Beavers Set to Defend Pac-12 Title Saturday - Oregon State University Athletics

THE MEET
No. 11 Oregon State (11-3) is back on the road seeking to defend as Pac-12 Conference champions Saturday, Mar. 22 at 1 p.m. It will be the third straight week the Beavers have performed on the road, this time at the Pac-12 Championships hosted by California at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley. The meet will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks ... Oregon State will compete in the afternoon session and will begin the meet on the floor exercise, then go to vault, uneven bars and balance beam.

BEAVER BITES
OSU has beaten all 10 of its opponents that the Beavers have been ranked ahead of this year ... earlier this year Chelsea Tang scored a 9.90 on the bars for the first time in her career. She became the eighth gymnast in Oregon State history to record a 9.90 on all four apparatus ... currently the Beavers are using four walkons in their competitive lineup ... the Pac-12 dual meet against California, scheduled for Sat., Feb. 8 was ‘snowed out’ when a winter storm closed the Oregon State campus on Thursday and Friday. It was the second time this season the Beavers were snowed out. Their annual Orange & Black Exhibition, originally slated for Dec. 6, was postponed to Jan. 3 due another snow storm.

OSU IN THE PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Here are some quick hitters about Oregon State’s history in the Pac-12 Championships:

Oregon State is one of only three schools - along with UCLA and Stanford - to have won the Pac-10/12 Championships in the 27-year history of the event.
The Beavers are seeking their seventh conference title and third in four years.
OSU has a 1-2 record against their direct competition this year registering a 197.100-195.750 win over Stanford Feb. 3 in Corvallis ... OSU lost 196.425-195.625 to the Bruins in L.A. Jan. 19 and lost 197.575-196.275 to Utah in Salt Lake City Feb. 22.
Twenty OSU gymnasts have combined to win 42 individual titles over the course of 27 years.
Three current Oregon State gymnasts already have two Pac-12 Championship rings to their credit.

VS. UTAH
Oregon State and Utah meet for the 71st time in history with the Utes holding a 62-9 advantage. The Beavers also trail the series 1-13 in meets at neutral sites. Utah won the last meeting, 197.575-196.450, in a Feb. 22 dual in Salt Lake City. Oregon State’s last win over Utah came last year at the Pac-12 Championships in Corvallis when the Beavers won the conference title with a score of 197.850 while the Utes finished third at 197.075.

VS. UCLA
Oregon State and UCLA meet for the 105th time in history with the Bruins holding a 76-27-1 advantage. UCLA snapped a two-meet losing streak to the Beavers early this season when the Bruins defeated the Beavers 196.425-195.625 in Westwood. UCLA is 42-9 against OSU in neutral site meetings. OSU’s last win over the Bruins came at last year’s Pac-12 Championships, when the Beavers won the title with a score of 197.850 to UCLA’s 197.375.

VS. STANFORD
Oregon State and Stanford meet for the 85th time in history with the Beavers holding a 57-27 advantage. The Beavers have won two straight against the Cardinal including 197.100-195.750 defeat Feb. 3 in Corvallis for OSU’s annual Pink Out. Stanford’s last win over the Orange and Black came in a 197.200-197.175 decision in a tri-meet on The Farm, Mar. 1, 2013. OSU holds a 25-14 advantage at neutral sites.

OREGON STATE QUICK HITTERS
Here are some quick hitters about the Oregon State gymnastics team through seven meets:

