TEMPE, Ariz. – With the seventh-highest team score in program history, No. 20 Sun Devil Gymnastics picked up its first win in 21 years over the No. 15 UCLA Bruins on Sunday with career highs across all events to clinch the 197.800 to 195.475 Pac-12 win at Desert Financial Arena.
Notable Stats
Quotes
Co-Head Coach Jessica Santos
Opening statement
"Today was such a huge day for us. We've really been trying to work on putting a whole meet together, having all four events really hit it at the same time. They just did it all in one night, put everything together and great landings; it was just so much fun."
On momentum going into next meet at home
"It's going to be really great for us to have this success this weekend. We were on the road four out of the last five weekends. That's really challenging to have that many road meets, especially in the first part of the season. It's always a little more comfortable competing at home, so coming here and doing so well and knowing to come back and do it again next weekend, it's going to be momentum for us all week."
On key to win today
"We are really talented and I know the group knows that and we haven't been able to hit that yet. It's maybe a bit of trying to do so well and trying to be so perfect that we were getting in our heads a little bit. We did some fun stuff in practice this week and had more competition-type stuff that wasn't so structured lineups and they did really well with it, so we just need to have more fun."
On pressure to score high
"I think there will be some pressure, I know that was a big goal of ours since the beginning of season was to hit the 197.000 consistently and not once or twice this year. I think we are at a benefit having road scores that hit that mid-196 that I don't think there is going to be that stress or panic about it. It is going to be something that we know we can do now and hopefully it is less pressure because we just did it."
Emily White and standouts
"Emily was just amazing today. She is so consistent and she has been so consistent for us. We were trying to add in floor because it is a good event for her as well, and we were able to do that tonight. That was super fun to see her put that all together and score so well in the all-around. Hannah anchors the beam and floor for us, which are so important. She just embraced that today and looked super confident there. Sarah Clark almost got that 10 on bars and I think that is coming in her future one day, but that was fun to watch. It was such a group effort and everyone that went up there did such a great job. Jasmine is really settling in on beam and that is always exciting to watch her big full-twisting splash down and watch what the crowd reaction is when that happens. It was a team effort."
Sophomore Emily White
On scoring a career high and winning all around
"I just think that today was just really fun, just building off of every single event and having my team right beside me. I think everyone's set me up to do my best and it was just so much fun."
On recording the seventh-highest team score in program history
"I think that today we just really showed what we are capable of. I know that we have been struggling to find where we are throughout the whole beginning of the season. This is what we needed. We are going to carry it into all of our next meets in the second half of the season."
Junior Hannah Scharf
Getting a win on her birthday
"I really couldn't imagine a better birthday gift. I told the girls before this meet that it would be the best birthday present to finally beat UCLA. I told them after the meet that it was literally the best birthday gift ever. It was a great day."
Support from opponents during floor routine
"That was really nice of them. They (UCLA) tend to have really good sportsmanship. I have two friends on the team as well from back home. So it was really special that they were really able to support me there."
On the crowd and expectations for Cal
"I think this was a really good confidence booster for us. The crowd today was unbelievable. That was probably the best crowd we've had in a really long time. It was nice that we could get into it with everybody. I think it would be great if we could get that again next week (against Cal)."
Final Results
Rotation One: Vault, 49.300
The Gym Devils started off the meet strong in their first event. White notched her career high score in vault with a 9.925 in the third spot; where one judge scored her a perfect 9.950. Also clinching a new career-high was Theodorou, matching White's score. Mangahas matched her season high with a 9.850, as well as Jaslow in the leadoff spot with a 9.800, also tying her career high. White and Theodorou tied for first in the vault event title.
Clark continued the day of career highs for the Gym Devils as she reached a 9.950. To start off bars, Mangahas matched her season and career high in the event with a 9.875. Reeves also had a career high of 9.900 and her first 9.900 of the season. Scharf and White also scored a 9.900 and ASU did not have a score below a 9.850 in this event.
Rotation Three: Beam, 49.450
Reeves, who was the second spot on the beam, reached a new season high of 9.875, and Gutierrez matched her season high with a 9.900. White matched her career high with a 9.900 while also clinching a new season high. The Gym Devils' scores kept them ahead by almost 2.5 points going into the final rotation.
