Cal women's gymnastics

As flowers bloom and bears awake from hibernation, the vernal equinox ushers in a new year — one that features a fresh slate of Cal sports. 

Cal women’s gymnastics may have won Saturday’s meet in commanding fashion, but the Huskies were able to walk away with their heads held high.

In a down-to-the-wire nail-biter, Cal women’s gymnastics bested Stanford 196.325-196.275, earning its highest season-opening score in program history.

Cal will chalk-up its grips as it faces Stanford on Jan. 16 to kick off the Pac-12 season at Haas Pavilion. With no Collegiate Challenge performance, this will be the Bears first meet of 2022.

With the return of three of their strongest gymnasts, the Bears get three steps closer to an elusive national championship.

This weekend, the results of Cal’s cumulative effort will be put to the test at the NCAA Championships. The Bears enter the competition ranked No. 6 nationally and still hold the No. 1 sport on bars.

The Bears clocked out with a 197.75, the second-highest score in program history and secured their third trip to nationals as a team.

While Cal women’s gymnastics has never won nationals as a team, this year’s squad appears poised to embark on a competitive postseason run. The blue and gold have the second highest national qualifying score among teams at the Morgantown Regional.

After UCLA’s disappointing beam rotation left second place on a platter for Cal, a high-flying floor rotation led the Bears to their highest team score at a Pac-12 championship.

No. 5 Cal defeated Washington in a doubleheader and set a new program high on floor. They will gear up for the postseason boasting the highest national ranking in program history.