Oregon State is ranked No. 11 this week, moving up one spot from last week ... With a season-high score at the Pac-12 Championships, the Beavers could move as high as No. 10 in next week’s rankings - the final regular season rankings. See page 3 for the preseason top 25 and complete rankings.
All four of OSU’s lineups remain ranked among the top 25 in the nation. Vault is tied for No. 16 (49.140 RQS); uneven bars is ranked No. 9 (49.250); balance beam is ranked at No. 7 (49.190) and floor exercise is ranked No. 20 (49.125).
OSU’s floor team posted a 49.475 mark against Stanford (Feb. 3), the highest floor mark the Beavers have tallied since Feb. 7, 2010 at California when Mandi Rodriguez and Makayla Stambaugh each scored 9.95 and Melanie Jones added a 9.90.
Through nine meets, Oregon State’s routines have been split fairly evenly throughout the squad with the juniors accounting for the most with 38% (81 out of 216) of the routines performed this year. The seniors are providing 26% (57 of 216), the freshmen 21% (46 of 216) and the sophomores 15% (32 of 216). In comparision, in 2013, the senior class accounted for 53% (151 of 287) of the production while the sophomores provided 23% (65 of 287), the juniors accounted for 18% (53 of 287) and freshmen 6% (18 of 287).
Oregon State has ‘hit’ 96% (207 of 216) of its routines through nine meets. In comparision, the Beavers ‘hit’ 92% (265 of 287) in 2013.
The Beavers’ loss to Nebraska, March 1, marked the first regular season loss in Gill Coliseum for OSU since Jan. 28, 2011. During that span of 15 meets OSU defeated 28 teams and tied one (UCLA - 2012).
Oregon State finishes the season on the road with three straight meets to end the regular season. The Beavs finish at Arizona (Mar. 9), at Washington with Seattle Pacific (Mar. 14) and at California for the Pac-12 Championships (Mar. 22).
OSU entered the season needing to replace four gymnasts and nine routines - three vault, two bars, two beam, two floor - from the 2013 end of season lineup. Instead, head coach Tanya Chaplin inserted 11 new routines into the lineup in the season-opener at Ohio State including two extras on the floor.
The Beavers’ lineups have been impacted dramatically in 2014 by a quartet of walk-ons that are currently performing four competition routines. Hannah Casey, who has been in the bars lineup for most of the last three seasons, has moved into the anchor spot while Taylor Keeker performed in the bars lineup in each of the first eight meets of the season. Keeker has also been OSU’s best vaulter most of the season. In addition, Katelyn Ohlrich is in the middle of the balance beam lineup for the second year in a row. Kailie Ponto joined the action recently at Arizona performing in the competition lineup for the first time in her career, scoring 9.85 on the floor. She has posted the team’s high floor score in both meets she’s performed.
Ten of OSU’s 2014 opponents were ranked in the preseason top 25: No. 4 UCLA, No. 6 Utah, No. 9 Stanford, No. 10 Nebraska, No. 17 Arizona, No. 19 Ohio State, No. 20 Washington, No. 22 California, No. 23 Boise State and No. 25 Arizona State.

TANYA CHAPLIN QUICK HITTERS

Tanya Chaplin set the Oregon State record for wins in the Beavers’ home opener with a 196.425-194.850 victory over Iowa State. It was the 318th triumph of Chaplin’s career pushing her into sole possession of first on Oregon State’s all-time list moving past Jim Turpin (1986-97). She also holds the school record with 264 regular season wins and currently has 326 overall.
Chaplin has led the Beavers to conference titles in two of the last three years, winning the 2011 Pac-10 title and the 2013 Pac-12 Championships.
She has directed OSU to the NCAA Championships 10 times in her 16 seasons at the helm.

CHELSEA TANG QUICK HITTERS
Chelsea Tang was named Pac-12 First Team on the balance beam and qualified to the NCAA Championships as an individual all-arounder in 2013. Here are some quick hitters about Chelsea:

Named as the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week, for the week of Jan. 13-19, for the first time in her career after scoring 39.275 in the all-around earning individual titles on bars and in the all-around.
Has nine total wins including five in the all-around plus two each on bars and beam.
She is ranked No. 19 in the all-around (39.305) and tied for No. 18 in the nation on the balance beam (9.880) ... scored a career-high 39.500 at Arizona.
This season, Tang has scored a 9.90 on the bars and floor for the first time in her career. She became the eighth gymnast in Oregon State history to record a 9.90 on all four apparatus joining an exclusive list that includes Annie Campbell (2000-02, 04), Jami Lanz (2006-09), Lindsay Nelson (2001-03, 05), Chelsea Plourde (2004-05), Tanya Ricioli-Hebron (2000, 02-04), Mandi Rodriguez (2007-10) and Makayla Stambaugh (2010-13).
She has performed in the all-around in all nine of the Beavers’ meets this year - and 15 straight meets dating back to Feb. 16, 2013 when OSU beat then-No. 4 UCLA 196.725-196.075.
She has ‘hit’ 35 out of 36 routines in 2014 and 94 out of 97 in her career.
Majoring in exercise and sport science with aspirations to be a physician’s assistant.
Her family runs and owns a Chinese restaurant in Eugene - Hong Kong Restaurant.

