March 24, 2001
SEATTLE, Wash. -- Failing to score a 9.8-or-better in two events, Arizona State's No. 8 women's gymnastics team finished the Pacific-10 Conference Championships in fifth-place at Bank of America Arena, Saturday.
In front of 3,094 fans, No. 6 Stanford became the first team other than ASU to defeat No. 1 UCLA this season, winning the conference title by a slim 197.85-197.8 margin. Meet host Washington (197.475) rounded out the top-three ahead of Oregon State (196.550), ASU (195.725), Arizona (195.525) and California (193.750), respectively.
Sophomore Cassidy Vreeke led a Sun Devil rally in the final rotation, scoring a career-best 9.95 on the floor exercise, which tied for second overall. Senior Kristin Fanning and sophomore Ashley Ellsberry were just behind with marks of 9.925 and 9.9, as ASU tallied its best event score of the night and third-best floor score of the season at 49.475.
Despite the strong finish, the Sun Devils were hindered by a slow start in which Vreeke's 9.775 stood as the team-high on vault. Although also scoring no lower than Kelly Cowley's 9.7 in the event, it was the first time since its second meet of the season vs. OSU (Jan. 19) that ASU failed to score a 9.8 or better on an apparatus.
Things started to improve with the rotation to the uneven bars where junior Laura Moon scored a 9.9, and sophomore Margaret Wojciak and Fanning added scores of 9.85 and 9.825, respectively. Notching a team total of 49.100, ASU had a two-event total of 97.875 and trailed only UCLA, Stanford and Washington.
However, the Sun Devil turnaround took another misstep on beam. Experiencing two falls, ASU again failed to score a 9.8 or better. Ellsberry and freshman Maggie Germaine contributed team-leading 9.775s, but it wasn't enough, leaving ASU with its second-worst score on the apparatus this season: 48.375.
The Sun Devils have two weeks to regroup for the NCAA Regionals, April 7, however much attention will be paid Monday, March 26, when the regional pairings are announced.
ASU Results
Vault -- 48.775
Vreeke 9.775, Cox 9.75, Germaine 9.75, Moon 9.75, Skinner 9.75, Cowley 9.7
Bars -- 49.100
Moon 9.9, Wojciak 9.85, Fanning 9.825, Germaine 9.775, Skinner 9.75, Cowley 9.275
Beam -- 48.375
Ellsberry 9.775, Germaine 9.775, Vreeke 9.7, Wojciak 9.65, Moon 9.475, Robinette 9.4
Floor -- 49.475 Vreeke 9.95, Fanning 9.925, Ellsberry 9.9, Germaine 9.875, Moon 9.825, Cowley 9.3