No. 12 Arizona State at No. 13 Oregon State
Saturday, Feb. 3 | 3:30 p.m. MST
Watch: Pac-12 Network/Arizona | https://pac-12.com/womens-gymnastics/event/2018/02/03/arizona-state-oregon-state
Live Stats: https://static.osubeavers.com/custompages/GYM/20180203.htm
Gym Devils Head To Corvallis For Top-15 Showdown With No. 13 Oregon State
The No. 12 Gym Devils (5-1) travel to Corvallis, Ore. for a top-15 showdown with No. 13 Oregon State on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 3:30 p.m. MST. Arizona State's meeting with the Beavers constitutes its fifth this season against a top-25 ranked opponent, its previous four coming against No. 15 Iowa State and No. 16 Auburn on Jan. 6, No. 18 West Virginia on Jan. 14 and No. 20 Stanford on Jan. 20.
Follow Along On Social
Fans can also follow the action on Twitter @SunDevilGym and on Instagram @SunDevilGymnastics. Fans are encouraged to tweet with #SunDevilPower in support of the 2018 Gym Devils.
For a third consecutive week Gym Devil standout freshman Cairo Leonard-Baker netted Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the week honors, as announced by the league office Tuesday afternoon. By virtue of again garnering the recognition, the Oakland, Calif. native becomes the first gymnast in Arizona State program history to net conference honors in back-to-back-to-back awards cycles. Just four meets into her collegiate career, Leonard-Baker joins Ashley Kelly and Laura Moon as one of three gymnasts in Arizona State's illustrious lineage of greats to earn multiple weekly conference honors. Buoying a historic Gym Devil effort, Leonard-Baker recorded a career-high 39.575 in the all-around to share the title with Cal's Toni-Ann Williams in Arizona State's 196.800-194.850 victory over visiting California this past Sunday. The tally puts her at No. 26 (tie) in the record book for the best all-around score in school history. Leonard-Baker netted three career-highs by adding a bar title with a score of 9.950 and a pair of second-place finishes on vault (9.850) and floor (9.925), respectively. Arizona State's 196.800 effort constitutes the program's best team tally since the Gym Devils recorded a 197.750 vs. Iowa State (March 10, 2006), which is the 19th best team total in Gym Devil history.
In The Rankings
Through four weeks of competition Arizona State checks in at No. 12 in the Road to Nationals team standings. On an event basis the Gym Devils rank 18th on vault (48.925), eighth on bars (49.063), 13th on beam (49.013), and 17th on floor (49.050). The last time the Gym Devils placed in the top ten on any event was Week 3 of the 2015 collegiate gymnastics season with a ranking of No. 10 on bars (48.963). Week 3 of the collegiate gymnastics season, the Gym Devils ranked at No. 14. Week 2 of the collegiate gymnastics season constituted the team's highest rank of the season coming in at No. 11 after the Gym Devils defeated then No. 16 West Virginia By virtue of their season-opening 194.674, the Gym Devils concluded. Week 1 of the collegiate gymnastics season, the Gym Devils ranked at No. 14. Arizona State checked in at No. 31 in the NACGC/W preseason coaches poll released in December, jumping 10 slots from its 2017 postseason ranking of No. 41. The 10- spot move constituted the most significant rise in the rankings over that span. Collectively, the Pac-12 Conference proved well-represented in the rankings as six of its eight programs appear within the Top-25. Arizona State was selected to finish eighth in the preseason Pac-12 women's gymnastics poll. Reigning conference champion UCLA tops the league list, announced in mid-December.
