ASU Gymnastics: Season-high score not enough to beat No. 6 UCLA

(Photo via Xavier Litman/WCSN)

For the final leg of its three-meet road trip, No. 20 ASU Gymnastics traveled to Los Angeles to take on the No. 6-ranked UCLA Bruins on Saturday.

Although the Sun Devils (4-5, 1-3 Pac-12) earned a season-high score of 196.900, they ultimately fell to the Bruins (5-4-1, 2-1-1) who ended with a total score of 197.800.

The highlight of the meet for ASU was junior Jada Mangahas’s career-high 9.925 on bars in the first rotation. Junior Emily White, who was recently named Pac-12 Coaches Choice for her performance against No. 7 Cal, added a 9.900 on bars, and senior Hannah Scarf and junior Cienna Samiley both added 9.875s. Mangahas’s career-high and Samiley’s season-high led the Gym Devils to a 49.425, a season high for ASU on the uneven bars. After one rotation, ASU led the Bruins by three-tenths.

On vault, ASU put forth another solid showing, led by a pair of 9.850s from Scharf and junior Anaya Smith. Mangahas and sophomore Alex Theodorou also both scored 9.825s to bring the Gym Devils’ vault score to 49.125. However, UCLA’s stellar showing of 49.575 in bars propelled them to a 98.700-98.550 lead after two rotations.

ASU’s floor rotation featured a 9.900 by Scharf. it was her second score in a row of 9.900 or higher on the event. White and senior Jordyn Jaslow both scored 9.875s, and Mangahas and junior Sarah Clark both scored 9.850s for a stellar final score of 49.300.

While ASU shined on floor, UCLA shined even brighter on beam, posting an event total of 49.425, putting the Bruins ahead 148.125-147.900 heading into the final rotation.

In the final rotation, the Gym Devils’ weakest event – the balance beam – continued to give them trouble. Scharf scored a 9.875, while Clark scored a 9.850, and White scored a 9.825. However, the rest of the lineup failed to deliver. Ultimately, ASU finished the event with a 49.000, just one-tenth away from reaching its first score of 197.000 this season.

On the other hand, UCLA had its best event of the day on the floor. 2020 Olympian and UCLA sophomore Jordan Chiles earned the only perfect 10 of the meet, leading the Bruins to a score of 49.675 on floor. The Bruins’ effort on floor was enough to put them ahead by almost a full point on the leaderboard, winning 197.800-196.900.

Due to the Bruins prowess across the board, none of ASU’s athletes came away with event titles. Two Sun Devils competed in the all-around. Scharf finished with a 39.500 and scored a 9.850 or above in every event. White had a 39.375, bolstered by her 9.900 on bars.

Although Saturday’s meet went in the Sun Devils’ loss column, there were many positive takeaways. Their 196.900 was their highest score this season, continuing their trend of improvement. From this season’s opening meet to now, ASU’s final score has increased by 1.125 points.

ASU will see another opportunity to continue improving on Feb. 20 when the No. 4 Utah Red Rocks come to Tempe. With Utah’s propensity to post nation-leading scores, the Sun Devils will have to be on top of their game to have their best chance at winning.