WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – Backed by its best score at a conference championship meet since 2015, No. 20 Stanford won the afternoon session of the 2024 Pac-12 Championships Saturday, besting No. 21 Arizona State, No. 22 Arizona and No. 27 Washington inside Maverik Center.
At the conclusion of the second session, Stanford finished the meet in fourth place with its team score of 197.175 behind No. 5 Utah, No. 11 UCLA, and No. 2 California, scoring 198.000, 197.875, and 197.325, respectively. Oregon State finished in fifth with a 196.775, while ASU placed sixth with a total score of 196.550, Arizona earned seventh with a final total of 196.475 and Washington rounded out the competition in eighth place with a team score of 196.325.
The Cardinal's finish at the final Pac-12 Championships is its best under Rodgers Family Director of Women's Gymnastics Tabitha Yim and is the program's highest score and finish since its 197.175 for third-place at the 2015 Pac-12 Championships.
After the first session, fifth-year Chloe Widner led the all-around competition with a total of 39.500, led by her beam score of 9.950, the top beam score of the session. She finished the meet tied-for-fifth in the all-around competition with Oregon State's Sophia Esposito and tied-for-second on beam with UCLA's Selena Harris and Emma Malabuyo. Utah's Maile O'Keefe won the beam title with a perfect 10.000. Fellow Cardinal junior Brenna Neault sat in fourth place after the first session with a total of 39.325, led by a 9.900 on bars, Stanford's best score on the event at the championship meet. She ended the meet with a 12th-place finish in the all-around competition.
Before the second session began, sophomore Anna Roberts held the lead on the floor title with her 9.950 performance in the fifth spot of the Stanford lineup. She finished tied-for-second on floor with UCLA's Selena Harris, Utah's Maile O'Keefe and Abby Paulson, each scoring a 9.950 in the second session. Oregon State's Jade Carey won the floor event title with a 10.000.
The Cardinal entered the meet as the top-seeded program and chose to compete in Olympic order, beginning the day on vault. Roberts led all Stanford vaulters with a 9.875, while senior Amanda Zeng and Neault each posted scores of 9.825 and Widner and junior Anapaula Gutierrez both added totals of 9.800. Stanford finished with a team total of 49.125, .025 behind Arizona after the first rotation.
Stanford then took on bars where Neault shined, leading the way for the Cardinal with a 9.900 in the third spot of the lineup, the second-best score of the session. The Cardinal's team total of 49.225 was put together by scores of 9.850 from Gutierrez in the lead-off position and Widner in the anchor spot, while sophomore Ava Sorrento posted a 9.825 after Gutierrez and Ira Alexeeva added a 9.800 after Neault.
The Cardinal took control of the lead after the second rotation and refused to relinquish it for the rest of the meet. Stanford shined on beam, showing off its top-15 ranking on the event with a team total of 49.350, led by Widner's 9.950 and a 9.900 from sophomore Claire Dean in the lead-off spot. Freshman Sienna Robinson and senior Ira Alexeeva each added scores of 9.850 and Neault posted a total of 9.800. After three rotations, Stanford held a .225 lead over all other competing programs.
Stanford then put its foot on the gas for its final rotation of the day, posting its third-best floor rotation of the season to increase its lead by .400 in the final rankings. Roberts guided the Cardinal's 49.475 team score with her 9.950, while Widner sealed the deal with a 9.900 in the anchor spot. Dean opened with a 9.875 and Zeng followed by matched her career-best effort on the event with a 9.900. Nguyen rounded out scoring efforts with a 9.850.
The Cardinal now awaits its seeding for the upcoming 2024 NCAA Regionals as Stanford is mathematically locked into the event. The NCAA Regional Selection Show begins at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 25 on NCAA.com.
