Arizona State gymnastics' 2018 campaign proved a pivotal one, seeing the Gym Devils amass a plethora of honors and elevate once again onto the national scene. We take a by the numbers look back at an incredible season that was...
2: Gym Devil freshman phenom Cairo Leonard-Baker netted All Pac-12 Second-Team (AA, UB) recognition, and NACGC/W Regular Season Second-Team All-America All-Around honors.
4: The Gym Devils knocked off four ranked opponents on the 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, while accumulating 13 team wins.
5: Leonard-Baker earned five Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the week honors, putting her amongst prestigious company - Utah's MyKayla Skinner and California's Toni-Ann Williams – as just one of three gymnasts in conference history to garner the Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year honors five or more times.
7: The Maroon and Gold recorded seven team totals of 196+ for the first time since 2006.
9: As a contingent, the Gym Devils continued to excel not only as gymnasts, but as students as the team placed placed a program-best nine student-athletes on Pac-12 All-Academic teams, including a conference-best four first-team honorees.
9.900: The Gym Devils recorded individual season-best marks of 9.900 on vault and beam, respectively. Anne Kuhm and Cairo Leonard-Baker shared the honor on vault, while Katelyn Lentz, Ashley Szafranski and Justine Callis shared the honor on beam.
9.950: The Maroon and Gold posted individual season-best marks of 9.950 on bars and floor respectively. Cairo Leonard-Baker was credited with both highs.
12: Santos' squad ranked in the top-20 nationally for 12 consecutive weeks, pulling as high as No. 11.
18: The Gym Devils improved 18 spots from their 2017 national finish of 41.
23: Arizona State capped the season ranked No. 23 nationally, constituting its highest finish in the national standings since 2007.
49.000+: The Gym Devils eclipsed the 49.000+ mark in 33 event rotations, after only having done so four times in 2017.
49.125: The Gym Devils recorded a season-best mark of 49.125 on vault versus Arizona on Feb. 28.
49.325: The Maroon and Gold logged a season-best 49.325 on beam at Stanford on Jan. 20, to help propel the team to a victory over the then ranked Cardinal. 49.325 also marks Arizona State's season-best on bars, recorded on Jan. 28 versus California.
49.400: Arizona State recorded a season-best 49.400 on floor versus in-state rival Arizona on Feb. 24. The effort helped propel the Maroon and Gold to a Territorial Cup series win over the Wildcats.
196.545: The Maroon and Gold jumped nearly a point and half in their season finale RQS tally, improving from 195.145 in 2017 to 196.545.
196.800: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.
2018: Courtesy of his efforts at the helm of the program, head coach Jay Santos earned 2018 Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors. Santos also netted South Central Coach of the Year honors. Gym Devil senior administrators Deana Garner-Smith and Scottie Graham earned shared South Central Administrator of the Year honors courtesy of their respective contributions to the program.
2018: Freshman standout Cairo Leonard-Baker netted Pac-12 Freshman Newcomer of the Year honors following a stellar campaign.
At the onset of the season, Gym Devil head coach Jay Santos sat down with thesundevils.com feature writer Craig Morgan and outlined his expectations for 2018.
"We certainly have not arrived, but we're in a much better spot than this point last year," said Santos. "Being successful in college athletics nowadays is not easy. Making NCAA Regionals is a realistic goal. We were pretty close last year and we gained so much that it should be within reach. We're set up to do a lot more this year than we ever were last year, but what we do with it is going to be a lot up to the kids. It's just about continuing to raise that bar."
Now at the conclusion of the campaign, and in retrospect, it's easy to assess coach Santos' expectations relative to his expectations: The Gym Devils not only raised the bar in 2018, they jumped over it.
2: Gym Devil freshman phenom Cairo Leonard-Baker netted All Pac-12 Second-Team (AA, UB) recognition, and NACGC/W Regular Season Second-Team All-America All-Around honors.
4: The Gym Devils knocked off four ranked opponents on the 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, while accumulating 13 team wins.
5: Leonard-Baker earned five Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the week honors, putting her amongst prestigious company - Utah's MyKayla Skinner and California's Toni-Ann Williams – as just one of three gymnasts in conference history to garner the Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year honors five or more times.
7: The Maroon and Gold recorded seven team totals of 196+ for the first time since 2006.
9: As a contingent, the Gym Devils continued to excel not only as gymnasts, but as students as the team placed placed a program-best nine student-athletes on Pac-12 All-Academic teams, including a conference-best four first-team honorees.
9.900: The Gym Devils recorded individual season-best marks of 9.900 on vault and beam, respectively. Anne Kuhm and Cairo Leonard-Baker shared the honor on vault, while Katelyn Lentz, Ashley Szafranski and Justine Callis shared the honor on beam.
9.950: The Maroon and Gold posted individual season-best marks of 9.950 on bars and floor respectively. Cairo Leonard-Baker was credited with both highs.
12: Santos' squad ranked in the top-20 nationally for 12 consecutive weeks, pulling as high as No. 11.
18: The Gym Devils improved 18 spots from their 2017 national finish of 41.
23: Arizona State capped the season ranked No. 23 nationally, constituting its highest finish in the national standings since 2007.
49.000+: The Gym Devils eclipsed the 49.000+ mark in 33 event rotations, after only having done so four times in 2017.
49.125: The Gym Devils recorded a season-best mark of 49.125 on vault versus Arizona on Feb. 28.
49.325: The Maroon and Gold logged a season-best 49.325 on beam at Stanford on Jan. 20, to help propel the team to a victory over the then ranked Cardinal. 49.325 also marks Arizona State's season-best on bars, recorded on Jan. 28 versus California.
49.400: Arizona State recorded a season-best 49.400 on floor versus in-state rival Arizona on Feb. 24. The effort helped propel the Maroon and Gold to a Territorial Cup series win over the Wildcats.
196.545: The Maroon and Gold jumped nearly a point and half in their season finale RQS tally, improving from 195.145 in 2017 to 196.545.
196.800: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.
2018: Courtesy of his efforts at the helm of the program, head coach Jay Santos earned 2018 Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors. Santos also netted South Central Coach of the Year honors. Gym Devil senior administrators Deana Garner-Smith and Scottie Graham earned shared South Central Administrator of the Year honors courtesy of their respective contributions to the program.
2018: Freshman standout Cairo Leonard-Baker netted Pac-12 Freshman Newcomer of the Year honors following a stellar campaign.
At the onset of the season, Gym Devil head coach Jay Santos sat down with thesundevils.com feature writer Craig Morgan and outlined his expectations for 2018.
"We certainly have not arrived, but we're in a much better spot than this point last year," said Santos. "Being successful in college athletics nowadays is not easy. Making NCAA Regionals is a realistic goal. We were pretty close last year and we gained so much that it should be within reach. We're set up to do a lot more this year than we ever were last year, but what we do with it is going to be a lot up to the kids. It's just about continuing to raise that bar."
Now at the conclusion of the campaign, and in retrospect, it's easy to assess coach Santos' expectations relative to his expectations: The Gym Devils not only raised the bar in 2018, they jumped over it.