(Photo via Xavier Litman/WCSN)
After a three-week homestand, No. 21 Arizona State Gymnastics will go on the road and face No. 7 California at Haas Pavilion on Saturday afternoon.
This is the Gym Devils’ first and only rematch of their season, as Arizona State (4-3, 1-1) and California (8-0, 2-0) already met this season in the Super 16 meet. The Sun Devils and the Golden Bears competed in the same session in the season opener for both teams. At the time, the Bears were ranked No. 8, while the Sun Devils were ranked No. 24. California ended up taking first place in the field, while ASU came in third. No. 18 Iowa took second, and No. 22 BYU took fourth.
In that meet, ASU finished with its lowest score of the season thus far: 195.775. Meanwhile, California hit the ground running with a score of 197.475 bolstered by an event total of 49.475 on the floor exercise.
Since then, California has remained consistently excellent. The undefeated Bears are the definition of a complete team. Five gymnasts rank inside the top 60 nationally. Four of those five compete in the all-around. Every California win except one has come against a ranked opponent.
Freshman eMjae Frazier is one of the brightest spots in an already dazzling lineup. Frazier was recently named Pac-12 Specialist of the Week following a brilliant performance against Stanford. She earned a 9.950 on vault – winning the event title – and closed out the meet with a 9.925 on floor.
Although California is consistent, the Gym Devils have been steadily improving. While ASU has yet to hit a final score of 197 or above, the Sun Devils defeated Arizona on Jan. 28 with a 196.800, their highest score in 2023.
In their seventh straight Territorial Cup victory, the Gym Devils’ improvement was visible; they earned season-high scores in vault, beam and floor, and six routines earned scores of 9.9 or above. Junior Anaya Smith scored a career-high 9.950 on vault, earning the highest score of any ASU routine this season.
California bested Arizona State in their first matchup, but ASU has improved its final score by over a point since the meet on Jan. 7. Additionally, there is precedent for the Sun Devils upsetting the Golden Bears and ending their undefeated season. It’s what happened last year in Tempe when Arizona State defeated California 197.050-196.850.
Looking ahead at their schedule, the Sun Devils seem to be getting hot at the right time. Saturday’s meet begins a six-meet slate for Arizona State in which every opponent is ranked.
After No. 7 California, the Gym Devils will face No. 5 UCLA, No. 4 Utah, No. 25 Washington and No. 12 Oregon State before closing out their season against No. 1 Oklahoma. While those exact rankings are always subject to change, there is no doubt that the Gym Devils will be continuously tested as they fight their way to NCAA Regionals. Only time will tell if they are up to the task.