Last Time Out
Last time out, the No. 12 Arizona State women's gymnastics team (5-1) posted their highest team total since 2006 on their way to earning their second victory over a Pac-12 opponent Sunday afternoon in Wells Fargo Arena. The team's 196.800 effort over the visiting California Bears' 194.850 constitutes the program's best team tally since the Gym Devils recorded a 197.750 vs. Iowa State. It also accounts for the 19th best team total in Gym Devil history. Recording event scores of 49.100, 49.325, 49.125 and 49.250 on vault, bars, beam and floor, respectively, Arizona State surpassed the 49+ cumulative tally on each event for the second time this season (the first being their road opener at West Virginia). The Gym Devils have also surpassed the 196+ mark in three consecutive weeks for the first time since 2006. Leading the Arizona State effort was three-time Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Week Cairo Leonard-Baker with a career-high all-around score 39.575. This puts her at No. 26 (tie) in the record book for the best all-around score in school history. Leonard-Baker also tied for the all-around victory with Cal's Toni-Ann Williams. Leonard-Baker also added a bar title to follow suit.
Season Prospectus
Announced in October, Arizona State's gauntlet of a 2018 slate sees the Gym Devils take on five programs — Oklahoma, Utah, Washington, Denver and Oregon State — who all advanced to compete in the 2017 National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Championships. In addition to the aforementioned teams, the Gym Devils will face off with five other squads that capped the 2017 season ranked nationally in the Top-25 including Auburn, California, Iowa, Arkansas and West Virginia. Following their season-opening quad-meet on Jan. 6, the Gym Devils will hit the road to face off against Big 12 member West Virginia on Jan. 14.
Up next, the Gym Devils will pay a visit to defending Pac-12 Champion Utah on Feb. 9. The meet is slated to be broadcast live Pac-12 Networks.
Arizona State will host back-to-back home meets the following weekends, welcoming Washington on Saturday, Feb. 17, followed by Arizona on Saturday, Feb. 24. The Gym Devils' outing with Washington will be televised on Pac-12 Networks, while Arizona State's matchup with in-state rival Arizona represents a rematch of the teams' 2017 meet that saw the Gym Devils capture a 195.700-195.375 over the then-No. 23 Wildcats.
ASU will again hit the road for a Saturday, March 3 meet against Minnesota before traveling to Norman, Okla., for another quad-meet against Oklahoma, Denver and Arkansas on March 9. The meet will be hosted by two-time defending national champion Oklahoma. Denver is also coming off an impressive season in which it qualified for the NCAA National Championships. Additionally, Arkansas finished last season ranked in the Top-25.
Arizona State will then cap the 2018 non-conference slate by competing in a Sacramento State-hosted quad-meet with UC Davis and Pac-12 counterpart Oregon State on Friday, March 16.
The Pac-12 season will conclude on Saturday, March 24 with Arizona set to host the 2018 Pac-12 Championships.
Returners
The Gym Devils return 22 routines and 12 letterwinners from 2017. Senior leader Nichelle Christopherson constitutes the lone senior on the roster while juniors Corinne Belkoff, Justine Callis, Heather Udowitch, Katelyn Lentz and Morgan Wilson return for their respective third seasons with the program. The Gym Devils also return six sophomores in Averie Brook, Jessica Ginn, Morgan Hart, Mekayla Jones, Graycee Rushton, and Ashley Szafranski.
Newcomers
The offseason proved generous for the Gym Devils, who welcomed a pair of high-caliber collegiate transfers in Anne Kuhm (University of Paris-Dauphine/Junior) and Kaitlyn Szafranski (Louisiana State University/Junior) and a pair of freshmen — Cairo Leonard-Baker (Oakland, Calif.) and Maya Williams (Reistertown, Md.) — expected to elevate the program immediately.
Olympic Flair
Junior Gym Devil Anne Kuhm joins the Arizona State program with international competition experience to her credit. A member of the French national team since 2009, she competed in the 2012 London Olympics for Team France, which finished in 11th place. Kuhm was selected as a reserve for the all-around final. She participated in the 2012 & 2016 Olympic Test Event, helping France qualify a full team to the Olympics on both occasions. Most recently, Kuhm was selected as an alternate for France in the 2016 Rio Olympics. She also earned further international experience competing for France at the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow. Kuhm is a two-time French national all-around champion (2011 and 2012). She also finished second at the National Championships on bars and floor. In 2011, Kuhm was the French Junior National Champion in the all-around.
