(Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN)
Arizona State Gymnastics, ranked No. 21 in the country, headed to Corvallis, Oregon this weekend to face No. 13 Oregon State on Saturday. The Sun Devils came into Corvallis off their first win of the season at home against Washington, looking for the momentum to continue. Oregon State boasted a 4-1 record and was coming back home after a loss to No. 10 California last week.
ASU posted its best team score of the season, 196.500, and scored above 49.00 in all four events for the first time this year but Oregon State showed why they were ranked above the Sun Devils. With help from their Olympic gold medal winner and Phoenix-native freshman Jade Carey, the Beavers posted the winning score of 197.375 to improve its record to 5-1. ASU fell to 1-3.
Oregon State would dominate all categories in the contest, posting the highest score in all four of the apparatuses.
In the first rotation, ASU would begin their night on bars while OSU took to the vault. The Sun Devils would keep scores of 9.800 or better, with notable scores from sophomore Sarah Clark – who would post a 9.875 – sophomore Emily White with a 9.850 and junior Hannah Scharf with the same. Freshmen Alex Theodorou, alongside sophomore Jada Mangahas, would post 9.800s.
The Beavers would have none other than Carey lead the way on vault, posting the high score for the night of 9.925. Senior Madi Dagen wouldn’t be far behind Carey, posting Oregon State’s second 9.9 score with a flat 9.900. Graduate student Kaitlyn Yanish posted a score of 9.875, sophomore Sydney Gonzales scored a 9.850, and duel 9.800s came from freshman Karlie Chavez and freshman Lauren Letzsch. Oregon State would have the lead through the first rotation, 49.350 (a season-best vault score) to 49.175.
The teams would swap apparatuses for the second rotation, sending ASU to vault and the Beavers to the bars. Scharf would post ASU’s sole 9.900 score of the night, while Mangahs posted a career-high 9.875. White and Theodorou would both post scores of 9.850 – a career-best for White.
ASU junior Jordyn Jaslow would score a 9.775 for the Sun Devils in the lead-off position. The Beavers would score well again, with Carey scoring Oregon State’s’ first perfect 10 of the season in the anchor spot. Degan would score her second 9.900 of the night – surpassing her previous career-best. Freshmen Carley Beeman would post her career-best beam – a 9.850. Graduate student Colette Yamaoka would score a 9.775, and junior Kayla Bird would score a 9.775. Oregon State would post a 49.275 on bars while ASU would post a 49.250 on vault, a season-high. Through the halfway point, OSU would lead ASU 98.625 to 98.425.
The third rotation sent the Sun Devils to the floor and the Beavers to the beam. Jaslow would set the tone early with a solid 9.825, and senior Jasmine Gutierrez would follow, posting a 9.775, while Clark would post a 9.725. Needing big scores after a fall from Theodorou that saw her score just a 9.200, Mangahas and Scharf would step up, posting 9.850s and allowing the Sun Devils to drop Theodorou’s score. The beam would see high scores from the final three competitors in the Oregon State rotation: Gonzales with a 9.875, Dagen with a 9.825 and anchor Carey with a 9.925. Letzsch would post her career-best at 9.850, and freshman Phoebe Jakubczyk would post a 9.775. ASU would score a 49.025 on floor, and the Beavers would post a 49.250 beam score. Through three rotations, Oregon State led ASU 147.875 to 147.450.
The fourth and final rotation would send ASU to beam and the Beavers to floor. The Sun Devils would see the high scores come from the fourth spot in their rotation, White, who scored a 9.875. Before and after White’s rotation would be two pairs for 9.850s from Gutierrez and Clark. Scharf would anchor with a 9.775, and leadoff Megan Thompson (in her first competition of the night) would score a 9.750. Oregon State would finish the night on floor with the final three gymnasts all above or at a 9.900, Carey, in the event that she won her Olympic gold in, posted a 9.975. With her third score in the 9.900 range, Dagen scored a 9.925 and Yanish scored her first 9.900 of the night. Letzsch would score a 9.875 and Gonzales a 9.825. Oregon State did not post a score lower than 9.800 on floor – the lone 9.800 score would come from Bird. ASU would score 49.100 to finish its night, and Oregon State would achieve a season-best floor score of 49.500.
Scharf, the only Sun Devil to compete in the all-around, would score 39.375 behind Oregon State’s Carey (39.825) and Dagen (39.55).
The Sun Devils will hit the road again as they head to Tucson, Arizona next week to take on the Arizona Wildcats. That meet is scheduled for 5 p.m. MST.
