By Diana Ly, SDA Media Relations Student Assistant
TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 17 Arizona State Women's Gymnastics team will continue its postseason journey when it travels to State College, Pa., for the University Park Regional. The meet is slated for 1 p.m. PT start on Saturday, April 7. Competing as the No. 3 seed, the Maroon and Gold will make its first regional appearance as a team since 2014. The Gym Devils will be joined by No. 5 Florida, No. 8 Washington, West Virginia, Penn State, and New Hampshire.
Each regional site will feature six teams, four individual all-around competitors and two individual event specialists per event who have met the minimum Regional Qualifying Score (RQS).The top two teams at each site, along with the top two all-around competitors and event specialists who are not on a qualifying team, will advance to the NCAA Championships, held in Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Mo. on April 20 and 21.
Arizona State is seeking its first regional title since 2006 and 20th NCAA Championship appearance. Last season, Nichelle Christopherson represented the Gym Devils at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional as a balance beam specialist, where she scored a solid 9.800 on beam (16th place).
The Gym Devils are in the midst of stellar campaign and are coming off a sixth-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships, their best since 2014. Arizona State garnered a pair of conference recognitions as Gym Devil freshman standout Cairo Leonard-Baker was named Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year, while second-year head coach Jay Santos earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors. The first gymnast in program history to earn the honor, Leonard-Baker became just the second Gym Devil in Arizona State's illustrious history to earn yearly honors, joining Katie Freeland who netted Gymnast of the Year recognition in 1996. Santos became the 89th head coach in Sun Devil Athletics history to garner Pac-12 honors joining Arizona State legend and four-time honoree John Spini.
In the national standings, the Maroon and Gold have ranked in the Top-20 for 12 consecutive weeks, coming in at No. 17 in this week's Road to Nationals standings. ASU ranks among the top-30 in all four events, sitting at 23rd on balance beam (49.135), 24th on vault (49.065) and uneven bars (49.165), and 27th on floor exercise (49.185).
Tickets are on sale now through the Penn State Ticket Center. Tickets are $10 for general admission. Fans can purchase tickets online or by calling the Penn State Ticket Center at 1-800-NITTANY (1-800-648-8269).
The regional fields and predetermined host sites on the road to the 2018 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships are as follows:
Central Regional at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 3 p.m. PT:
Teams
1. No. 3 UCLA
2. No. 10 Arkansas
3. No. 15 Boise State
4. No. 25 Ohio State
5. Pittsburgh
6. Kent St.
North Central Regional at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), 2 p.m. PT:
Teams
1. No. 1 Oklahoma
2. No. 12 Kentucky
3. No. 13 Denver
4. No. 24 Minnesota
5. Iowa State
6. Iowa
Southeast Regional at North Carolina State (Raleigh, N.C.), 1 p.m. PT:
Teams
1. No. 2 LSU
2. No. 11 Nebraska
3. No. 14 Oregon State
4. No. 19 George Washington
5. No. 20 NC State
6. Maryland
West Regional at Utah (Salt Lake City, Utah), 3 p.m. PT:
Teams
1. No. 4 Utah
2. No. 9 California
3. No. 16 Auburn
4. No. 21 BYU
5. Stanford
6. Southern Utah
South Central Regional at Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Ala.), 2 p.m. PT:
Teams
1. No. 6 Alabama
2. No. 7 Michigan
3. No. 18 Georgia
4. No. 22 Missouri
5. No. 23 Illinois
6. Central Michigan
Northeast Regional at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 1 p.m. PT:
Teams
1. No. 5 Florida
2. No. 8 Washington
3. No. 17 Arizona St.
4. West Virginia
5. Penn State
6. New Hampshire
TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 17 Arizona State Women's Gymnastics team will continue its postseason journey when it travels to State College, Pa., for the University Park Regional. The meet is slated for 1 p.m. PT start on Saturday, April 7. Competing as the No. 3 seed, the Maroon and Gold will make its first regional appearance as a team since 2014. The Gym Devils will be joined by No. 5 Florida, No. 8 Washington, West Virginia, Penn State, and New Hampshire.
Each regional site will feature six teams, four individual all-around competitors and two individual event specialists per event who have met the minimum Regional Qualifying Score (RQS).The top two teams at each site, along with the top two all-around competitors and event specialists who are not on a qualifying team, will advance to the NCAA Championships, held in Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Mo. on April 20 and 21.
Arizona State is seeking its first regional title since 2006 and 20th NCAA Championship appearance. Last season, Nichelle Christopherson represented the Gym Devils at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional as a balance beam specialist, where she scored a solid 9.800 on beam (16th place).
The Gym Devils are in the midst of stellar campaign and are coming off a sixth-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships, their best since 2014. Arizona State garnered a pair of conference recognitions as Gym Devil freshman standout Cairo Leonard-Baker was named Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year, while second-year head coach Jay Santos earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors. The first gymnast in program history to earn the honor, Leonard-Baker became just the second Gym Devil in Arizona State's illustrious history to earn yearly honors, joining Katie Freeland who netted Gymnast of the Year recognition in 1996. Santos became the 89th head coach in Sun Devil Athletics history to garner Pac-12 honors joining Arizona State legend and four-time honoree John Spini.
In the national standings, the Maroon and Gold have ranked in the Top-20 for 12 consecutive weeks, coming in at No. 17 in this week's Road to Nationals standings. ASU ranks among the top-30 in all four events, sitting at 23rd on balance beam (49.135), 24th on vault (49.065) and uneven bars (49.165), and 27th on floor exercise (49.185).
Tickets are on sale now through the Penn State Ticket Center. Tickets are $10 for general admission. Fans can purchase tickets online or by calling the Penn State Ticket Center at 1-800-NITTANY (1-800-648-8269).
The regional fields and predetermined host sites on the road to the 2018 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships are as follows:
Central Regional at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 3 p.m. PT:
Teams
1. No. 3 UCLA
2. No. 10 Arkansas
3. No. 15 Boise State
4. No. 25 Ohio State
5. Pittsburgh
6. Kent St.
North Central Regional at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), 2 p.m. PT:
Teams
1. No. 1 Oklahoma
2. No. 12 Kentucky
3. No. 13 Denver
4. No. 24 Minnesota
5. Iowa State
6. Iowa
Southeast Regional at North Carolina State (Raleigh, N.C.), 1 p.m. PT:
Teams
1. No. 2 LSU
2. No. 11 Nebraska
3. No. 14 Oregon State
4. No. 19 George Washington
5. No. 20 NC State
6. Maryland
West Regional at Utah (Salt Lake City, Utah), 3 p.m. PT:
Teams
1. No. 4 Utah
2. No. 9 California
3. No. 16 Auburn
4. No. 21 BYU
5. Stanford
6. Southern Utah
South Central Regional at Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Ala.), 2 p.m. PT:
Teams
1. No. 6 Alabama
2. No. 7 Michigan
3. No. 18 Georgia
4. No. 22 Missouri
5. No. 23 Illinois
6. Central Michigan
Northeast Regional at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 1 p.m. PT:
Teams
1. No. 5 Florida
2. No. 8 Washington
3. No. 17 Arizona St.
4. West Virginia
5. Penn State
6. New Hampshire