Rotation Four: Floor, 49.525
ASU clinched its third win of the season in the final event as Mangahas led the way with a career-high 9.950. Theodorou clinched a career-high 9.900 and Scharf had a season-high 9.925 to reach above a 49.000 on the floor.
Up Next
The Gym Devils will compete again in Tempe on Sunday, February 27 to take on the Cal Golden Bears at 5 p.m. MST on the Pac-12 Network.
Notable Stats
- Arizona State (3-3, 3-2 Pac-12) picked up its first win over UCLA (2-6, 1-3 Pac-12) since January 26, 2001, snapping the losing streak. This was also the first ranked win of the year for the Gym Devils. ASU is one of seven teams in the NCAA to have scored a 197.800 or better this seasons.
- There were 12 scores reaching a 9.900 or above. There were 15 routines in the meet that either set new career highs or tied career highs. Additionally, there were five routines that were season highs for individuals.
- There were seven individual event winners in the team win. Alex Theodorou and Emily White tied for first on vault (9.925); Sarah Clark won bars (9.950); Jasmine Gutierrez, Hannah Scharf and Emily White took the beam crown (9.900); and Emily White won the all-around (39.600).
- Two Gym Devils scored 9.950 in their events, the highest scores for the team in events this season from Clark on bars and Jada Mangahas on floor.
- Emily White's 39.600 in the all-around is not only a career high but is also tied for 21st highest score in ASU program history. It is the highest all-around total for a Gym Devil since 2007 when April Boone reached that total. En route to that total, White reached a career high on vault (9.925) and tied her career high on floor (9.875) and reached a season high on bars (9.900) and beam (9.900).
- ASU had new season high event totals in all four events: vault (49.300), bars (49.525), beam (49.450) and floor (49.525). The floor team score was the highest for the program since 2004. The bars and beam scores were the most for the program since the NCAA Regional Finals last season.
- Five Gym Devils achieved new career highs with Gracie Reeves on bars (9.900), Alex Theodorou on vault (9.925) and floor (9.900), Sarah Clark on bars (9.950), Jordyn Jaslow on floor (9.875) and Jada Mangahas also on floor (9.950).
- Hannah Scharf also competed in the all-around where she matched her career high on bars (9.900) and beam (9.900), while earning new season highs on floor (9.925) and in the all-around (39.525) on her birthday.
- Jasmine Gutierrez tied her career high on the beam with a 9.900 after also tying it last weekend against in-state rival Arizona.
For the first time in 21 years @SunDevilGym defeats UCLA and they locked in season-highs on all events! #ForksUp | #Pac12Gym pic.twitter.com/StKqRvaFT8
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) February 21, 2022
Quotes
Co-Head Coach Jessica Santos
Opening statement
"Today was such a huge day for us. We've really been trying to work on putting a whole meet together, having all four events really hit it at the same time. They just did it all in one night, put everything together and great landings; it was just so much fun."
On momentum going into next meet at home
"It's going to be really great for us to have this success this weekend. We were on the road four out of the last five weekends. That's really challenging to have that many road meets, especially in the first part of the season. It's always a little more comfortable competing at home, so coming here and doing so well and knowing to come back and do it again next weekend, it's going to be momentum for us all week."
On key to win today
"We are really talented and I know the group knows that and we haven't been able to hit that yet. It's maybe a bit of trying to do so well and trying to be so perfect that we were getting in our heads a little bit. We did some fun stuff in practice this week and had more competition-type stuff that wasn't so structured lineups and they did really well with it, so we just need to have more fun."
On pressure to score high
"I think there will be some pressure, I know that was a big goal of ours since the beginning of season was to hit the 197.000 consistently and not once or twice this year. I think we are at a benefit having road scores that hit that mid-196 that I don't think there is going to be that stress or panic about it. It is going to be something that we know we can do now and hopefully it is less pressure because we just did it."
Emily White and standouts
"Emily was just amazing today. She is so consistent and she has been so consistent for us. We were trying to add in floor because it is a good event for her as well, and we were able to do that tonight. That was super fun to see her put that all together and score so well in the all-around. Hannah anchors the beam and floor for us, which are so important. She just embraced that today and looked super confident there. Sarah Clark almost got that 10 on bars and I think that is coming in her future one day, but that was fun to watch. It was such a group effort and everyone that went up there did such a great job. Jasmine is really settling in on beam and that is always exciting to watch her big full-twisting splash down and watch what the crowd reaction is when that happens. It was a team effort."