2018 Sun Devil Gymnastics Remaining Home Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 17 — Washington — 11:30 a.m. MST (Wells Fargo Arena)
Saturday, Feb. 24 — Arizona — 4 p.m. MST (Wells Fargo Arena)
Baskett Joins #GymDevil Staff
Arizona State gymnastics head coach Jay Santos announced in August the addition of former national champion and 12-time All-American Kristina Baskett to the Sun Devil coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2018 season. Baskett compiled a prolific career as a gymnast at the University of Utah. She competed as a member of the Red Rocks program from 2006-09, helping to pace the squad to three consecutive second-place national finishes. She most notably won the 2006 NCAA uneven bar title as a freshman. She also received second-team All-America honors on vault at the 2006 NCAA Championships. A highly-decorated competitor for the Red Rocks, Baskett also earned silver medals on vault in 2008 and in the all-around in 2009. Baskett comes to Tempe after recently serving as a stunt double in a number of renowned TV series and blockbuster movies. Baskett has accumulated 63 total credits in her professional acting career, while making appearances in popular films such as Jason Bourne and Olympus Has Fallen.
2017 In Retrospect
Under first-year head coach Jay Santos, the Gym Devils finished the 2017 season 3-10 and 1-5 in conference play. The team saw tremendous growth on the season, hitting a season-high team score in five of six consecutive meets including a season-high 195.700 at Arizona. The Gym Devils scored 195+ in four separate meets, the first time that has happened since the 2014 season. The team showed significant improvement on bars and beam from the 2016 season. The team's bars regional qualifying score increased from a 48.24 in 2016 to a 48.8 in 2017, while beam improved from 48.57 to 48.93. The Gym Devils finished the season ranked 29th in the country on beam. The Gym Devils also bested then-No. 23 Arizona for the program's first Pac-12 win since 2014 and the coveted Territorial Cup series point. At the Pac-12 Championship, the Gym Devils completed the season with a 195.600, their second-highest team score of the season, plus a season-high 49.275 on beam in the final rotation, the highest team beam score since March 13, 2009. It was the second-highest team total for the program at a championship meet since 2004 when the Gym Devils scored a 196.775.
Saturday, Feb. 3 | 3:30 p.m. MST
Watch: Pac-12 Network/Arizona | https://pac-12.com/womens-gymnastics/event/2018/02/03/arizona-state-oregon-state
Live Stats: https://static.osubeavers.com/custompages/GYM/20180203.htm
Gym Devils Head To Corvallis For Top-15 Showdown With No. 13 Oregon State
The No. 12 Gym Devils (5-1) travel to Corvallis, Ore. for a top-15 showdown with No. 13 Oregon State on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 3:30 p.m. MST. Arizona State's meeting with the Beavers constitutes its fifth this season against a top-25 ranked opponent, its previous four coming against No. 15 Iowa State and No. 16 Auburn on Jan. 6, No. 18 West Virginia on Jan. 14 and No. 20 Stanford on Jan. 20.
Follow Along On Social
Fans can also follow the action on Twitter @SunDevilGym and on Instagram @SunDevilGymnastics. Fans are encouraged to tweet with #SunDevilPower in support of the 2018 Gym Devils.
Scouting The Opposition | No. 13 Oregon St (2-1, 1-1 Pac-12)
The Oregon State Beavers are led by head coach, Tanya Chaplin and Associate Head Coach, Michael Chaplin, who both enter their 21st season in their respective positions... T. Chaplin owns the most wins in the gymnastics program's history with 318 and has a stellar career record of 313-139-3 in the regular season and 389-223-3 overall… She has led the Beavers to 12 NCAA Championships (2000-2002, 2006-2012, 2015, 2017) and two Pac 10/12 Championship titles (2011, 2013)… T. Chaplin's illustrious career at the helm has earned her many coaching honors, including: four-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1999, 2005, 2008, 2010) and 2011 NACGC West Region Co-Coach of the Year (with husband, Michael Chaplin)… Coming off a year in which the Beavers returned to the NCAA Championships and finished No. 11 in the national rankings, Oregon State is ranked No. 13 (just behind the Sun Devils) after the fourth week of the NCAA season… Oregon State's young roster is led by veterans Dani Dessaints (All-American - VT), Mckenna Singley, and Mary Jacobsen; along with sophomore sensations Maela Lazaro, Sabrina Gil, and Isis Lowery. The Beavers welcome talented newcomers Kaitlyn Yanish, Savanna Force, and Niya Mack.
