By Diana Ly, SDA Media Relations Student Assistant
TEMPE, Ariz. – In their first road test of the 2018 campaign, the No. 14 Arizona State women's gymnastics team (3-1) earned its third victory over a ranked opponent, defeating No. 16 West Virginia, 196.475-195.875, on Sunday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum.
"I'm really proud of how the team performed today; they did a fantastic job," said Gym Devil head coach Jay Santos. "It's not easy to travel across the country and win on the road- the team did a great job of preparing this weekend, making improvements from week one and keeping their focus where it needed to be."
The team's 196.475 effort constitutes the program's best team tally since March 2, 2007, when the Gym Devils recorded a 196.525 in a victory over Washington in Tempe. It also accounts for the 26th best team total in Gym Devil history.
Recording event scores of 49.000, 49.125, 49.225, 49.125 on vault, bars, beam and floor, respectively, Arizona State surpassed the 49+ cumulative tally in each event for the first time since their 2007 appearance in the North Central Regional at Iowa State University.
"I'm really excited to see some big performances from multiple girls today," noted Santos. "It was great to see so many career highs and see so many of them show all the work they have been doing in practice."
Buoying the Arizona State effort, true freshman Cairo Leonard-Baker was crowned the meet all-around champion, finishing at a cumulative count of 39.475. Leonard-Baker also earned titles on bars and floor, while sophomore Ashley Szafranski followed suit on beam.
Starting the meet on bars, the Gym Devils earned a season high 49.125 led by Leonard-Baker who posted a 9.925. Anne Kuhm and Nichelle Christopherson also notched a pair of 9.825's to end the rotation.
Heading into the second rotation tied with the host Mountaineers, ASU's season high 49.000 on vault was enough to take the lead. The Gym Devils were led by junior Morgan Wilson, whose career high 9.850 earned second overall on the event. Leonard-Baker and Katelyn Szafranski also notched career-highs with 9.825 and 9.800 respectively.
Still holding onto the lead, ASU earned a season high 49.125 on floor. Leonard-Baker and Kuhm led the Gym Devils with career highs and a 1-2 punch earning a 9.900 for Leonard-Baker and 9.875 for Kuhm. Katelyn Szafranski also added a 9.800 for a career high.
Since their season opener, ASU showed huge improvement on beam with their clean lines and stuck dismounts for a season high 49.225. Justine Callis started the Gym Devils off with a solid 9.800. Ashley Szafranski notched a career-high 9.900 for her gorgeous lines and unique skills, which was the highest beam score of the meet. Katelyn Lentz also earned a career high 9.875 for a second-place finish, while Leonard-Baker and Christopherson added a pair of 9.825's.
Both Leonard-Baker and Kuhm earned career highs in the All-Around. Leonard-Baker captured first with a 39.425, while Kuhm improved with a 39.150.
Up next, the Gym Devils hit the road again for their Pac-12 opener against Stanford in Stanford, Calif. The meet is slated for a 3 p.m. MT start on Saturday, January 20 and will be live streamed on Stanford Live Stream.
TEMPE, Ariz. – In their first road test of the 2018 campaign, the No. 14 Arizona State women's gymnastics team (3-1) earned its third victory over a ranked opponent, defeating No. 16 West Virginia, 196.475-195.875, on Sunday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum.
"I'm really proud of how the team performed today; they did a fantastic job," said Gym Devil head coach Jay Santos. "It's not easy to travel across the country and win on the road- the team did a great job of preparing this weekend, making improvements from week one and keeping their focus where it needed to be."
The team's 196.475 effort constitutes the program's best team tally since March 2, 2007, when the Gym Devils recorded a 196.525 in a victory over Washington in Tempe. It also accounts for the 26th best team total in Gym Devil history.
Recording event scores of 49.000, 49.125, 49.225, 49.125 on vault, bars, beam and floor, respectively, Arizona State surpassed the 49+ cumulative tally in each event for the first time since their 2007 appearance in the North Central Regional at Iowa State University.
"I'm really excited to see some big performances from multiple girls today," noted Santos. "It was great to see so many career highs and see so many of them show all the work they have been doing in practice."
Buoying the Arizona State effort, true freshman Cairo Leonard-Baker was crowned the meet all-around champion, finishing at a cumulative count of 39.475. Leonard-Baker also earned titles on bars and floor, while sophomore Ashley Szafranski followed suit on beam.
Starting the meet on bars, the Gym Devils earned a season high 49.125 led by Leonard-Baker who posted a 9.925. Anne Kuhm and Nichelle Christopherson also notched a pair of 9.825's to end the rotation.
Heading into the second rotation tied with the host Mountaineers, ASU's season high 49.000 on vault was enough to take the lead. The Gym Devils were led by junior Morgan Wilson, whose career high 9.850 earned second overall on the event. Leonard-Baker and Katelyn Szafranski also notched career-highs with 9.825 and 9.800 respectively.
Still holding onto the lead, ASU earned a season high 49.125 on floor. Leonard-Baker and Kuhm led the Gym Devils with career highs and a 1-2 punch earning a 9.900 for Leonard-Baker and 9.875 for Kuhm. Katelyn Szafranski also added a 9.800 for a career high.
Since their season opener, ASU showed huge improvement on beam with their clean lines and stuck dismounts for a season high 49.225. Justine Callis started the Gym Devils off with a solid 9.800. Ashley Szafranski notched a career-high 9.900 for her gorgeous lines and unique skills, which was the highest beam score of the meet. Katelyn Lentz also earned a career high 9.875 for a second-place finish, while Leonard-Baker and Christopherson added a pair of 9.825's.
Both Leonard-Baker and Kuhm earned career highs in the All-Around. Leonard-Baker captured first with a 39.425, while Kuhm improved with a 39.150.
Up next, the Gym Devils hit the road again for their Pac-12 opener against Stanford in Stanford, Calif. The meet is slated for a 3 p.m. MT start on Saturday, January 20 and will be live streamed on Stanford Live Stream.