(Photo via Hailey Rogalski/WCSN)
In 2022, ASU Gymnastics capped off its season as one of four teams to walk away with a piece of the Pac-12 Regular Season Championship. Friday night, ahead of their 2023 home opener, the Sun Devils celebrated their first-ever Pac-12 title with a pre-meet ring ceremony.
“This has been a goal of ours and our coaches for so long,” junior Emily White said. “Being able to be a part of that and something this team has never done before was so special.”
After the festivities ended, the No. 23-ranked Gym Devils (2-2) kickstarted their first home meet of the year against Eastern Michigan (0-1) and UC Davis (1-1).
The Sun Devils dominated in all facets of the meet en route to a 196.375 final score that was 2.475 points higher than the second-place Aggies.
The Sun Devils improved as a team on all four events, with White and senior Hannah Scharf carrying a heavy load. White earned her first all-around title of the season, scoring a 39.375, with Scharf right behind her, posting a 39.350. In addition to White and Scharf, ASU took home titles on all events except beam.
The confidence boost from finally receiving their Pac-12 Champion rings and endless preparation carried the Gym Devils throughout the night, as they never trailed EMU or UC Davis.
White’s 9.875 vault score couldn’t be matched or beaten, locking her in as the event winner. ASU’s team vault score of 49.125 topped its performance from week one at the Sweet 16 meet in Las Vegas. According to White, competing at home played a significant role in the Sun Devils’ improved scores.
“The first meet was a lot of high nerves and high pressure because we were on podium with three other teams,” White said. “So, being at home, I definitely saw we were a little more calm because it’s our equipment and our arena.”
ASU continued to see a leap in progress during the second rotation on uneven bars. Five Sun Devils posted scores of 9.825 or higher, including junior Sarah Clark, who scored the only 9.900 for any of the three teams on any event.
Once again, ASU bested its season-opening performance, this time with a total score of 49.300.
“One thing we’ve been working on is bar landings, so sticking a dismount at the end and dialing in that landing to finish off the rotation is something that gets the team really hyped,” Clark said.
While much of the attention was focused on the athletes competing in the first six lineup spots, after the meet, ASU head coach Jay Santos took the time to highlight senior Juliette Boyer, who performed a routine under the lights for the first time since the 2021 NCAA Regional Finals.
“This might sound a little weird, but Juliette’s exhibition routine on floor (was a highlight),” Santos said. “Obviously, she had an injury last year. That’s her first thing, really getting back out there. Definitely some nerves, but she’s ready to go.”
Junior Cassi Barbanente and sophomore Alex Theodorou both returned to the lineup on vault and bars, respectively. Theodorou began her season with a 9.725, while Barbanente’s vault was awarded a 9.775.
The win over EMU was a special one, considering both Santos and ASU assistant coach Lacey Rubin have history with the program. Rubin competed for the Eagles from 2014-2018, and Santos, who served as EMU’s head coach from 2015-16, led the Eagles to their first NCAA Regionals berth in 2016.
Now, as the Sun Devils’ head coach, Santos hopes to continue to push ASU Gymnastics into the national spotlight and mold the program into one of the nation’s best. Friday’s win showed that Santos is making progress towards his goal one meet at a time.
“There’s a lot of history here from John Spini and his days,” Santos said. “He did it just as good as anyone was doing it back when he was here. I’m really proud of the fact that we’ve been able to bring that back and get that respect back.”