Raising The Bar
- With a 5-1 record to their credit, the Gym Devils are off to their best since 2014.
- Arizona State has ranked in the top-15 nationally for four consecutive weeks, checking in at No. 12 in this week's Road to Nationals standings. The Gym Devils are currently ranked third in the Pac-12 Conference. The squad also ranks in the top-25 nationally in each event, sitting at 8th on bars, 13th on beam, 17th on floor and 18th on vault. The last time the Gym Devils placed in the top ten on any event was Week 3 of the 2015 NCAA gymnastics season with a ranking of No. 10 on bars (48.963). Prior to the 2018 season the Gym Devils had not ranked in the top-25 since the 2013 season (24th) and not appeared in the top-15 since 2006 (9).
- The Gym Devils have knocked off four ranked opponents on the season - No. 14 Auburn, No. 20 Iowa, No. 14 West Virginia, No. 20 Stanford - marking the first time since 2006 that the squad has accomplished the feat.
- Arizona State is one of seven Pac-12 programs ranked nationally. Joining the No. 12 Gym Devils in the honor are No. 3 Utah, No. 4 UCLA, No. 13 Oregon State, No. 15 Washington, No. 19 Arizona and No. 21 Stanford.
- Recording team totals of 196.475 at No. 16 West Virginia on Jan. 14, 196.250 at No. 20 Stanford on Jan. 20 and 196.800 versus Cal on Jan. 28 the Gym Devils have surpassed the 196+ mark in three consecutive meets for the first time since 2006.
- Arizona State's 196.800 effort in their Pac-12 home opener with California on Jan. 28 constitutes the program's best team tally since the Gym Devils recorded a 197.750 vs. Iowa State on Mar. 10, 2006. It also accounts for the 19th best team total in Gym Devil history.
- Vault: Team - 49.100 vs. California Jan. 28 (highest since 2/22/14 against Arizona (49.125)) | Individual - 9.850, Morgan Wilson/Cairo Leonard-Baker vs. California Jan. 28
- Bars: Team - 49.3250 vs. California Jan. 28 (highest since 2/24/06 at UNO's Classic (49.500)) | Individual - 9.950, Cairo Leonard vs. California Jan. 28
- Beam: Team - 49.3250 at Stanford Jan. 20 (highest since 3/13/09 at UNO's Classic (49.350)) | Individual - 9.900, Katelyn Lentz (at Stanford)/Ashley Szafranski (at West Virginia)
- Floor: Team - 49.2500 vs. California Jan. 28 (highest since 2/22/2016 against Arizona (49.250)) | Individual - 9.925, Cairo Leonard-Baker vs. California Jan. 28
- All-Around: Team - 196.800 vs. California Jan. 28 (highest since 3/10/06 against Iowa State (197.750)) | Individual - 39.575 Cairo Leonard-Baker vs. California Jan. 28
For a third consecutive week Gym Devil standout freshman Cairo Leonard-Baker netted Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the week honors, as announced by the league office Tuesday afternoon. By virtue of again garnering the recognition, the Oakland, Calif. native becomes the first gymnast in Arizona State program history to net conference honors in back-to-back-to-back awards cycles. Just four meets into her collegiate career, Leonard-Baker joins Ashley Kelly and Laura Moon as one of three gymnasts in Arizona State's illustrious lineage of greats to earn multiple weekly conference honors. Buoying a historic Gym Devil effort, Leonard-Baker recorded a career-high 39.575 in the all-around to share the title with Cal's Toni-Ann Williams in Arizona State's 196.800-194.850 victory over visiting California this past Sunday. The tally puts her at No. 26 (tie) in the record book for the best all-around score in school history. Leonard-Baker netted three career-highs by adding a bar title with a score of 9.950 and a pair of second-place finishes on vault (9.850) and floor (9.925), respectively. Arizona State's 196.800 effort constitutes the program's best team tally since the Gym Devils recorded a 197.750 vs. Iowa State (March 10, 2006), which is the 19th best team total in Gym Devil history.
