Nice switch full. Next is a nice high double tuck, her lunge is pretty big but her other foot was planted. Nice switch half to Popa, the Popa may have been a tad short of 180. 9.875

Cesario (Cal): Starts off with a flic lay series, some soft knees in the layout. Switch leap to switch half, maybe a tiny bit short of 180 on both. Finishes with a roundoff 1.5 and takes a hop forward. That was a very quick routine! 9.9

Garcia (OSU): Starts off with a tuck jump full. Her first pass is back 1.5 to front layout, her step to her lunge was pretty quick but still controlled. Really nice switch side to straddle half, really good flexibility there. Finishes up with a really clean double tuck with a great landing! 9.9

Frazier (Cal): Wobbles on her full turn to start out the routine. Nice front aerial to layout series, some soft knees throughout. Gorgeous split jump to ring jump, absolutely textbook positions. Dismounts with a cartwheel to 1.5 dismount and sticks it! 9.925

Young (OSU): Starts her routine with a really nice double pike, great height, form, and control on the landing. Next is a double tuck. That pass was also very high but her step to lunge was a bit quick. Next is a switch leap to tour jete ring half, she stumbled on the landing but covered it up well. Her last pass is a front layout front full with another nice landing. 9.85

Lauzon (Cal): Very steady wolf turn to start out. Absolutely gorgeous flic flic lay series, beautiful wolf turn and super solid on the landing. Pretty switch leap to split jump. Finishes up with a super high roundoff double twist, her chest was a bit low on the landing but she sticks it! That was such a nice routine, it’s shame that her landing wasn’t as steady as usual. 9.975

Weaver (OSU): Her first pass is a nice double tuck, oh and she stumbles and goes down. Her music stops and she is still down. Hopefully she is ok, but she seems to be in a lot of pain.

Perea (Cal): Nice wolf turn to start. Really solid front toss to back tuck series, great height and form. Pretty switch leap split jump beat jump combination. Finishes up with her side sumi to back 1.5 off the side of the beam, just a small hop back on the landing.

Esposito (OSU): Alright, it has to be hard to go after a teammate hurts herself, let’s see how she does. Nice front layout to Rudi, good form and landing. Switch side to split full, nice straddle position on the switch side. Finishes up with a double pike, her chest is a bit low on the landing and steps forward. Great routine after Weaver’s injury!

After 3: California 148.350, Oregon State 147.625

What a beam rotation from Cal! No Cal gymnast scored below a 9.9, and the team tallied a 49.675. Oregon State put up some good floor routines in this rotation, most notably a 9.9 from Kaitlin Garcia and a 9.875 from Sophia Esposito after the injury to Ellie Weaver.

Rotation 4: Oregon State BB, Cal FX

Esposito (OSU): Starts with a switch leap to stand switch jump to layout, super solid, no wobbles at all. Flic lay series, soft knees in the air and has a pretty big wobble at the end. Finishes with a stuck roundoff double full! 9.8

Kane (Cal): First pass is a front full to Rudi, nice form and a good landing too. Switch half to wolf jump, she really goes over that 180. Finishes with a back 1.5 to front layout into a sissone, she was a bit out of control going into that sissone but she covers it up. 9.9

Buckner (OSU): The freshman is going in for Weaver who got injured in floor, and she started off with a gorgeous flic lay! Split jump to a double stag jump, a bit short of 180 on that split jump. Solid side aerial. Dismounts with a back handspring 1.5 and hops forward on the landing. Good routine considering she was subbed in last minute! 9.8

Williams (Cal): Starts off with a front layout to Rudi, really nice control on that landing. Double wolf turn, she falls out of it and puts her hand down, oh no. Nice switch half to split jump. Finishes with a back 1.5 to front layout, very clean and another good landing. 9.5

McMillan (OSU): Starts with a front toss to back handspring swing down, very solid! Switch half, a bit short of 180. Switch leap to split jump to beat jump, wobbles between the leap and first jump. Finishes with a side gainer full and sticks it. 9.775

Cesario (Cal): Pressure is on, she’s going after a 9.5 from Maddie Williams. First pass is a back 1.5 to front full and she dances out of the landing. Switch half to wolf full, looked a little off in the air during the wolf full. Her last pass is a super high double tuck and she sticks it! She doesn’t even go into a lunge, great way to end the routine, and the crowd is excited! 9.875

Young (OSU): Starts with a front aerial to back tuck, she wobbled before the back tuck. Really nice full turn, she kicked out of it perfectly. Split jump to ring jump, some slight wobbles on each. Finishes with a stuck front gainer full. 9.825

Lauzon (Cal): First pass is a really pretty front double full to front tuck, great form, height, and a perfect landing! Switch ring to switch half was also nice. Next is a back 1.5 to front full, she dances out of the landing. Great routine! Another 9.975 for Lauzon!

Gonzales (OSU): Gorgeous front aerial to back tuck series, she didn’t even think about wobbling. Cat leap to side aerial, very solid landing again. Switch leap to split jump was pretty. Finishes with a stuck front gainer full! Wow, that was a good routine! 9.925, honestly that seems a bit low for me, I couldn’t see any deductions in that routine.

Frazier (Cal): Starts off with a double layout, some leg separation in the air but her landing was great. Switch ring to switch half to sissone half was gorgeous, she showed some really nice flexibility. Next is a front tuck through to a double tuck, and she skips the lunge and goes for the stick! 9.925

Carey (OSU): Nice front aerial to straddle jump. Nice flic lay, just the tiniest wobble in her shoulder at the end. Switch leap to switch side and there’s a leg up wobble. Finishes with a side gainer full, maybe a slide on the landing but overall it was a good landing.

Li (Cal): Really high double tuck to start out, nice landing too. Pretty double leg-up turn. Good front full to front layout next, good form throughout. Ugh of course I missed the leap pass! But a good anchor routine for the Bears!

Final: California 197.950, Oregon State 196.775

What a great meet! The Bears put up some huge scores, especially on beam and floor. Oregon State had some wobbles and missteps here and there, but a 196.775 on the road will surely be helpful for the Beavers when NQS season rolls around.

Event Winners:

Vault: Lauzon, 9.925

Bars: Frazier, 9.95

Beam: Lauzon, 9.975

Floor: Lauzon, 9.975

All Around: Frazier and Lauzon, 39.7

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Live Blog by Emily Lockard