CAREER-HIGH 9??.9??2??5?? FOR EMILY WHITE!!
— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) February 20, 2022
??: @Pac12Network (https://t.co/gkc6RKgydO) pic.twitter.com/dSE4hFmWbV
Sophomore Emily White
On scoring a career high and winning all around
"I just think that today was just really fun, just building off of every single event and having my team right beside me. I think everyone's set me up to do my best and it was just so much fun."
On recording the seventh-highest team score in program history
"I think that today we just really showed what we are capable of. I know that we have been struggling to find where we are throughout the whole beginning of the season. This is what we needed. We are going to carry it into all of our next meets in the second half of the season."
Junior Hannah Scharf
Getting a win on her birthday
"I really couldn't imagine a better birthday gift. I told the girls before this meet that it would be the best birthday present to finally beat UCLA. I told them after the meet that it was literally the best birthday gift ever. It was a great day."
Support from opponents during floor routine
"That was really nice of them. They (UCLA) tend to have really good sportsmanship. I have two friends on the team as well from back home. So it was really special that they were really able to support me there."
On the crowd and expectations for Cal
"I think this was a really good confidence booster for us. The crowd today was unbelievable. That was probably the best crowd we've had in a really long time. It was nice that we could get into it with everybody. I think it would be great if we could get that again next week (against Cal)."
Final Results
- Arizona State, 197.800
- UCLA, 195.475
Rotation One: Vault, 49.300
The Gym Devils started off the meet strong in their first event. White notched her career high score in vault with a 9.925 in the third spot; where one judge scored her a perfect 9.950. Also clinching a new career-high was Theodorou, matching White's score. Mangahas matched her season high with a 9.850, as well as Jaslow in the leadoff spot with a 9.800, also tying her career high. White and Theodorou tied for first in the vault event title.
Rotation Two: Bars, 49.525Another 9??.9??2??5??, another career-high!! This time for @_alextheo ????
— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) February 20, 2022
??: @Pac12Network (https://t.co/gkc6RKgydO) pic.twitter.com/0mYug02R4g
Clark continued the day of career highs for the Gym Devils as she reached a 9.950. To start off bars, Mangahas matched her season and career high in the event with a 9.875. Reeves also had a career high of 9.900 and her first 9.900 of the season. Scharf and White also scored a 9.900 and ASU did not have a score below a 9.850 in this event.
9??.9??5??0?? FOR @saarahclark, ANOTHER CAREER-HIGH!!
— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) February 20, 2022
The #GymDevils get a 49.525 on bars, a new season-high for ANY event this season!
??: @Pac12Network (https://t.co/gkc6RKgydO) pic.twitter.com/nvIFr2NaIz
Rotation Three: Beam, 49.450
Reeves, who was the second spot on the beam, reached a new season high of 9.875, and Gutierrez matched her season high with a 9.900. White matched her career high with a 9.900 while also clinching a new season high. The Gym Devils' scores kept them ahead by almost 2.5 points going into the final rotation.
A second-straight 9??.9??0??0?? on beam for @jasmine_gut!! Also, lol at the crowd reaction here ??
— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) February 20, 2022
??: @Pac12Network (https://t.co/gkc6RKgydO) pic.twitter.com/GYqVYnhzwa
Rotation Four: Floor, 49.525
ASU clinched its third win of the season in the final event as Mangahas led the way with a career-high 9.950. Theodorou clinched a career-high 9.900 and Scharf had a season-high 9.925 to reach above a 49.000 on the floor.
9??.9??5??0?? FOR @jadamangahas, A CAREER HIGH and the highest floor score of the season!!!
— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) February 20, 2022
??: @Pac12Network (https://t.co/gkc6RKgydO) pic.twitter.com/PzfBYuK92L
Up Next
The Gym Devils will compete again in Tempe on Sunday, February 27 to take on the Cal Golden Bears at 5 p.m. MST on the Pac-12 Network.