Howell Reaches 100 Wins, Bears Take 3rd At Pac-12s

TUCSON, Ariz. – Women's gymnastics head coach Justin Howell reached a career milestone as he led the Golden Bears to their highest-scoring finish at the Pac-12 Championships in school history with a 196.950. Cal took third as Howell surpassed 100 career wins Saturday evening at the McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz.
 
Top-seeded UCLA won the conference championship with a 197.500, and Utah finished as the runner-up with a 197.350.
 
The Bears, the No. 4 seed at the eight-team championship meet, finished ahead of Washington (196.750), Oregon State (196.575), Arizona State (196.425), Stanford (196.350) and Arizona (195.825) to help Howell reach the 100-win milestone, giving him a 103-77 record in six seasons. All six seasons of his head coaching career have been spent at the helm for the Bears.
 
Howell, already the winningest coach in Cal gymnastics history, is the program's first coach to reach 100 wins. He entered the season with an 86-71 career record and the Bears wrapped up the regular season with seven consecutive wins for a 12-4 regular-season record, including five wins over top 25 opponents.
 
Starting on beam, a trio of 9.90s at the back of the rotation by Alicia Gallarzo, Toni-Ann Williams and anchor Sofie Seilnacht propelled the Golden Bears to their program-record 49.400 total on the event. The Bears, who matched their previous record of 49.350 twice this season, also got a boost via a pair of 9.85s from leadoff Chelsea Shu and Cassidy Keelen, who matched her career-high with her beam set. The trio of Gallarzo, Williams and Seilnacht all shared third on the event.
 
After the first rotation, Cal led the field by a tenth of a point, with Utah trailing at second with a 49.300. UCLA ranked third with a 49.275, and Washington rounded out the competition with a 49.175.
 
Cal went 6-for-6 on floor for a 49.025, led by another 9.90 from Williams. Kyana George and Arianna Robinson each added 9.825s, but Utah sneaked ahead with a 49.250 on beam.
 
Halfway through the meet, it was the Utes ahead of the Bears, 98.550-98.475. UCLA and Washington kept it close with a 98.425 and 98.325, respectively.
 
The Bears stayed in the title hunt with another 6-for-6 showing in the third rotation. Robinson, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on Saturday, led the Bears with a 9.925, and Williams tallied her third 9.90 of the day. Robinson was the day's runner-up on vault, and Williams took third at the meet.
 
Meanwhile, UCLA roared ahead courtesy of a perfect 10.0 on beam, and Cal sat third after the third rotation with a 147.775. The Bruins took the lead with a 148.025, Utah was second with a 147.875 and Washington was fourth with a 147.500.
 
The Bears battled from a fall on bars to reach the 49.0 mark on all four events, finishing with a 49.175 on the event. Yuleen Sternberg led off with a 9.75 and Williams added a 9.85, but a fall in the middle of the lineup forced a last-minute substitution. Nina Schank and George each delivered 9.85s before Cal's coaching staff subbed in Emi Watterson for Seilnacht in the anchor spot. Watterson delivered with a career-high 9.875, clinching the third-place finish for the Bears.
 
Cal's 196.950 is also the fifth-highest score in school history.