In The Rankings
Through four weeks of competition Arizona State checks in at No. 12 in the Road to Nationals team standings. On an event basis the Gym Devils rank 18th on vault (48.925), eighth on bars (49.063), 13th on beam (49.013), and 17th on floor (49.050). The last time the Gym Devils placed in the top ten on any event was Week 3 of the 2015 collegiate gymnastics season with a ranking of No. 10 on bars (48.963). Week 3 of the collegiate gymnastics season, the Gym Devils ranked at No. 14. Week 2 of the collegiate gymnastics season constituted the team's highest rank of the season coming in at No. 11 after the Gym Devils defeated then No. 16 West Virginia By virtue of their season-opening 194.674, the Gym Devils concluded. Week 1 of the collegiate gymnastics season, the Gym Devils ranked at No. 14. Arizona State checked in at No. 31 in the NACGC/W preseason coaches poll released in December, jumping 10 slots from its 2017 postseason ranking of No. 41. The 10- spot move constituted the most significant rise in the rankings over that span. Collectively, the Pac-12 Conference proved well-represented in the rankings as six of its eight programs appear within the Top-25. Arizona State was selected to finish eighth in the preseason Pac-12 women's gymnastics poll. Reigning conference champion UCLA tops the league list, announced in mid-December.
Last Time Out
Last time out, the No. 12 Arizona State women's gymnastics team (5-1) posted their highest team total since 2006 on their way to earning their second victory over a Pac-12 opponent Sunday afternoon in Wells Fargo Arena. The team's 196.800 effort over the visiting California Bears' 194.850 constitutes the program's best team tally since the Gym Devils recorded a 197.750 vs. Iowa State. It also accounts for the 19th best team total in Gym Devil history. Recording event scores of 49.100, 49.325, 49.125 and 49.250 on vault, bars, beam and floor, respectively, Arizona State surpassed the 49+ cumulative tally on each event for the second time this season (the first being their road opener at West Virginia). The Gym Devils have also surpassed the 196+ mark in three consecutive weeks for the first time since 2006. Leading the Arizona State effort was three-time Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Week Cairo Leonard-Baker with a career-high all-around score 39.575. This puts her at No. 26 (tie) in the record book for the best all-around score in school history. Leonard-Baker also tied for the all-around victory with Cal's Toni-Ann Williams. Leonard-Baker also added a bar title to follow suit.
Season Prospectus
Announced in October, Arizona State's gauntlet of a 2018 slate sees the Gym Devils take on five programs — Oklahoma, Utah, Washington, Denver and Oregon State — who all advanced to compete in the 2017 National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Championships. In addition to the aforementioned teams, the Gym Devils will face off with five other squads that capped the 2017 season ranked nationally in the Top-25 including Auburn, California, Iowa, Arkansas and West Virginia. Following their season-opening quad-meet on Jan. 6, the Gym Devils will hit the road to face off against Big 12 member West Virginia on Jan. 14.
Up next, the Gym Devils will pay a visit to defending Pac-12 Champion Utah on Feb. 9. The meet is slated to be broadcast live Pac-12 Networks.
Arizona State will host back-to-back home meets the following weekends, welcoming Washington on Saturday, Feb. 17, followed by Arizona on Saturday, Feb. 24. The Gym Devils' outing with Washington will be televised on Pac-12 Networks, while Arizona State's matchup with in-state rival Arizona represents a rematch of the teams' 2017 meet that saw the Gym Devils capture a 195.700-195.375 over the then-No. 23 Wildcats.
ASU will again hit the road for a Saturday, March 3 meet against Minnesota before traveling to Norman, Okla., for another quad-meet against Oklahoma, Denver and Arkansas on March 9. The meet will be hosted by two-time defending national champion Oklahoma. Denver is also coming off an impressive season in which it qualified for the NCAA National Championships. Additionally, Arkansas finished last season ranked in the Top-25.
