(Photo via Hailey Rogalski/WCSN)
Coming off of a thrilling home upset against No. 4 Utah, the No. 22 Gym Devils will head to Seattle to face the Washington Huskies on Sunday.
Monday, Arizona State (5-5, 2-3 Pac-12) posted its 11th-best score in program history in its first victory against Utah since 2003. The final score of 197.550 was the Gym Devils’ best score of the season by far. ASU set season highs in bars and beam, and its bars score of 49.550 was good for second best in program history.
Senior Hannah Scharf played a major role in Monday’s victory. On her 22nd birthday, she earned a 39.675 in the all-around, good for a career high. Scharf scored career highs on bars and floor with a 9.975 and a 9.925, respectively, and season highs on vault and beam with a 9.875 and a 9.900, respectively. Her stellar performance led the Sun Devils to a decisive victory.
Scharf’s all-around prowess will likely prove instrumental in Sunday’s matchup. Washington junior Skylar Killough-Wilhelm will be looking to keep up with Scharf. Killough-Wilhelm earned a season-high 39.425 in the all-around in the Huskies’ last meet against No. 24 Stanford. She tied her career highs on bars and floor, scoring 9.925 in each of the events.
The Huskies (4-8, 0-5) have lost six straight meets and have yet to hit a final score of 197 or above. Despite their record, the Huskies are still ranked 26th in the nation, due in large part to individual performances. Last week against Stanford, six Washington gymnasts earned career high scores, including fifth-year Brenna Brooks and redshirt senior Kennedi Davis, who both set matching career highs of 9.950 on beam.
Sunday is Washington’s senior day celebration, which means the Huskies will be motivated to celebrate a talented graduating class composed of six athletes and one student manager.
Meanwhile, the Gym Devils are hitting their stride at the perfect time. Last week against Utah, every single score that counted for ASU was a 9.800 or higher. Although they’re still sixth in the Pac-12 standings, the Gym Devils finally reached the 197-or-above benchmark against Utah and earned a score they’ve been aiming for all season.
Scharf is coming off of a standout performance, and junior Emily White is also a gymnast to watch on Sunday. White has yet to score below a 9.800 on bars and beam this season, and she earned a season-high 39.475 in the all-around last week.
ASU and Washington last faced off in a dual meet on Jan. 28, 2022. The Gym Devils defeated the GymDawgs by a score of 195.275-195.100 in a tightly-contested meet.
Everything seems to be coming together at the perfect time for the Gym Devils, and only time will tell if they can continue their current skyrocketing trajectory. Right now, thanks to reliable upperclassmen and up-and-coming underclassmen, ASU is red-hot and will look to continue to bolster its status as a postseason contender at Alaska Airlines Arena on Sunday.
