BERKELEY - The California women's gymnastics team got off to a great start to the 2013 season, posting a 195.425 to beat Arizona, Auburn, and Kentucky in a quad meet. Senior Madisyn O'Brien placed second in the all-around with a total score of 39.125 which blew away her previous personal best by a tenth of a point.

The win marks the beginning of the Justin Howell era as the meet officially began his tenure as head coach of Cal.

"It was unbelievable tonight," Howell said. "What we told the girls to do was trust in their training program and that's exactly what they did. I think they realized what their potential is and where they can go from here."

The Golden Bears got off to a rough start on the vault, scoring a 48.950 which tied them for third on the apparatus. Freshman Kristina Heymann and O'Brien scored 9.850 to lead the team on the event. The score tied O'Brien's personal best.

Moving on to the uneven bars, Cal still looked a little sluggish. They posted a score of 48.750, placing them fourth on the event. O'Brien, however, continued her strong showing and posted a score of 9.900 to win the event. The mark is a new personal best for her and places her in a tie for third for Cal's record book.

"It was really exciting," O'Brien said on her performance and on the meet as a whole. "It was the first time in four years that I felt we really felt like a solid team. We even had some mistakes today and it's nice to know that we can go out next week and do even better. It's a really positive way to start the year."

The Golden Bears turned the corner at the balance beam and posted a score of 48.950 to win the event. The mark is better than any score they received as a team on the beam last year. O'Brien, sophomore Crystal Paz, and senior Mariesah Pierce paced the Bears, all posting 9.825. The score was a new personal best for all three gymnasts, who tied for third on the apparatus.

Cal closed with another strong performance on the floor. They placed second in the even by scoring a 48.775. Freshman Serena Leong led the way for the Bears, scoring a 9.850. Junior Alicia Asturias also tied her personal best on the day with a 9.775.

via Cal Gymnastics