By Diana Ly, SDA Media Relations Student Assistant
TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 17 Arizona State women's gymnastics team (5-4) kept it close with No. 13 Washington, but fell short, 197.025-196.575, Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena. In the effort the Gym Devils surpassed the 196+ mark for the fourth time this season recording a 196.575, which accounts for the 25th best team total in Gym Devil history.
"We definitely had some stand out performances today and it was great to get back above the 196 mark again," said Arizona State head coach Jay Santos. "We had some new routines in a few of our line ups and we didn't miss a beat scoring wise."
Recording event scores of 49.050, 49.300, 49.075, 49.150 on vault, bars, beam and floor, respectively, Arizona State surpassed the 49+ cumulative tally in each event for the third time this season.
Leading the Arizona State effort was three-time Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Week Cairo Leonard-Baker and 2012 French Olympian Anne Kuhm. Leonard-Baker tied for the all-around title with Washington's Hailey Burleson while also adding a pair of event titles on bars (9.950) and floor (9.900) The Oakland native has now accumulated nine individual titles on the season. Kuhm followed suit tying for third in the all-around with a career-best 39.425. She also added a second-place finish on bars with a 9.900.
Starting the meet on vault Leonard-Baker led the way matching her career-high of 9.850. Kuhm and Junior Morgan Wilson added a pair of 9.850's. Kuhm's routine marked a career-high for the French Olympian. The Gym Devils ended the rotation with a strong 49.050.
The visiting Huskies had a slight lead over the Gym Devils heading into the second rotation. ASU earned a stellar 49.300 on bars and were led by Leonard-Baker's 9.950, which tied her career-best. Kuhm added a career-high 9.900 while Wilson and sophomore Morgan Hart also added a pair of 9.850s respectively. This constituted a career-high for Wilson on bars.
At the halfway point, the Gym Devils took the lead from the Gym Dawgs pulling ahead, 98.350-98.325. ASU conquered the beam to earn a 49.075. In her season debut, Wilson led the Gym Devils with a career-best 9.850. All-around stars, Leonard-Baker and Kuhm, notched a pair pf 9.850s. Kuhm earned yet another career-high courtesy of the effort.
The Gym Devils capped off the meet with high-energy and powerful tumbling on floor to earn a 49.150. Leonard-Baker led the way with an impressive 9.900. Kuhm tied her career-best with a 9.875. Junior Kaitlyn Szafranski and sophomore Jessica Ginn added a pair of 9.800's to round out the event.
"While we are very pleased with the score of this meet, we did not execute the smaller details on beam and floor which kept us from pulling out the win," noted Santos. "We've had an exceptional first half of the season and we need to make sure we are building off of that momentum. We are looking forward to being home again next week as we prepare for another big conference showdown."
Up next, the Gym Devils will take on in-state rival Arizona for a pivotal Territorial Cup point in Wells Fargo Arena. The final home meet of the regular season is slated for a 4 p.m. MT start on Saturday, February 24 and will be live streamed on Arizona State's Pac-12 Live Stream.The outing will also serve as senior night, as lone senior Nichelle Christopherson will be honored alongside her family at the conclusion of the competition.
TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 17 Arizona State women's gymnastics team (5-4) kept it close with No. 13 Washington, but fell short, 197.025-196.575, Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena. In the effort the Gym Devils surpassed the 196+ mark for the fourth time this season recording a 196.575, which accounts for the 25th best team total in Gym Devil history.
"We definitely had some stand out performances today and it was great to get back above the 196 mark again," said Arizona State head coach Jay Santos. "We had some new routines in a few of our line ups and we didn't miss a beat scoring wise."
Recording event scores of 49.050, 49.300, 49.075, 49.150 on vault, bars, beam and floor, respectively, Arizona State surpassed the 49+ cumulative tally in each event for the third time this season.
Leading the Arizona State effort was three-time Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Week Cairo Leonard-Baker and 2012 French Olympian Anne Kuhm. Leonard-Baker tied for the all-around title with Washington's Hailey Burleson while also adding a pair of event titles on bars (9.950) and floor (9.900) The Oakland native has now accumulated nine individual titles on the season. Kuhm followed suit tying for third in the all-around with a career-best 39.425. She also added a second-place finish on bars with a 9.900.
Starting the meet on vault Leonard-Baker led the way matching her career-high of 9.850. Kuhm and Junior Morgan Wilson added a pair of 9.850's. Kuhm's routine marked a career-high for the French Olympian. The Gym Devils ended the rotation with a strong 49.050.
The visiting Huskies had a slight lead over the Gym Devils heading into the second rotation. ASU earned a stellar 49.300 on bars and were led by Leonard-Baker's 9.950, which tied her career-best. Kuhm added a career-high 9.900 while Wilson and sophomore Morgan Hart also added a pair of 9.850s respectively. This constituted a career-high for Wilson on bars.
At the halfway point, the Gym Devils took the lead from the Gym Dawgs pulling ahead, 98.350-98.325. ASU conquered the beam to earn a 49.075. In her season debut, Wilson led the Gym Devils with a career-best 9.850. All-around stars, Leonard-Baker and Kuhm, notched a pair pf 9.850s. Kuhm earned yet another career-high courtesy of the effort.
The Gym Devils capped off the meet with high-energy and powerful tumbling on floor to earn a 49.150. Leonard-Baker led the way with an impressive 9.900. Kuhm tied her career-best with a 9.875. Junior Kaitlyn Szafranski and sophomore Jessica Ginn added a pair of 9.800's to round out the event.
"While we are very pleased with the score of this meet, we did not execute the smaller details on beam and floor which kept us from pulling out the win," noted Santos. "We've had an exceptional first half of the season and we need to make sure we are building off of that momentum. We are looking forward to being home again next week as we prepare for another big conference showdown."
Up next, the Gym Devils will take on in-state rival Arizona for a pivotal Territorial Cup point in Wells Fargo Arena. The final home meet of the regular season is slated for a 4 p.m. MT start on Saturday, February 24 and will be live streamed on Arizona State's Pac-12 Live Stream.The outing will also serve as senior night, as lone senior Nichelle Christopherson will be honored alongside her family at the conclusion of the competition.