No. 17 Arizona State vs. Arizona
Saturday, Feb. 24 | 4 p.m. MST
Live Stream: http://pac-12.com/live/arizona-state-university-2
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=212236
Purchase Tickets: https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/sundevils/EN/buy/details/18WG04?_ga=2.128015050.737249067.1517847154-33258673.1503976164
No. 17 Gym Devils Set To Host In-State Rival Arizona
The No. 17 Gym Devils (5-4, 2-3 Pac-12) remain home to host in-state rival Arizona this upcoming Saturday at 4 p.m. MST. The outing will constitute the programs' Territorial Cup meet, while also representing Arizona State's 2018 home finale. Lone Gym Devil senior Nichelle Christopherson will be honored at the conclusion of the meet.
Follow Along On Social
Fans can follow the action on Twitter @SunDevilGym and on Instagram @SunDevilGymnastics. Fans are encouraged to tweet with #SunDevilPower in support of the 2018 Gym Devils.
Gym Devil standout freshman Cairo Leonard-Baker has yet again garnered Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Week honors, as announced by the league office Tuesday afternoon. The accolade constitutes her fourth this season, after the Oakland native nabbed the recognition in three consecutive awards cycles earlier this season. Just seven 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. She also becomes just the fifth gymnast in conference history to earn the title of Pac-12 Newcomer/Freshman of the Week on four separate occasions, joining the likes of California's Toni-Anne Williams, Utah's Sabrina Schwab and MyKayla Skinner, and UCLA's Katelyn Ohashi. Buoying yet another historic Gym Devil effort this past Saturday, Leonard-Baker tied for the all-around title (39.525) with Washington's Hailey Burleson to help Arizona State record a team cumulative 196.575, its 25th-best team total in program history. Posting career bests of 9.950 and 9.850 on bars and vault respectively, Leonard-Baker also managed event crowns on bars and floor moving her season event title total to nine.Through seven weeks of competition, Leonard-Baker ranks as the top freshman nationally in the all-around with a season average of 39.368 to her credit.
In The Rankings
Through seven weeks of competition, Arizona State maintains its Week 5-6 ranking at No. 17 in the Road to Nationals team standings. On an event basis, the Gym Devils rank 25th on vault (48.954), 13th on bars (48.032), 22nd on beam (48.854) and 21st on floor (49.050). For Week 5 and 6 of the season, the Gym Devils ranked No. 17. During Week 4 of the collegiate gymnastics season, the Gym Devils ranked No. 12 as they tallied a 196.800 in their Pac-12 home opener against California, constituting the program's best team tally since it recorded a 197.750 vs. Iowa State on March 10, 2006. It also accounts for the 19th-best team total in Gym Devil history. During Week 3 of the season, the Gym Devils ranked at No. 14. Week 2 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 ranked at No. 14. ASU 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 appeared 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 Gym Devils recorded their 25th-best team total in program history of 196.575, in a 197.025-196.575 loss to No. 13 Washington. Leading the Arizona State effort was four-time Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Week Cairo Leonard-Baker and 2012 French Olympian Anne Kuhm. Leonard-Baker tied for the all-around title with Washington's Hailey Burleson while also adding a pair of event titles on bars (9.950) and floor (9.900) The Oakland native has now accumulated nine individual titles on the season. Kuhm followed suit tying for third in the all-around with a career-best 39.425. She also added a second-place finish on bars with a 9.900.
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.
Up next, ASU will 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 Friday, 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. 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.
Academic Excellence
Academic excellence has become an integral standard within the Gym Devil program. In 2017, Arizona State placed seven student-athletes on Pac-12 All-Academic teams, while ten members of the squad garnered Scholastics All-American recognitions (NACGC/W). As a contingent, Arizona State gymnastics was one of seven Sun Devil programs recognized as an APR (Academic Progress Report) Top-10 percent performer in 2017. Exemplifying the team's academic excellence, the Gym Devils managed a perfect score of 1000.
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. 24 | 4 p.m. MST
Live Stream: http://pac-12.com/live/arizona-state-university-2
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=212236
Purchase Tickets: https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/sundevils/EN/buy/details/18WG04?_ga=2.128015050.737249067.1517847154-33258673.1503976164
No. 17 Gym Devils Set To Host In-State Rival Arizona
The No. 17 Gym Devils (5-4, 2-3 Pac-12) remain home to host in-state rival Arizona this upcoming Saturday at 4 p.m. MST. The outing will constitute the programs' Territorial Cup meet, while also representing Arizona State's 2018 home finale. Lone Gym Devil senior Nichelle Christopherson will be honored at the conclusion of the meet.
