TEMPE, Ariz.—The Arizona State gymnastics team (1-9, 0-6 Pac-12) is set to round out the regular season on Friday, traveling to Auburn, Ala. to face the No. 7-ranked Tigers (7-5, 4-3 SEC) at 6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT.
The meet will air on SEC Network+/WatchESPN. Fans can also follow along on Twitter by following @ASUGymnastics. Fans are encouraged to tweet with #EmbraceExcellence in support of the 2016 Gym Devils.
ABOUT AUBURN
The Tigers set a program record road score last week, defeating then-No. 10 Georgia, 197.325 to 197.275.
Auburn posted a 49.350 on bars, led by Abby Millet’s 9.950, while Kait Kulz posted a season high 9.900. On vault, Auburn totaled a 49.375, a season high, led by MJ Rott’s score of 9.950, which tied for first. On floor, Kullen Hlawek tied her season high with a 9.900, and on beam, Auburn tied its season best team score at 49.300. Caitlin Atkinson posted a team high 9.925, a season best.
LAST TIME OUT
The Sun Devils posted their second-highest team score, a 194.625, in last week’s Senior Night meet against Penn State. ASU posted a season high on vault at 48.850, led by Taylor Allex’s 9.900, followed by Allie Salas’ 9.825.
A 48.725 team score on beam created another season high for the Gym Devils. Junior Beka Conrad led the team with her 9.800, followed by Udowitch’s 9.775. Senior Allie Salas posted a 9.725 on beam, tying her career high. Allex competed on beam in Wells Fargo Arena for the first time since the Washington meet in January, scoring a 9.700.
Allex hit a 9.925 on floor to win her second event on the evening, her fourth floor title on the season, and the fifth time she went 9.9+ in the regular season. Belkoff posted a 9.875 on floor for the fourth time this season to take second behind Allex. The Gym Devils posted a 48.800 team score on floor to finish out the meet.
In the all-around competition, Salas tied her career high 39.100, a mark she first hit this season against Arizona. Freshmen Belkoff and Udowitch both posted their own career bests, scoring a 39.100 and a 38.500, respectively.
UP NEXT
The Sun Devils will compete at the 2016 Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, March 19, hosted by Washington in Seattle. The first session is slated for a 1 p.m. MT start, with the second session to follow at 6 p.m. MT.
ASU’S 2016 EVENT LEADERS
Vault
In ASU’s Pac-12 opener, at home against Washington, Taylor Allex matched her career best score on vault, winning the event with a 9.900. The score marked the first time Allex has won vault this season. Allex has scored 9.900 two other times, against Arizona and Penn State.
Bars
Carissa Kraus owns three of ASU’s highest bars scores this season, led by her 9.850 from the meet against California on Feb. 15. Kraus scored a 9.800 at UCLA, and a 9.775 against Penn State.
Beam
Freshman Katelyn Lentz tied her season best score on beam against Arizona with a 9.825, which she also scored at Oregon State. Junior Beka Conrad scored a career high 9.825 against California, and matched that score again against Arizona. Also against the Bears, Corinne Belkoff posted the No. 3 mark at 9.800, which Lentz also scored against Washington.
Floor
Taylor Allex set a new career high on floor with a 9.950, tying for first place in the event in the meet against Cal. Against Arizona, Allex hit a 9.925, and also posted the same score against Penn State on March 4.
All Around
Corinne Belkoff and Allie Salas lead the Sun Devil all-arounders this season with their scores of 39.100. Belkoff scored her new high in the Penn State meet, as did Salas, who used that score to win her first all-around title in the meet against Arizona. Salas also scored a 39.050, the second-highest ASU score this season, to win the all-around competition at the meet at UCLA.
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
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.