TEMPE, Ariz.--The Arizona State gymnastics team will hit the road for the first time in 2016 on Friday, heading to Norman, Okla., for a tri-meet against No. 2 Oklahoma and Iowa State at 5:45 p.m. MT/6:45 p.m. CT at the Lloyd Noble Center.
The meet will air on FOX Sports Southwest Plus and FOX College Sports Pacific, and also streamed on the FOX Sports Go app with proper TV provider login. Kelly Garrison Funderbunk and Bill Doleman will be on the call for the meet.
Fans can also follow along on Twitter by following @ASUGymnastics. Fans are encouraged to tweet with #EmbraceExcellence in support of the 2016 Gym Devils.
Additionally, the Sooners will share the floor with their wrestling team as part of their annual Beauty and the Beast meet. Oklahoma wrestling will take on Iowa State wrestling. The Sun Devil wrestling team upset Iowa State on Friday, Jan. 15, picking up their first win over the Cyclones since 2004.
ABOUT OKLAHOMA
The Sooners topped 197 points for the second week in a row, topping Arkansas on the road, 197.050 to 195.900. Oklahoma swept each of the four rotations, including a high of 49.400 on vault.
AJ Jackson won the vault competition with a high score of 9.95, while McKenzie Wofford split the bars title with Arkansas’ Paige Zaziski at 9.9. On beam, Chayse Capps won with a 9.925, while Haley Scaman scored 9.9 to win floor. Keeley Kmieciak won the all-around competition at 39.400.
ABOUT IOWA STATE
The Cyclones won the Ozone Collegiate Gymnastics Classic last week, topping Southeastern Missouri State, Pittsburgh, and Air Force with their score of 194.200. Iowa State also recorded the top team scores on vault, bars, and floor.
Individually, the Cyclones picked up wins on uneven bars by Hilary Green with a 9.875 and Haylee Young, who recorded the win on beam at 9.825 and was part of a two-way tie for the win on floor exercise with a 9.900.
LAST TIME OUT
The Sun Devils set season bests on vault and floor in their Pac-12 opener on Monday against Washington, but fell to the Huskies, 194.650 to 192.450.
With upgrades on vault by seniors Taylor Allex and Carissa Kraus, the Gym Devils scored a season high of 48.500. Allex led the Gym Devils and tied her career high with a 9.900, the highest score of the meet. After the first rotation the Gym Devils led the Huskies by a score of 48.500 to 48.325.
Allex led the Gym Devils on floor, again with a 9.900, winning the event and boasting a career high. Her previous best, 9.825, was set last season. Senior Allie Salas followed with a 9.825 to help the Gym Devils post a season high 48.900 team floor score.
The freshman Gym Devils lead the way on beam again with three of the top scores. Katelyn Lentz had the team-high and a career high with a 9.800. Morgan Wilson and Heather Udowitch added a pair of 9.700s as the Gym Devils finished with a total beam score of 47.800.
On bars, Salas had the highest score for the Gym Devils with a 9.675.
UP NEXT
The Sun Devils remain on the road next week, traveling to Corvallis, Ore., to take on Oregon State on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 4 p.m. PT/5 p.m. MT.
Gym Devils Post All-Time High Team GPA In Fall 2015
The Fall 2015 semester was a time of academic success for the GymDevils as the team achieved its all-time highest cumulative and semester GPA, it was announced this week.
Last spring, the team ended with a GPA of 3.27 for the semester, which improved after the 2015 fall semester to a GPA of 3.51. In addition to the team’s collective achievements, seniors Taylor Allex (3.65 GPA) and Kristine Levin (3.27 GPA) and junior Beka Conrad (3.67 GPA) all earned their highest semester GPA.
Freshman Corinne Belkoff had the team’s highest semester GPA at 3.93. Belkoff, as well as freshmen Katelyn Lentz, Heather Udowitch and Eileen Imbus are all students in Barrett, the Honors College.
THE 2016 RETURNERS
ASU returns five gymnasts from last year’s lineup, with seniors Taylor Allex, Carissa Kraus, Kristine Levin, and Allie Salas ready to lead the program. Also back is beam and floor specialist Beka Conrad.
Last season, Allex competed in just her second all-around of the season at the NCAA Regional in Norman, Okla.
THE 2016 NEWCOMERS
The Gym Devils are set to field a young roster in 2016, with six freshmen expected to contribute to the lineup: Corinne Belkoff (Tucson, Ariz./Arizona Dynamics), Justine Callis (Chesapeake, Va./Oaktree Academy), Eileen Imbus (San Antonio, Texas (Aerial Athletics), Katelyn Lentz (Brisbane, Calif./Head Over Heels Athletic Arts), Heather Udowitch (Spring Creek Academy), and Morgan Wilson (Lee’s Summit, Mo./Diamond Gymnastics Academy).
THE 2016 SCHEDULE
ASU will resume Pac-12 competition at Oregon State on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 5 p.m. MT, followed by a meet at Stanford on Monday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. MT.
On Monday, Feb. 15, ASU will return home to host California on Monday, Feb. 15, before taking on the rival Arizona Wildcats on Monday, Feb. 22. Both matches are slated for a 7 p.m. MT start.
ASU will return to the road for the final time in the Pac-12 regular-season slate on Saturday, Feb. 27 at UCLA before rounding out the home schedule on Friday, March 4.
During the home finale, ASU will host both Penn State’s women’s and men’s program in a double-dual with the Arizona State men’s gymnastics team.
The final regular-season meet is slated for Friday, Match 11 at Auburn, and on the following Saturday, March 19, ASU will make the trek up to Seattle, Wash., for the 2016 Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships.
GYM DEVILS ON THE PAC-12 NETWORKS
Each of ASU’s three home conference meets (vs. Washington, vs. California, and vs. Arizona) will air on the Pac-12 Networks. The Gym Devils’ meet at UCLA will also be televised on the Pac-12 Networks, as will the sessions of the 2016 Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships.
THE 2015 CAMPAIGN
Despite being plagued by injuries throughout most of the 2015 season, the Sun Devils bounced back in their regular season finale with a 195.175-191.050 victory over Air Force.
Following competition at the Pac-12 Championships, then-senior Natasha Sundby (floor) and then-junior Taylor Allex (all-around) qualified to compete at the NCAA Regional championships.
DR. RENE LYST
Rene Lyst was named head coach of the Arizona State women’s gymnastics team in May of 2014, and enters her second season at the helm of the Sun Devil program in 2016. Lyst helped the Razorbacks have qualified for 11 NCAA Regionals as a team, seven NCAA Championship appearances, five top-10 finishes, and two NCAA Super Six appearances.