BRITTANY HARRIS QUICK HITTERS
Brittany Harris is a two-time All-Pac-12 selection on the uneven bars and qualified to the NCAA Championships as an individual all-arounder in 2013. Here are some quick hitters about the senior:

Has one ‘win’ under her belt in 2014; she scored 9.925 on bars against Stanford (Feb. 3, 2014) to tie for the individual title ... Brittany has three individual titles in her career - one on vault (Jan. 14, 2011), one on beam (Feb. 3, 2013).
She was inserted into the floor lineup for the first time at Utah and has been in the all-around for the last five meets and has performed in the all-around 26 times in her career ... scored career-high 39.400 at Arizona (Mar. 9).
Has ‘hit’ 29 out of 31 routines in 2014 and 155 of 162 in her career - the most on the squad.
Majoring in public health and will graduate next June. She plans to go on to grad school after graduation.
Her father, Steve Harris, played five seasons in the NBA for Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit Pistons.

MADELINE GARDINER QUICK HITTERS
Madeline Gardiner is one of the most decorated gymnasts ever recruited to Oregon State during the Chaplin era. Here are some quick hitters about the talented freshman:

Has won four event titles in her rookie season - three on beam and one on floor.
Performed in the all-around for the first time in her career at Arizona (Mar. 9) scoring 39.400 in her debut.
Has ‘hit’ all 24 routines in her career - one of nine OSU gymnasts that have not ‘missed’ a routine in 2014.
Madeline was named the Pac-12 Specialist of the Week for the week of Feb. 10-16 after she posted career-bests of 9.95 on floor and 9.875 on beam to win the first event titles of her career ... named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the week of Mar. 3-9 after she won the beam title (9.925) and scored 39.400 in her first all-around performance.
Canadian National Team’s alternate for the 2012 Olympics in London.
During the team’s trip to Ohio State - the first road trip of her career - she introduced several teammates to Tim Horton’s Cafe and Bake Shop, a Canadian multinational fast casual restaurant.

KAYTIANNA MCMILLAN QUICK HITTERS
Kaytianna McMillan was a four-time Junior Olympic Nationals qualifier and won the Level 10 national titles on balance beam and all-around in 2013. Here are some quick hitters about the talented freshman:

Won her first event title in her first meet at Gill Coliseum, scoring a 9.90 on the beam against Iowa State (Jan. 25) ... scored 9.875 on bars to tie for event title last week at Washington (Mar. 14).
Has ‘hit’ 14 of 15 routines - her one miss was on the bars at UCLA (Jan. 19).
Kaytianna returned last week at Washington from a foot injury that held her out of three meets. At UW, she performed on bars and beam. Coaches are hopeful to get her back on floor exercise as well.
Kaytianna trained at the National Academy of Artistic Gymnastics - the same gym as other OSU greats Chari Knight, Jami Lanz and current teammate Chelsea Tang among others and OSU head coach Tanya Chaplin.

ERIKA AUFIERO QUICK HITTERS
Erika Aufiero was an All-Pac-12 selection on the uneven bars in 2013. Here is some quick hitters about the sophomore:

Erika is second on the team with seven individual titles in 2014, six on bars and one on vault (9.90 at Washington).
She has scored 9.90 or better on bars four times this year.
Has ‘hit’ all 20 routines in 2014 and is 29-31 in her career.
Only performed on bars as a freshman during recovery from an Achilles injury as a senior in high school.
Has performed in the vault lineup all season with a best of 9.90 at UW.
Inserted in the beam lineup against Nebraska & Arizona State and scored 9.825 in her first competitive performance.
Erika’s sister, Breyanna, is a sophomore gymnast at Utah State. The sisters squared off earlier this year at OSU’s Comfort Suites Invitational.

CERISE WITHERBY QUICK HITTERS
Junior Cerise Witherby has really come on for the Beavers in 2014. Here are some quick hitters about Cerise:

She has been outstanding in a utility role.
She’s ‘hit’ all 17 of her routines in 2014 and 33 out of 34 in her career. She hasn’t missed a routine since Jan. 19, 2013 at Utah - that’s 26 in a row.
Has led off the floor lineup for the last eight weeks ... set a career-high of 9.85 at the Comfort Suites Invitational (Feb. 15) and matched it at UW (Mar. 14).
She joined the beam lineup seven weeks ago ... scored a career-best and team-high 9.90 at Arizona (Mar. 9).
Cerise has been in the vault lineup twice ... posted a career-high 9.80 at Utah (Feb. 22).

