CALIFORNIA WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS www.CalBears.com Twitter/Instagram: @CalWGym | Facebook.com/CalWomensGymnastics Women’s Gymnastics Contact: Mara Rudolph Email: [email protected] | Cell: 510-384-6574 Pac-12 students are known for their athletic success, but they are also impressive, complete people with outside interests, diverse backgrounds, extracurricular activities, interesting families, busy schedules, and full lives. The release for this week’s competition is focused on who California students are in the classroom and community. ACADEMIC SPOTLIGHT TOP PERFORMERS With perfect APR scores for multiple years in a row, Cal’s women’s Many of Cal’s standouts on the gymnastics squad includes a number of impressive scholars, but with the gym floor this year are also Golden Bear award for the highest grade point average among her team, senior standouts in the classroom, Serena Leong sets the bar. The bioengineering major, who is set to graduate including: in December this year, currently carries a 3.8 GPA. • Zoe Draghi – BB & FX 3.31 GPA (Legal Studies) Leong’s studies aren’t limited to just the classroom. Since May 2014, she’s also • Jessie Howe – UB, BB & FX been a student research assistant in Berkeley’s Sohn Lab. In the lab, she 3.24 GPA (Legal Studies) designed and optimized a microfluidic device that resulted in more efficient • Arianna Robinson – V, FX separation of cancer cells from whole blood. In addition, she developed a 3.3 GPA (Undeclared) microfluidic leukocyte capture chamber that further purified cancer cells • Amber Takara – UB from whole blood, and prepared lab experiments for her microfluidic device. 3.06 GPA (Interdisciplinary Among the skills you’ll find on her resume? DNA transformation, gel Studies) electrophoresis and mammalian cell culture, just to name a few. As if that wasn’t enough, Leong is also published. She’s one of several authors who published a scholarly article called “High-throughput microfluidic device for HOBBY HUDDLE rare cell isolation.” California junior Zoe Draghi, who has anchored the beam and floor lineups in several meets this year, is the team’s best dancer. Her rich FAMILY TIES dance background has grown to You might call women’s gymnastics a sister act this year, as the Golden Bear include membership in Berkeley’s roster currently features two sets of siblings. The most notable connection? THRIVE dance group, which she Sofie and Sylvie Seilnacht, identical twins who are freshmen on the squad this balances with her schedule as a year. Both sisters have seen ample time in the lineup, with Sylvie earning a spot gymnast. Draghi has appearances in the vault rotation and Sofie specializing as the leadoff in the balance beam in several performances with lineup. THRIVE. Junior Jessica Howe is also enjoying the family connection, as sister Emily With an aunt in the literary joined the team this season. Though the duo came to Berkeley from Plano, Texas, business, sophomore Arianna Cal was a natural fit after two of their relatives attended the university. Robinson is a budding novelist. Grandfather Richard Casper was a track and field athlete for the Bears, and The Cal sophomore has had uncle William (Bob) Casper played football. several of her own personal pieces published in her aunt’s books and The family ties aren’t only limited to the student-athlete roster. Head coach dreams of one day being an author Justin Howell and associate head coach Elisabeth (Liz) Crandall-Howell are herself. partners both at home and in the gym. The duo both bring a rich club and collegiate background to the Bears. Together, they both headed up programs at Junior Dana Ho, who is studying Airborne Gymnastics before arriving in Berkeley. Before that, Liz’s collegiate business, loves baking and one day backgrounded included four years as a gymnast at BYU, where she was a two- plans to open her own bakery time All-American and seven-time U.S. National Team member. Justin was a using management skills she’s member of San Jose State’s men’s gymnastics team. learning in Berkeley’s prestigious Haas School of Business University of California | #complete12 MEET 7: OREGON STATE | FEB. 20 CALIFORNIA WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS Assistant Director of Athletic Communications (Women’s Gymnastics contact): Mara Rudolph Phone: (510) 384-6574 • Email: [email protected] WEBSITE: CALBEARS.COM • FACEBOOK: FACEBOOK.COM/CALWOMENSGYMNASTICS • TWITTER: @CALWGYM • INSTAGRAM: @CALWGYM 2016 SCHEDULE NO. 15 CALIFORNIA at Oregon State NO. 16 Oregon State Overall: 9-2 • Pac-12: 4-1 GOLDEN BEARS (9-2, 4-1 Pac-12) Date .............Saturday, Feb. 20 BEAVERS (6-3, 2-2 Pac-12) Time ...........................2 p.m. PT DATE OPPONENT (TV) TIME/RESULT Jan. 10 at NorCal Classic # 195.575 (1st) Venue ...................Gill Coliseum #8 Stanford W, 194.800 (2nd) Location ............. Corvallis, Ore. Sacramento State W, 194.325 (3rd) Broadcast ............Pac-12 Oregon UC Davis W, 192.700 (4th) Live Stats ...... OSUBeavers.com San Jose State W, 191.800 (5th) Jan. 15 at Oklahoma Tri Meet 194.225 (2nd) #4 Oklahoma L, 197.125 (1st) TWU W, 188.250 (3rd) Jan. 24 at Stanford Tri Meet 195.650 (2nd) #24 Stanford L, 196.675 (1st) San Jose State W, 194.875 (3rd) FEB. 1 #5 UCLA (P12N) W, 196.375-195.175 FEB. 8 ARIZONA (P12N) W, 196.825-196.00 Feb. 15 at ASU (P12N) W, 196.900-194.725 Feb. 20 at Oregon State (P12N) 2 p.m. The Golden Bears take on their second Pac-12 foe of the week, once again on the road, when No. 16 FEB. 27 UTAH (P12N) 1 P.M. Oregon State hosts No. 15 Cal in Gill Coliseum on Saturday. Meet time is set for 2 p.m. PT and the action MARCH 4 CAL QUAD MEET 7 P.M. airs live on Pac-12 Oregon with Brian Webber and Alicia Sacramone Quinn on the call. MICHIGAN STATE SOUTHERN UTAH The Bears have built on their scores every weekend, turning in season-high team totals in four LINDENWOOD consecutive outings. Cal is coming off a record-breaking Monday meet against Arizona State in which March 19 at Pac-12 Champs% (P12N) TBD April 2 NCAA Regionals TBD the Bears tallied their highest road score in history, 196.900, and logged a program-record 49.325 on April 15-17 NCAA Championships TBD beam. # San Jose, Calif. Follow @CalWGym on Twitter and Instagram for updates, behind-the-scenes photos and videos and the % Seattle, Wash. latest information on the Bears throughout the season. * indicates Pac-12 opponent All times listed Pacific (PT) Home meets listed in BOLD BEAR NECESSITIES: CAL'S TOP STORYLINES RANKINGS ROUNDUP BY THE NUMBERS FAST FACTS The Bears are No. 15 in the nation this week and among the top 20 on three events -- No. 9 on floor COACHING STAFF (49.160 average), No. 11 on vault (49.065) and No. 49.325 Head Coach ................................ Justin Howell 20 on beam (48.800). Cal is ranked 29th on bars Cal’s 49.325 on beam at Arizona San Jose State ‘99 • fourth season (48.705). State is a new program record on Assoc. Head Coach..Elisabeth Crandall-Howell Two Bears are ranked in the top 25 on individual the event, besting a more than 10- BYU ‘97 • fourth season year old record of 49.300 that was Assistant Coach .........................Jessa Hansen events, led by 16th-ranked Toni-Ann Williams on Iowa ‘12 • third season floor (9.90 average). Sylvie Seilnacht is No. 25 on set on March 6, 2004. Volunteer Coach ............... Jeffrey Langenstein vault (9.85). California ‘14 • second season 196.900 LAST TIME OUT Cal logged the second-highest 2016 TEAM INFORMATION For the second meet in a row, Cal set its sec- score in school history for the Arena: Haas Pavilion (11,877) ond-highest score in school history with a 196.900- 2015 Overall Record: 16-10 overall second week in a row at Arizona 194.725 win at Arizona State on Monday. The State, topping last week’s 2015 Pac-12 Record: 6-8 Pac-12 (including total is the highest road score ever for the Bears. Pac-12 Championships) The night was made even sweeter with a record 196.825. It is the highest road 2014 Final Ranking: 18 49.325 on beam. Toni-Ann Williams swept every score in school history. Letterwinners Returning: 12 event and the all-around, matching her own Cal-re- Newcomers: 4 cord 39.700 total for the four events. Jessica Howe earned a career0best 9.875 on bars, and Zoe Dra- 9.925 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA ghi fought through back spasms to anchor both With her career-high score on Location: Berkeley, Calif. beam and floor. beam at ASU, Toni-Ann Williams Nickname: Golden Bears is the first Golden Bear to score a Enrollment: 37,581 TONI AWARD WINNER 9.925 on beam since Stephanie Toni-Ann Williams has picked up two Gymnast of Kim on March 12, 2004. 2016 CALIFORNIA WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS MEET NOTES MEET 7: OREGON STATE the Week honors this season, most recently earning the laurels on Feb. 16 after sweeping every title and the all-around against Arizona State. Williams matched her own program-record 39.700 in the all-around and set a career-high 9.925 on beam with her double front dismount off the apparatus. CAL IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS On Feb. 2, Williams earned her second career honorafter leading Cal to victory over fifth-ranked UCLA. She took three titles, including the all-around crown with a 39.250, on top of season-high scores on vault (9.875) and beam (9.675).