The No. 7 Utah Red Rocks gymnasts team (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12) have their toughest test so far this season on the road at the No. 5 UCLA Bruins (2-2, 1-1 Pac-12) in Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, Calif. today. Television coverage of the meet will be provided live on the Pac-12 Networks starting at 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT. Utah gymnastics has a winning record against every other Pac-12 school, including UCLA. Utah leads the series 50-25-1, including six straight wins over UCLA since UCLA's last win in a tri-meet in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Mar. 7, 2014. L.A. however has not been kind to the Red Rocks. Utah has lost four-straight to the Bruins in the City of Angeles and have not won there since 2008. Utah does hold an 11-8 all-time advantage in Los Angeles.
UCLA is coached by 27th year head coach Valorie Kondos Field. UCLA made Nationals last year, finishing 11th. Utah or UCLA lead pretty much every category in the Pac-12.
How the #RedRocks have done against other @Pac12 / @Pac12Networks teams in this century. https://t.co/BmnbWbLTzU pic.twitter.com/1fEHk1hp2C
— Utah Gymnastics (@UtahGymnastics) February 3, 2016
Utah is coming off their strongest score of the season, posting a 197.150 at home in a win over Arizona on Monday. UCLA fell at Cal on Monday 196.375-195.175. UCLA did post a 196.925 in a loss at No. 1 Florida, and they defeated No. 4 Alabama earlier this season as well (196.550-196.300). UCLA was forced to make line-up changes against Cal on Monday due to illness and injuries.
The Arizona meet was Utah's first without sophomore All-American Kari Lee, who is out for the season after tearing her left Achilles tendon. With the loss of Lee and a poor finish against Oregon State, Utah shuffled their lineup to great effect against Arizona. Lee was Utah's only all-arounder. Against Arizona, both Breanna Hughes and Samantha Partyka competed in the all-around, with Hughes getting her first career all-around win (39.525).
Utah's high scores this season are 9.90 on vault (Breanna Hughes, twice), 9.95 on bars (Baely Rowe), 9.925 on beam (Maddy Stover) and 9.975 on floor (Samantha Partyka). Through their first four meets, Utah gymnasts have won 15-of-16 individual event titles and two-of-four all-arounds. The Utah team is deep, with eight different event winners on the season: Hughes (6), Rowe (3), Kailah Delaney (2), Kari Lee (2), Partyka (2), Schwab (2), Stover (2) and Kassandra Lopez (1)
Utah was No. 7 in the Monday, Feb. 1 rankings, which did not include its season-high 197.150 scored Monday night. If you include Monday's scores for both Utah and UCLA, Utah would rank No. 6 and UCLA would rank No. 7. Utah is ranked No. 3 in the nation on bars (49.292 average), No. 5 on beam (49.125) and No. 8 on vault (49.125). Utah is not ranked in the top 10 on floor. Utah has two gymnasts in the individual top 10 on bars: Baely Rowe (No. 4 9.917 season average) and Kassandra Lopez (No. 8 9.892 season average). On beam, Maddy Stover is No. 9 in the nation (9.867).