SAN FRANCISCO - After an incredible fifth-year season that included the first 10.000 on beam by a Cardinal since 2004, Chloe Widner was named the 2024 Pac-12 Specialist of the Year as voted on by the conference's coaches, the league announced Tuesday. The Frisco, Texas native was also honored as an All-Pac-12 First Team member on beam.
Widner earns her first yearly award and her second all-conference honor, earning All-Pac-12 First Team honors on Bars in 2023. She is the third Stanford gymnast to earn the honor of Pac-10/12 Specialist of the Year (Amanda Spinner, 2013; Elizabeth Price, 2015) and the first Cardinal gymnast to earn a conference of the year award since Price was named Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year in 2018.
2024 has been a special season for the fifth year, as the team captain scored 9.900-or-better five times on bars and six times on both beam and floor for a total of 17 9.900-or-better performances throughout the season. Widner set new career-high efforts on both beam and floor of 10.000 and 9.975, respectively, on March 10 against California, contributing to Stanford's best home score since 2004 of 197.975 in her final appearances at Maples Pavilion. Throughout the 2024 season, Widner was a two-time weekly conference award winner, named both the Pac-12 Specialist of the Week (March 12) and Pac-12 Coaches Choice (Feb. 27). Additionally, she was honored nationally by Gymnastics Now as the publication's Gymnast of the Week for the week of March 10, highlighting her incredible performance against California.
As of March 25, Widner ranks in the top 10 of the Pac-12 Conference on bars, beam, and floor, one of only six conference gymnasts to rank in the top 10 of three or more events in 2024. She holds national qualifying scores (NQS) of 9.900 or better on bars (9.905), beam (9.950), and floor (9.925) entering the 2024 NCAA Regional Championships.
On beam, Widner ranks fifth in the conference and eighth in the nation. Through eight routines this season, Widner scored above 9.925 on six performances and 9.950-or-better on five of those efforts. In her career, the Frisco, Texas native has hit 39-of-42 beam routines with 21 of her performances earning a 9.900-or-better score.
The All-Pac-12 First Team consists of the top six all-around performers, and top six performers in each individual event (including ties) based on national qualifying scores. All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention consists of seventh- and eighth-place performances in each individual event and the all-around (including ties) based on national qualifying scores.
Stanford concluded its regular season ranked No. 19 nationally, boasting an NQS of 197.045 highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Pac-12 Championships. The Cardinal travels to Berkeley, Calif. to compete in the NCAA Regionals hosted by California, competing Friday, April 5 in the evening second-round meet against No. 3 California, No. 14 Auburn, and the winner of the round one meet between San Jose State and Southern Utah.
