UPDATED: Gardiner Leads Five on All-Pac-12Team
UPDATED: Wednesday the Pac-12 announced changes to the all-conference team making Chelsea Tang a first-team honoree on floor exercise (rather than second team) and Kaytianna McMillan was added as a second teamer on floor.
SAN FRANCISCO – Five Oregon State gymnasts were honored on the 2015 Pac-12 Conference Women’s Gymnastics All-Conference team announced Tuesday. Madeline Gardiner and Chelsea Tang earned first team honors and Erika Aufiero, Taylor Keeker and Kaytianna McMillan received second team accolades.
The All-Conference first team consists of the top six all-around competitors, plus the top three competitors in each individual event not among the all-around honorees. After the top six all-arounders and the top three student-athletes from each event were named to the first team, a 10-member All-Conference second-team was selected. The same formula used for selecting the first team was used to select the second team. Scores are determined by regional qualifying score (entire season composite) after the Pac-12 Championships.
Gardiner, a sophomore from Cambridge, Ontario, earned first team All-Pac-12 in the all-around. It is the second time she’s been named to the all-conference team and the first time as a first team honoree. Gardiner has performed in the all-around eight times in 2015 twice setting a personal-best score of 39.450. In addition, she set career-highs on balance beam (9.925), vault (9.900) and uneven bars (9.875) so far this season.
Tang, a senior from Eugene, Ore., is a first team All-Pac-12 honoree on the floor exercise and second team accolades on the beam. It is the third and fourth all-conference honors for Tang, who was first team in the all-around in 2014 and first team on the beam in 2013. Tang established new career-bests on the floor (9.950) and beam (9.925) as well as on the bars (9.925).
Aufiero, a junior from Sparks, Nev., is a second team all-conference honoree on the vault. It is the time she has received All-Pac-12 recognition after earning second team honors on the bars in 2013. Aufiero set a personal-high 9.925 on the vault as well as a career-high 9.925 on the bars earlier this season.
Keeker, a senior from Keizer, Ore., earned All-Pac-12 honors for the first time in her career garnering second team accolades. Keeker has twice set her career-best mark of 9.925 this season added a personal-best 9.850 on the bars as well.
McMillan, a sophomore from Coburg, Ore., also earned all-conference honors for the first time as a second team member on the floor. McMillan recently set a career-best on the floor with a 9.925 and also set personal-highs on vault (9.900) and bars (9.900).
The Beavers travel to the NCAA Norman Regional Championships hosted by Oklahoma next Saturday, April 4 at 2 p.m. PT.