HANNAH CASEY QUICK HITTERS
Hannah Casey continues to be a steadying influence on the Beavers’ bars lineup. Here are some quick hitters about Hannah:

Hannah has won two individual titles in 2014, the first of her career. The first came in the season opener with a 9.875 on bars at Ohio State (Jan. 11) and the other with a 9.90 against Arizona State & Nebraska (Mar. 1).
Moved from the fourth spot in the lineup to the anchor position five weeks ago and has set or tied career-highs three times.
Has ‘hit’ all nine routines in 2014 and 31 of 32 in her career. In all, she has hit 26 straight dating back to Feb. 10, 2012 at UC Davis.
Will graduate with a degree in finance in June and plans to pursue a career as a financial analyst.
She is heavily involved in OSU’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee, in her third year on the executive council. Last summer, she represented Oregon State at the Pac-12 SAAC meetings in San Francisco.

TAYLOR KEEKER QUICK HITTERS
Taylor Keeker had never performed a competitive routine for OSU prior to 2014 and yet was named a team captain before the season started. Here are some quick hitters about the junior:

Taylor, a walkon, could be considered one of the most improved gymnasts in the nation. Prior to this season she had never been in the competitve lineup and performed in the vault and bars lineup in each of the first eight meets.
Has been arguably OSU’s best vaulter most of the season, twice scoring a 9.90 on vault - at UCLA (Jan. 19) and against Arizona State & Nebraska (Mar. 1).
Performed in the bars lineup in the first eight meets with a best of 9.80 which she achieved three times.
Has ‘hit’ all 17 of her routines.
Majoring in human development and family science with an emphasis on childhood development and plans to be a first grade teacher.

KELSI BLALOCK QUICK HITTERS
Kelsi Blalock went through Senior Night last year but was granted a fifth-year of eligibility in May after missing most of her freshman season due to an ankle injury. Here are some quick hitters about the senior:

Is third on the team with three event titles in 2014 - one on vault (9.875 against Iowa State, Jan. 11) and two on floor (9.875, Iowa State, Jan. 11 & 9.950, Stanford, Feb. 3).
Has ‘hit’ 13 of 17 routines in 2014 with two misses each on beam and floor ... has ‘hit’ 123-136 routines in her career.
Kelsi injured an ankle on her floor routine against Nebraska & Arizona State and missed the Arizona and Washington meets ... she is considered week-to-week.
She is the team’s lone returning All-American after earning the distinction as a NACGC/W Regular Season All-American on vault in 2013.
Will graduate this month with a degree in human development and family sciences with aspirations of working with at-risk youth after graduation.

MISCELLANEOUS QUICK HITTERS
Here are some quick hitters about the rest of the team:

Junior Katelyn Ohlrich has firmly established herself in OSU’s beam lineup. This is the walkon’s second season in the lineup and she’s never missed a routine 21-for-21 in her career. She also vaulted once last year and is 22-22 in her career.
Sophomore Nicole Turner has already competed more than twice as many times as she did as a freshman ... has ‘hit’ eight out of nine routines in 2014 and is 11-12 in her career ... has a career-high of 9.875 on FX.
Freshman Megan Jimenez has performed in the vault lineup seven times and has scored between 9.825 and 9.75 every time.
Junior Kailie Ponto performed in the competition lineup for the first time in her career at Arizona (Mar. 9). K-Po scored 9.85 to tie for the team-high score against the Wildcats ... she led the team with a 9.875 last week at Washington.
Sophomore Jaime Wright began the season in the floor lineup and also performed in the vault lineup.
Freshman Taylor Ricci has made two exhibition vaults and one exhibition floor routine.
Freshman Kana Kobayashi will miss the season due ankle/foot surgery.
Wright suffered a knee injury during warm-ups at Arizona (Mar. 9) and will miss the remainder of the season.

WHICH WAY DO WE GO?
The Beavers, like every other team in the country, are striving to reach the NCAA Championships and the Super Six. But to reach that goal teams must get through NCAA Regionals. In 2014, regionals will be held at Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, Minnesota, Penn State and Washington. The top two finishers at each regional will advance to the NCAA Championships.

CONFERENCE OF CHAMPIONS
The Pac-12 Conference has seven teams ranked in the Top 25. Utah is 5th, UCLA 7th, Stanford 10th, Oregon State 11th, California 19th, Arizona 21st and Arizona State 22nd. Washington ranks 34th. All eight Pac-12 teams were ranked in the preseason Top 25.

TWO FOR 2015
In November, two high school seniors signed the National Letters of Intent to join the Oregon State gymnastics program for the 2014-15 academic year. Danielle Dessaints (Henderson, Nev.) and Shireen Khamedoost (Bountiful, Utah) are scheduled to enroll at OSU this coming summer ... “I’m extremely excited to welcome two outstanding young women to the Oregon State Gymnastics family. I am confident that both will make an immediate impace on our lineup next season,” Tanya Chaplin said.