?? ?? ??...Saturday...4 p.m...T-cup point on the line...time to defend the ????#SunDevilPower #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/zZwFCP0lmB
— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) February 23, 2018
Follow Along On Social
Fans can 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. 71 Arizona (1-6, 1-4 Pac-12)
The Arizona Wildcats are led by interim head coach John Court, who is entering his first season in the position...Court has spent the past 19 seasons on the Arizona Gymnastics staff under previous head coaches Bill Ryden and Tabitha Yim (current Stanford head coach)… As an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, Court helped extend the program's streak of NCAA regional appearances to 31 consecutive years, including qualifying to the 2002 NCAA Championships… Coming off a year in which the Wildcats finished No. 26 in the final national rankings, Arizona is ranked No. 71 after the seventh week of the NCAA gymnastics season… Arizona's young and talented roster is led by veterans Madison Cindric, Kennady Schneider and Victoria Ortiz. Sophomore sensations Maddi Leydin and Christina Berg add depth as well. The Wildcats also welcome newcomers Payton Bellows, Adra Parks, Laura Leigh Horton and Sydney Freidin.
Meet Promotions
- Senior Night: The Gym Devils will pay tribute to lone senior Nichelle Christopherson post-meet. Stick around at the conclusion of the outing for a post-meet ceremony honoring Christopherson.
- Fan Appreciation Night: We appreciate your support this season and as a thank you are offering $3 tickets with the promo code THANKS at checkout. We are also giving away FREE pom poms while supplies last, so be sure to arrive early!
Raising The Bar
- Arizona State has ranked in the Top-20 nationally for seven consecutive weeks, checking in at No. 17 in this week's Road to Nationals standings. The Gym Devils currently rank fifth among Pac-12 squads. ASU also ranks in the Top-25 nationally in each event, sitting at 13th on bars, 21st on floor, 22nd on beam and 25th on vault. Prior to the 2018 season, the Gym Devils had not ranked in the Top-25 since the 2013 season (No. 24) and had not appeared in the Top-15 since 2006 (No. 9).
- The Gym Devils have knocked off four ranked opponents this season — No. 14 Auburn, No. 20 Iowa, No. 14 West Virginia and No. 20 Stanford — marking the first time since 2006 that the squad has accomplished the feat.
- Arizona State is one of six Pac-12 programs ranked nationally — the No. 17 Gym Devils are joined in the rankings by No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Utah, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 10 Washington, No. 21 California, and No. 22 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 vs. California on Jan. 28, the Gym Devils surpassed the 196+ mark in three consecutive meets for the first time since 2006. After recording a 196.575 vs. No. 10 Washington on Feb. 17 the team has now recorded four 196+ marks in a season for the first time since 2014.
- Arizona State's 196.800 effort in its Pac-12 home opener against California on Jan. 28 constitutes the program's best team tally since the Gym Devils recorded a 197.750 vs. Iowa State on March 10, 2006. It also accounts for the 19th-best team total in Gym Devil history.
- Standout Gym Devil freshman and four-time Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Week Cairo Leonard-Baker currently ranks in the Top-50 nationally in three event categories including the all-around (17th, 39.368), bars (10th, 9.893) and floor (30th, 9.870). Her season averages in the all-around and on bars mark collegiate bests among freshmen. On a conference basis, Leonard-Baker sits in second on bars, seventh in the all-around and 12th on floor.
- Gym Devil junior Morgan Wilson has proven reliable on vault for Arizona State this season, recording tallies of 9.8+ in the event in each of the team's seven meets. Her season average of 9.832 constitutes the 62nd best in the country.
