University of Washington
Pac-12 Championships Session #1
Duranczyk Wins Pac-12 Bars Title
March 19, 2016 | Gymnastics
SEATTLE – Kaitlyn Duranczyk won her fifth straight bars title and seventh of the season with a 9.9 to win the Pac-12 bars championships as UW gymnastics wrapped up its home schedule, scoring a total of 195.300 in the first session of Saturday's Pac-12 Championships at Alaska Airlines Arena.
"This is really a tribute to the whole bars lineup. They do a great job building up scores and support me when I'm competing," Duranczyk said. "I've felt really confident in my bars routine throughout the season and it's really an honor to win at the conference championships."
Duracnzyk becomes the first GymDawg to win a Pac-12 bars title since Samantha Walior in 2011 and the fifth conference bars champion in team history.
“We are just thrilled,” UW head coach Joanne Bowers said. “It's really difficult to win an event at the Pac-12 Championships, especially competing in the first session, but she earned it. She earned every bit of that score. This has been a great season for Kait on bars and this is a big highlight. We see the work she puts in every day.”
The GymDawgs finished in third place in the first session and in seventh overall, but maintained their slot as the No. 17 team in the nation with a 196.360 regional qualifying score, meaning they will enter NCAA Regionals as a No. 3 seed at one of the six regional meet sites.
This year's regional hosts include Alabama, Georgia, Utah, Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan. The GymDawgs find out their regional destination on Monday, March 21 at 1 p.m. PT. Fans can watch the regional announcement via live stream at NCAA.com
Event Summaries – Total Score: 195.350
Vault, 49.025 – The GymDawgs scored 49 or higher on vault for the sixth time in their last seven meets as all five scoring totals they turned in were 9.75 or better. All-arounder Joslyn Goings got the UW started with a 9.75 and then the next three Husky vaulters each improved on that. Emily Liddle followed with a 9.80, her second-best vault score of the year. Hailey Burleson followed with a 9.825, also a second-best of the season, and Alexandra Yacalis tied her season-high with a 9.85 to take sixth, the highest placement for the GymDawgs on the event. Senior Allison Northey rounded out the UW scorers with a 9.80.
Bars, 49.025 – Duranczyk, performing in the sixth and final spot on the uneven bars, the Huskies' final rotation of the competition, closed out the Huskies' day with a 9.90 to win the Pac-12 bars title, the top score and placement by any UW gymnast on any apparatus Saturday. It was her fifth straight bars title and seventh of the season. Hailey Burleson's 9.825 was the next-best UW score while Northey and Goings each scored 9.775. Jessica Nesis rounded out the UW scorers with her 9.75.
Beam, 48.250 – Washington drew the tough assignment of opening the meet on the balance beam. The Huskies' final two competitors on beam, Goings and Northey, led the way. Goings scored a 9.85 and Northey posted a 9.80 to get their all-around apsirations off to a solid start. Stephanie Stowe followed with a 9.75 and Malory Rose opened the competition with a 9.625.
Floor, 49.000 – All five of Washington's scoring routines on the floor exercise came in at 9.70 or better, led by a pair of 9.85s from Northey and Zoey Schaefer. Schaefer tied her season high with her 9.85, posting that total for a third straight meet, while Northey reached 9.85 or better for the ninth time this season. Duranczyk followed them with a 9.825, just off her season-best 9.85, which she'd scored in three consecutive meets. It was her eighth 9.80 or better in the last nine competitions. Emily Liddle scored a 9.775, her second-highest of the season, and Goings notched a 9.70.
All-Around – As they had most of the season, Washington had two all-around competitors, Northey and Goings. Northey finished in fifth place, posting a 39.225. Goings, whose scores ranged between 9.70 and 9.85, across the four events, finished with a 39.075.
Up Next For the GymDawgs
The GymDawgs will find out where they'll head for regionals when the NCAA announces the field on Monday. UW will head to one of six sites to compete on April 2.
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