Oregon State Gymnastics Heads to Pac-12 Championships

MATCHING UP: Oregon State is set to compete in session two of the 2024 Pac-12 Championships, slated for 5 p.m. PST, Saturday night, at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah; session two will see the Beavers match up against top-ranked opponents California, UCLA and Utah.

All three competitors are coming off strong performances, led by No. 11 UCLA, who posted a 198.550 against Clemson on Saturday that saw Selena Harris post perfect 10s on both vault and bars to go with Chae Campbell's 10 FX score. The No. 5 Utah Red Rocks downed Clemson, 198.300-196.500 after posting rotation scores of 49.500 (vault and bars), 49.600 (beam) and 49.700 (floor); Abby Paulson was given a 10 for her beam routine.

California is the top-ranked team in the entire conference, entering this weekend's meet ranked No. 2 in the country and coming off a tri-meet victory at home over No. 25 Stanford and Sacramento State. With a final score of 197.925, eMjae Frazier led the team with a 39.600 all-around score.

BIG-TIME BRIONES: Natalie Briones has been a constant in the Beaver lineup this season, competing on both vault and bars in every single meet while performing five times on floor exercise. Late in the season, Briones really found her groove on the bars and vault, finishing with no lower than a 9.825 in each of the team's final four meets. The strong stretch culminated in one of her best single-meet performances as a collegiate gymnast in Boise over the weekend. Competing on the vault and bars, Briones tied career highs in both events, posting a 9.875 vault score before earning her second 9.9+ of the season on bars with a 9.90.

Briones, a junior, finished the regular season with averages of 9.814 on vault, 9.836 on the bars and 9.805 on floor.

GARCIA'S GREAT MEET: Briones wasn't the only Beaver gymnast who put in a quality performance against Boise State and Utah State, as Kaitlin Garcia also tied career highs in both of her events over the weekend; Garcia finished with a 9.85 vault score before posting a 9.90 on floor that won her a share of the event title. The San Diego, Calif., native has competed on vault and floor in every single meet this season while winning two event titles: one against Boise State over the weekend, and another one on FX at the Super 16 event on Jan. 6.

EXCELLENCE ON FLOOR: Much like Briones and Garcia, the Oregon State floor lineup has started to find some momentum late in the season. The team posted a season-high rotation score of 49.525 against Arizona State on March 1 before earning a 49.450 against Washington. Starting on FX during Sunday's competition, the Beavers saw two gymnasts finish with a 9.9 or higher and three with at least 9.875 as Garcia and Sophia Esposito tied for the event title thanks to 9.90s while Ariana Young earned her third 9.875 or better in the last three weeks.

Esposito is now up to six total event titles across her freshman season, three of which came on FX, while one of Young's three titles came on the floor (Jan. 21 vs Brown).

FIRST OF THE YEAR: Young did something in Boise that she hadn't done all season: vaulted. The San Mateo, Calif., native competed on the vault four times last season – and hit all four times – but never competed in the event officially until Sunday's competition. Entering the meet with three exhibition scores on the season, Young was given a 9.85, which also set a new career high in the process.

Young has appeared in every single meet this season for the Beavers, competing on the balance beam and floor exercise.

INJURY UPDATES: Ellie Weaver and Sydney Gonzales both sustained injuries that will keep them out for the remainder of the 2024 season. Lauren Letzsch still remains out indefinitely.

NOTES:
•   Seven different Oregon State gymnasts have won event titles this season: Jade Carey, bars (seven times), beam (four times), floor (three times), all-around (twice) and vault; Taylor DeVries, bars (twice); Sophia Esposito, vault (three times) and floor (three times); Kaitlin Garcia, floor (twice); Sage Thompson, bars (twice); Ellie Weaver, beam and floor; Ariana Young, beam (twice) and floor.
•   Five different Oregon State gymnasts have won Pac-12 weekly honors this season: Natalie Briones, Coaches' Choice; Jade Carey, Specialist (two times); Taylor DeVries, Newcomer; Sophia Esposito, Newcomer (three times); and Sage Thompson, Coaches' Choice.
•   Sage Thompson entered this season having never competed all-around in her collegiate career, and the Lehi, Utah, native has now done so in each of her past five appearances. During the stretch, she won an event title (bars vs Washington) while setting career-best marks on both beam (9.80) and floor (9.90).
•   Savannah Miller made her return to the Beaver lineup on Sunday, earning a 9.825 score on floor. Miller, who competed on the floor in six meets during the regular season, finished with a season-high 9.875 twice: against Cal (Jan. 27) and Stanford (Feb. 17).
•   Jennifer McMillan has been a force for the OSU bars lineup in recent weeks, finishing with a 9.925 in three of her last four appearances, the lone sub-9.9 being a 9.85 against Arizona State on March 1. The trio of McMillan, Thompson and Carey have finished three of the past four meets each earning with a 9.9 or higher.
•   The rotations have been set for this year's Pac-12 championships; Oregon State will start Saturday's competition on the floor before heading to the vault and bars, rounding out the meet on beam.

BACK-TO-BACK: Oregon State won a share of the Pac-12 regular season title for the second-consecutive year in 2023. It was the fourth season the conference has crowned a regular season champion, beginning the tradition in 2020, and the Beavers have shared the title in half of them.

UP NEXT: The Beavers have made 48-consecutive postseason appearances and are on track to make number 49 in 2024. The action is slated to take place April 3-7 at one of four sites; the schools hosting this year are Arkansas, California, Florida and Michigan.

OUR MISSION: Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent, Authentic, Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).

Players Mentioned

Natalie Briones

Jade Carey

Taylor DeVries

Sophia Esposito

Kaitlin Garcia

Sydney Gonzales

Lauren Letzsch

Jennifer McMillan

Savannah Miller

Sage Thompson

Ellie Weaver

Ariana Young

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