Oregon State
UCLA
Beavs Rally in Final Rotation to Tie for Second
March 20, 2016 | Women's Gymnastics
SEATTLE, Wash. – The No. 14 Oregon State gymnastics team entered Pac-12 Championships as the fourth-seeded team, but finished tied for second after a furious final rotation rally on the balance beam Saturday evening. Madeline Gardiner and Risa Perez each scored 9.95 on the balance beam to tie for the Pac-12 title on the event.
“I'm really proud of this team. They fought hard all night,” head coach Tanya Chaplin said. “As the fourth seed, to catch Cal and Utah in the final rotation is a testament to their ability to stick with it and to trust their skills.”
The Beavers reached the 49-point mark on all four events for just the second time all season and the first time since the second meet of the year en route to a season-high score of 196.925.
Oregon State began the meet on the floor exercise posting a score of 49.150 to take an early lead with UCLA just behind at 49.125. Jamie Radermacher, Kaytianna McMillan and Gardiner each notched scores of 9.85.
Despite solid rotations on the vault (49.100) and uneven bars (49.150), OSU entered the final rotation in fourth place more than two-tenths of a point behind Utah and California.
Closing out the meet on the balance beam, four OSU gymnasts set or tied career-bests. Sisters Mariana Colussi-Pelaez (9.825) and Silvia Colussi-Pelaez (9.900) recorded back-to-back career-highs for the second time this season. Perez and Gardiner each performed near-flawless routines to tie for the meet-high of 9.95 sending the Beavers past the Bears and into a tie for second with the Utes.
Freshman McKenna Singley led the Beavers' bars squad tying her personal-mark of 9.875. Gardiner tied her best with a 9.90 on the vault to lead the team.
Oregon State will return to action Saturday, April 2 at NCAA Regional Championships at a site to be determined. The regional fields will be announced Monday at 1 p.m. PT via NCAA.com. Regional hosts are Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Utah.
Team Scores: UCLA 197.250; Oregon State 196.925; Utah 196.900; California 196.725; Stanford 196.125; Arizona 195.525; Washington 195.300; Arizona State 191.725.
All-Around: 1. Breanna Hughes (UTAH) 39.550; T2. Madeline Gardiner (OSU), Baely Rowe (UTAH) 39.500.
Vault (49.100): 1. Breanna Hughes (UTAH) 9.975; T2. Madeline Gardiner (OSU), Samantha Partyka (UTAH), Elizabeth Price (STAN), Arianna Robinson (CAL) 9.900. Other OSU Scores: Mary Jacobsen 9.825; Megan Jimenez 9.800; Taylor Ricci 9.800; McKenna Singley 9.775; Shireen Khamedoost 9.675.
Uneven Bars (49.150): T1. Kaitlyn Duranczyk (WASH), Elizabeth Price (STAN), JaNay Honest (UCLA) 9.900. OSU Scores: McKenna Singley 9.875; Kaytianna McMillan 9.825; Mary Jacobsen 9.825; Shireen Khamedoost 9.825; Madeline Gardiner 9.800; Mariana Colussi-Pelaez 9.800.
Balance Beam (49.450): T1. Risa Perez (OSU), Madeline Gardiner (OSU), Baely Rowe (UTAH), Danusia Francis (UCLA) 9.950. Other OSU Scores: Kaytianna McMillan 9.900; Silvia Colussi-Pelaez 9.900; Mariana Colussi-Pelaez 9.825; Megan Jimenez 9.775.
Floor Exercise (49.150): T1. Tiffani Lewis (UTAH), Toni-Ann Williams (CAL) 9.925; T3. Baely Rowe (UTAH), MaKenna Merrell (UTAH), Sadiqua Bynum (UCLA), Zoe Draghi (CAL) 9.900. OSU Scores: Kaytianna McMillan 9.850; Madeline Gardiner 9.850; Jamie Radermacher 9.850; McKenna Singley 9.800; Taylor Ricci 9.800; Risa Perez 9.750.
