(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
The No. 19 Arizona State Gym Devils (5-4, 1-3 Pac-12) hosted the No. 24 Stanford Cardinals (7-4, 0-4 Pac-12) in their Salute to Service meet.
The Devils started off the night scoring a team 48.700 on vault. They were led by senior Morgan Wilson’s 9.800. Freshman Stephanie Tripodi competed in her first meet and scored a 9.750 on vault.
On bars, Taylor Lawson started the Cardinals off with a 9.800. Stanford was led by freshmen Grace Waguespack and sophomore Kyla Bryant who scored 9.875 and a 9.900s, respectively. The Cardinals finished with a 49.050 team score on bars.
On bars, senior Justine Callis set a career-high after she posted a 9.800. Senior Anne Kuhm set a season-high with a 9.875. Sophomore Cairo Leonard-Baker anchored the event, scoring a 9.925, her third 9.900+ on bars this season. The Gym Devils finished with a team score of 49.150 on bars.
“We’re trying to focus more on the little details and do what we’re practicing every day,” Kuhm said.
The back end of Stanford’s lineup struggled on vault after sophomores Rachael Flam and Bryant scored 9.150 and 9.425s. Stanford finished with an overall team score of 48.550 on vault. Aleeza Yu, a freshman from Canada, won the individual event title on vault with a 9.825.
Freshman Jasmine Gutierrez, who’s parents were both in the Navy, made her career debut during the Salute to Service meet. She tied Callis for a team-high score of 9.850 on beam. The Devils finished with a team score of 49.100 on beam.
“It was so awesome getting to come out here for the first time and do my beam routine that I’ve been working so hard in the gym for,” Gutierrez said. “For my parents to come here and be recognized for this competition, it was really awesome to be able to go out there and do that.”
On floor, the Cardinal were once again led by Bryant who tied her season-high with a 9.925. Then on the beam, sophomore Lauren Navarro competed for the first time this season, scoring a 9.725. She was a star freshman for Stanford last year and had not competed this year due to an ankle injury.
In the final rotation Stanford was forced to count a 9.225 after suffering two falls from junior Kaylee Cole and senior Taryn Fitzgerald.
On floor, the Sun Devils put up a season-high team score of 49.425 with four Arizona State gymnasts earning either a season- or career-high. Leonard-Baker tied her career-high while senior Kaitlyn Szafranksi set her career-high. Leonard Baker scored a 9.950 and Szafranski scored a 9.925.
Corinne Belkoff and Anne Kuhm both set season-highs, posting a 9.850 and a 9.875, respectively.
The Devils won the meet by a score of 196.375 to 195.000, their first Pac-12 win and their highest total of the season.
The Gym Devils took home three-out-of-four event titles on bars, beam and floor, and Leonard-Baker won the all-around with a 39.325, her first all-around title of the year.
ASU honored the military by dedicating tonight as the Salute to Service meet.
“They do so much for our country and allow us to have these events. I don’t think you can ever do these things enough,” head coach Jay Santos said.
The Gym Devils will head out to Oklahoma City for the Perfect 10 Challenge on February 15. The quad-meet will feature No. 19 Arizona State, No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 16 Nebraska, and No. 15 Washington. The meet is located at Cox Arena and is scheduled to begin at 5:45 p.m. MST.
