March 9, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
The No. 26 Arizona State women's gymnastics team heads to Provo, Utah for a final dual meet against Brigham Young University. Boise State will also be competing in the tri-meet. The meet begins at 7:00 p.m. MT.
Gym Devils In the Rankings ---
Maintaining their RQS of 194.51, the Sun Devils dropped out of the top 25 this week. The Sun Devils remain in the top 15 on floor and are 22nd on bars. Additionally, Mary Atkinson is ranked 22nd in the all-around and 19th on vault.
30 Years of Spini ---
Arizona State University's longest currently tenured coach, John Spini, has entered his 30th year of coaching. In his 30 years at ASU, Spini has sent his Sun Devil teams to 20 NCAA Championships and has had at least one Sun Devil represent ASU at the NCAA Championships 24 out of 28 seasons. He has coached 26 All-Americans for a total of 80 All-American accolades. Six women have won individual NCAA titles under Spini. Additionally, nine of Spini's Sun Devil squads have finished in the top five at the NCAA Championships, including four teams (1983, 1985, 1986, 1997) who were runner-up. The Sun Devils have qualified for an NCAA regional each of the seasons Spini has been the ASU gymnastics skipper.
Scouting the Competition ---
Boise State is currently 22nd in the latest polls. The Broncos are 15th on vault and 20th on bars. BYU is 35th nationally. Individually, BSU's Hannah Redmon is 14th on vault.
Miss Mary ---
Atkinson has emerged into the nation's top all-arounders this season. Against Utah, the junior combined a career-best 39.5 thanks to three career-highs on vault (9.9), beam (9.8) and floor (9.9). She has been incredibly consistent on vault this season as she has scored her career-high of 9.9 four times this season. Bars and floor have also been strong events for Atkinson as she has garnered team-high 9.95 on bars and has been the team's top floorworker this season. She has been consistently improving on beam this season and is the team's anchor in the event.
Special Senior---
Kaitlynn Bormann nailed her bar-set in her final meet at Wells Fargo Arena. Thanks to her nice lines and perfectly stuck landing, the senior earned her first 9.9 of her career. Bormann has career-bests of 9.825 on beam and 9.8 on vault.
Leaving It All on the Floor ---
The Gym Devils have been ranked as high as 12th nationally on floor after achieving a season-best 49.275 against Stanford. Atkinson's elegant routine has garnered several high scores (including a career-best 9.9) while the crowd cannot help but dance along to Nickie Johnson's Lady Gaga routine, in which she has delivered a 9.9. Madison Snowden has wowed the crowd each week, including against Stanford and Central Michigan when she delivered a personal-best 9.9.
New Kids on the Block ---
The Gym Devils 2010 roster is full of new additions to the team. Six newcomers have already made the lineups this season. Nickie Johnson and Christina Salavec are both training in the all around. Carly McMahon earned a career-best 9.825 on vault at Washington. Amelia Rew, who just came to the team this month, is looking to be in the vault and potentially beam lineups. Freshman walk-on Jordyn McIntyre is working hard for a spot on the bars lineup. Another newcomer who will contribute significantly this season for the Gym Devils is sophomore transfer Amanda Davies who has been steady in the team's intrasquads this preseason. Madison Snowden has also been a powerful force on the floor as she has garnered three scores over 9.825 in three meets.
We're Cuckoo for Kahoku! --
Kahoku Palafox has emerged into quite the gymnast for the Gym Devils. Palafox, who has been a starter on bars since her first meet of her freshman season, nailed her bar routine against Arizona to tie for second with a career-best 9.9. Palafox has also been a strong beamworker for the Sun Devils. In ASU's final home meet of the season, Palafox garnered a career-high score of 9.85 on beam as well as a 9.85 on bars.
Super Frosh--
Three of the Gym Devils freshmen have been given spots in the lineup this season. Nickie Johnson competed on three events (Vault, Bars, Floor) this season while Christina Salavec performed on floor and beam. Amelia Rew also competed on vault. Johnson has earned scores of 9.85 on vault, 9.825 on bars and a 9.9 on floor. She has tied for first on floor twice with senior Mary Atkinson and once with Madison Snowden. Salavec has notched a 9.775 on beam and has also scored a career-best 9.75 on floor. She has yet to miss a routine but has been out for several weeks due to a toe injury.
Next Up ---
The team takes off a week of competition before heading down the I-10 for the Pacific-10 Championships in Tucson.