(Photo Courtesy: Oregon State Athletics)
The Oregon State University Beavers will enter the Pac-12 Championships as one of the seven Pac-12 teams ranked in the top 25, currently sitting at No. 14.
This team stands with a 7-3 record in dual meets this season. The Beavers have only counted one fall in the 2015 season during a quad meet against Washington, Sacramento State and Hamline. To add to OSU’s successes in the gym this year, the team has also hit 160 out of 168 routines throughout the season.
Although they have only had two gymnasts compete in the all-around this season – sophomore Madeline Gardiner, who hit her season and career-high at Nebraska with a 39.450, and senior Chelsea Tang, with a season high of 39.075 at UCLA – the Beavers have a deep and strong team that should not be overlooked.
In the past four years at the conference championships, Oregon State has placed first in two of those years. Any skeptics should beware as the Beavers will come out hungry at the Huntsman Center next week.
Biggest Strength
CONSISTENCY
Oregon State’s scores on each event do not vary more than 0.206 on average. The roster features three gymnasts that qualified to NCAA championships a year ago, two of which have been the Beavers’ only all-around competitors this season. Their all-around scores have only varied by 0.900 points in the past four years at the Pac-12 Championships, so it is not going out on a limb for one to expect this squad to pull through with a high score this year.
Biggest Weakness
EVENTS: BARS AND BEAM
This team has had a tricky start this season, with bars scores that are not up to par on the level they are competing at. With only one gymnast specializing on the uneven bars, it’s no wonder why their average score this season is a 9.718, the worst of the four events. Oregon State also needs to push a stronger beam strategy in order to make it to the top. Although higher than the uneven bars, with an average score of 9.757, the Beavers need to find a way to hit all their skills and move that average to at least a 9.850 if they want to compete with the elites of this stacked conference.
Prediction
They came in 5th at the Pac-12 Championships in Berkeley last year. In 2011 and 2013 they came out in 1st place, while in 2012 they came out in 3rd place – all within a few tenths variance in the all-around. With almost every gymnast on this OSU roster being able to compete in the all-around, this team has what it takes to get 1st for the third time in five years. However, in a more realistic scenario, I believe the Oregon State Beavers will walk out of Salt Lake City after coming in 3rd place.
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