It started like a dream. The Pac-12 championships ended in a familiar nightmare for UCLA.
Despite scoring season bests on floor and vault, the Bruins finished third in the Pac-12 championships on Saturday after they were doomed by another disappointing beam rotation.
In position for a much-needed season high, UCLA had to count a fall on beam for the second time in the past three meets and settled for a 196.725.
UCLA’s total was a whole point behind No. 6 Utah, who knocked off the two-time defending conference champions with a 197.725. No. 5 California, which entered the meet as the top-ranked team in the conference, capitalized on UCLA’s late mistakes and finished second with a total score of 197.365.
The 13th-ranked Bruins started on their strongest event.
It couldn’t have gone much better on floor.
UCLA built a 0.2-point lead with a season-high 49.525 on floor and finished the event with four straight scores of 9.9 or better.
Senior Pauline Tratz and freshman Chae Campbell each scored 9.95s, which tied for the event title.
UCLA then claimed another individual Pac-12 crown on vault when junior Sekai Wright won the outright conference title with a 9.95. It shattered her previous career-high of 9.875 and paced UCLA to its season-high 49.425 on the event.
While the Bruins celebrated their impressive start, Utah was doing even better. The Utes counted 10 straight scores of 9.9 or higher between the second and third rotations.
The Bruins started to lose steam on bars, where one gymnast fell, but avoided the major deduction when junior Margzetta Frazier anchored the lineup with a Pac-12 title-tying 9.95.
Utah took a 0.375-point lead over UCLA into the final event.
Before the Bruins began their beam rotation, head coach Chris Waller was asked on the Pac-12 Networks broadcast whether his team could close the gap. UCLA has won many meets on beam, he said with a knowing smirk.
He was on the sideline for UCLA’s 2018 national championship, which the Bruins won in epic fashion by coming back on beam, but a team that has struggled on the event all year wasn’t up to the task Saturday.
Junior Samantha Sakti fell in the No. 2 spot in the lineup, but her 9.175 counted against UCLA’s score when freshman Frida Esparza also fell.
UCLA needed only 48.8 on beam, which was below the team’s season-average on the event, to reach its season-high team score. The Bruins have now had at least one fall in six of nine meets this year and had to count the 0.5-point deduction in three meets when suffering multiple falls in one rotation.