Arizona State will then cap the 2018 non-conference slate by competing in a Sacramento State-hosted quad-meet with UC Davis and Pac-12 counterpart Oregon State on Friday, March 16.
The Pac-12 season will conclude on Saturday, March 24 with Arizona set to host the 2018 Pac-12 Championships.
Returners
The Gym Devils return 22 routines and 12 letterwinners from 2017. Senior leader Nichelle Christopherson constitutes the lone senior on the roster while juniors Corinne Belkoff, Justine Callis, Heather Udowitch, Katelyn Lentz and Morgan Wilson return for their respective third seasons with the program. The Gym Devils also return six sophomores in Averie Brook, Jessica Ginn, Morgan Hart, Mekayla Jones, Graycee Rushton, and Ashley Szafranski.
Newcomers
The offseason proved generous for the Gym Devils, who welcomed a pair of high-caliber collegiate transfers in Anne Kuhm (University of Paris-Dauphine/Junior) and Kaitlyn Szafranski (Louisiana State University/Junior) and a pair of freshmen — Cairo Leonard-Baker (Oakland, Calif.) and Maya Williams (Reistertown, Md.) — expected to elevate the program immediately.
Olympic Flair
Junior Gym Devil Anne Kuhm joins the Arizona State program with international competition experience to her credit. A member of the French national team since 2009, she competed in the 2012 London Olympics for Team France, which finished in 11th place. Kuhm was selected as a reserve for the all-around final. She participated in the 2012 & 2016 Olympic Test Event, helping France qualify a full team to the Olympics on both occasions. Most recently, Kuhm was selected as an alternate for France in the 2016 Rio Olympics. She also earned further international experience competing for France at the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow. Kuhm is a two-time French national all-around champion (2011 and 2012). She also finished second at the National Championships on bars and floor. In 2011, Kuhm was the French Junior National Champion in the all-around.
2018 Sun Devil Gymnastics Remaining Home Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 17 — Washington — 11:30 a.m. MST (Wells Fargo Arena)
Saturday, Feb. 24 — Arizona — 4 p.m. MST (Wells Fargo Arena)
Baskett Joins #GymDevil Staff
Arizona State gymnastics head coach Jay Santos announced in August the addition of former national champion and 12-time All-American Kristina Baskett to the Sun Devil coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2018 season. Baskett compiled a prolific career as a gymnast at the University of Utah. She competed as a member of the Red Rocks program from 2006-09, helping to pace the squad to three consecutive second-place national finishes. She most notably won the 2006 NCAA uneven bar title as a freshman. She also received second-team All-America honors on vault at the 2006 NCAA Championships. A highly-decorated competitor for the Red Rocks, Baskett also earned silver medals on vault in 2008 and in the all-around in 2009. Baskett comes to Tempe after recently serving as a stunt double in a number of renowned TV series and blockbuster movies. Baskett has accumulated 63 total credits in her professional acting career, while making appearances in popular films such as Jason Bourne and Olympus Has Fallen.
2017 In Retrospect
Under first-year head coach Jay Santos, the Gym Devils finished the 2017 season 3-10 and 1-5 in conference play. The team saw tremendous growth on the season, hitting a season-high team score in five of six consecutive meets including a season-high 195.700 at Arizona. The Gym Devils scored 195+ in four separate meets, the first time that has happened since the 2014 season. The team showed significant improvement on bars and beam from the 2016 season. The team's bars regional qualifying score increased from a 48.24 in 2016 to a 48.8 in 2017, while beam improved from 48.57 to 48.93. The Gym Devils finished the season ranked 29th in the country on beam. The Gym Devils also bested then-No. 23 Arizona for the program's first Pac-12 win since 2014 and the coveted Territorial Cup series point. At the Pac-12 Championship, the Gym Devils completed the season with a 195.600, their second-highest team score of the season, plus a season-high 49.275 on beam in the final rotation, the highest team beam score since March 13, 2009. It was the second-highest team total for the program at a championship meet since 2004 when the Gym Devils scored a 196.775.