- Vault: Team - 49.100 vs. California on Jan. 28 (highest since 2/22/14 against Arizona (49.125)) | Individual - 9.875, Morgan Wilson at Oregon State on Feb. 3
- Bars: Team - 49.325 vs. California on Jan. 28 (highest since 2/24/06 at UNO's Classic (49.500)) | Individual - 9.950, Cairo Leonard-Baker vs. California on Jan. 28 & vs. Washington on Feb. 17
- Beam: Team - 49.325 at Stanford on Jan. 20 (highest since 3/13/09 at UNO's Classic (49.350)) | Individual - 9.900, Katelyn Lentz at Stanford on Jan. 20/Ashley Szafranski at West Virginia on Jan. 14
- Floor: Team - 49.250 vs. California on Jan. 28 (highest since 2/22/2016 against Arizona (49.250)) | Individual - 9.925, Cairo Leonard-Baker vs. California on Jan. 28
- All-Around: Team - 196.800 vs. California on Jan. 28 (highest since 3/10/06 against Iowa State (197.750)) | Individual - 39.575, Cairo Leonard-Baker vs. California on Jan. 28
- Cairo Leonard-Baker (9): Bars at West Virginia, Jan. 14; Floor at West Virginia, Jan. 14; All-Around at West Virginia, Jan. 14; Bars vs. California, Jan. 28; All-Around vs. California, Jan. 28; Bars at Oregon State, Feb. 3; Bars vs. Washington, Feb. 17; Floor vs. Washington, Feb. 17; All-Around vs. Washington, Feb. 17.
- Morgan Wilson (1): Vault at Oregon State, Feb. 3
- Ashley Szafranski (1): Beam at West Virginia, Jan. 14.
Gym Devil standout freshman Cairo Leonard-Baker has yet again garnered Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Week honors, as announced by the league office Tuesday afternoon. The accolade constitutes her fourth this season, after the Oakland native nabbed the recognition in three consecutive awards cycles earlier this season. Just seven 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. She also becomes just the fifth gymnast in conference history to earn the title of Pac-12 Newcomer/Freshman of the Week on four separate occasions, joining the likes of California's Toni-Anne Williams, Utah's Sabrina Schwab and MyKayla Skinner, and UCLA's Katelyn Ohashi. Buoying yet another historic Gym Devil effort this past Saturday, Leonard-Baker tied for the all-around title (39.525) with Washington's Hailey Burleson to help Arizona State record a team cumulative 196.575, its 25th-best team total in program history. Posting career bests of 9.950 and 9.850 on bars and vault respectively, Leonard-Baker also managed event crowns on bars and floor moving her season event title total to nine.Through seven weeks of competition, Leonard-Baker ranks as the top freshman nationally in the all-around with a season average of 39.368 to her credit.
In The Rankings
Through seven weeks of competition, Arizona State maintains its Week 5-6 ranking at No. 17 in the Road to Nationals team standings. On an event basis, the Gym Devils rank 25th on vault (48.954), 13th on bars (48.032), 22nd on beam (48.854) and 21st on floor (49.050). For Week 5 and 6 of the season, the Gym Devils ranked No. 17. During Week 4 of the collegiate gymnastics season, the Gym Devils ranked No. 12 as they tallied a 196.800 in their Pac-12 home opener against California, constituting the program's best team tally since it recorded a 197.750 vs. Iowa State on March 10, 2006. It also accounts for the 19th-best team total in Gym Devil history. During Week 3 of the season, the Gym Devils ranked at No. 14. Week 2 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 ranked at No. 14. ASU 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 appeared 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 Gym Devils recorded their 25th-best team total in program history of 196.575, in a 197.025-196.575 loss to No. 13 Washington. Leading the Arizona State effort was four-time Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Week Cairo Leonard-Baker and 2012 French Olympian Anne Kuhm. Leonard-Baker tied for the all-around title with Washington's Hailey Burleson while also adding a pair of event titles on bars (9.950) and floor (9.900) The Oakland native has now accumulated nine individual titles on the season. Kuhm followed suit tying for third in the all-around with a career-best 39.425. She also added a second-place finish on bars with a 9.900.
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.
Up next, ASU will 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 Friday, 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. 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.
Academic Excellence
Academic excellence has become an integral standard within the Gym Devil program. In 2017, Arizona State placed seven student-athletes on Pac-12 All-Academic teams, while ten members of the squad garnered Scholastics All-American recognitions (NACGC/W). As a contingent, Arizona State gymnastics was one of seven Sun Devil programs recognized as an APR (Academic Progress Report) Top-10 percent performer in 2017. Exemplifying the team's academic excellence, the Gym Devils managed a perfect score of 1000.
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.