Gymnasts tie for fourth at Pacific-10 Championships

Ian Mayer Arizona Daily Wildcat Junior Maureen Kealey performs part of her uneven bars routine against Stanford on Feb. 26 at McKale Center. Kealey tied for ninth individually with teammate junior Heidi Hornbeek at Oregon State Saturday as the Wildcats tied for fourth place at the Pac-10 Championships.

UCLA took top honors with a 197.775. Host Oregon State placed second, Arizona State finished third and Stanford tied the Wildcats for fourth.

Arizona's top finisher was senior Kristin McDermott, who placed sixth with a 39.250. Juniors Maureen Kealey and Heidi Hornbeek tied for ninth with identical scores of 39.075.

UCLA's Heidi Moneymaker, who was named the Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year, took the all-around title with a 39.675.

Before participating in the conference championships, the Wildcats beat the No. 17-ranked Oklahoma Sooners March 12 by a score of 195.575-194.625.

The Wildcats' score was the third best in school history and the highest overall total this season.

Arizona took the top two spots in the all-around with McDermott placing first with a score of 39.325, followed by Kealey, who garnered a 39.225.

"I am pleased," Kealey said. "We are getting more consistent. It was an excellent effort."

Arizona returns home to face in-state rival and No. 7-ranked Arizona State this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at McKale Center.

Derek Larson can be reached at Derek.Larson@wildcat.arizona.edu.