(Photo credit: Sammi Maxwell/WCSN)
Arizona State Gymnastics is gearing up for another season – only this time with the Big 12 Conference.
The 2024 roster carried nine seniors and graduate students, many of whom graduated or transferred. All-around star Hannah Scharf, uneven bars competitor Cienna Samiley and three-event competitor Gracie Reeves all finished their NCAA careers last spring. Cassi Barbanente and vault specialist Anaya Smith elected to transfer and found new homes at Penn State and Georgia, respectively.
Smith finished last season with a score of 9.9375 on vault at nationals. Scharf finished her season with an outstanding all-around performance, specifically on vault, beam, and floor. Samiley, Barbanente and Reeves, all competed consistently throughout the season. Needless to say, filling the holes left by last year’s senior class will be a challenge for head coach Jay Santos and staff.
Softening the blow of the loss of talent Jada Mangahas, Sarah Clark and Emily are all returning for their fifth year. The three superstars will lead ASU as it takes on the Big 12 for the first time.
All three graduate students were selected to the Big 12 Preseason Team, Managahas as an all-arounder, White on beam and floor, and Clark on beam. During the 2024 season, Managahas scored a 9.875 on bars at nationals. White won a total of seven event titles – three on floor and two on beam – and Clark won five event titles, three of which were on beam.
Alongside these veterans will be three incoming freshmen. Halle Braaflat, Nina Laurito, and Tiara Platkin all hope to have bright futures as Gym Devils. Braaflat is a two-time national qualifier who originally committed to Georgia but decided to become a Gym Devil. Laurito qualified for the Junior Olympics in 2023 and is a superstar in all four events. Lastly, Platkin is a three-time national qualifier whose performance on bars makes her stand out.
The Gym Devils have a tough schedule ahead of them for the 2025 season. They will host four meets this season in their first year as Big 12 competitors. The conference now consists of seven universities from across the country.
For their season opener, the Sun Devils will head to San Antonio for the Lone Star Invite. They’ll go head-to-head against the Maryland Terps, Temple Owls, No. 7 Auburn Tigers, and No. 9 Penn State Lions.
The Terps’ own Alexa Rothenbuescher and Natalie Martin have been named this year’s Big Ten gymnasts to watch. As for the other three teams, they’ve already kicked off their season. On Jan. 4, the Owls lost to West Virginia 191.200-193.600 and the Tigers finished second at the American Gold Collegiate Invite with a 195.950. Lastly, the Lions scored 195.775 and beat both opposing teams in a tri-meet.
The Sun Devils’ first home competition will be televised on ESPN on Jan. 26. The Arizona Wildcats will take a trip to Tempe to compete against their rivals. The Wildcats have six incoming freshmen alongside their fifth-year star Elena Deets and All-Pac-12 honorable mention Alysen Fears.
After it travels to Ames, Iowa to compete against the Iowa State Cyclones, Arizona State will stay in Tempe for three weeks in a row. The Sun Devils will host the Texas Woman’s Pioneers, Utah Red Rocks, and West Virginia Mountaineers throughout February.
The Utah Red Rocks, who frequently rank among the nation’s best squads, will make an appearance at Desert Financial Arena on Feb. 14. Utah has been ranked in the top five since 2022. Olympic silver medalist Grace McCallum and veteran Jaylene Gilstrap are some of their top dogs this season. Although the Sun Devils are 1-13 all-time against the Red Rocks, they’ll look to change their luck in February.
To finish off the regular season, the Sun Devils will travel to Berkeley to compete in the Cal Quad meets on March 14 and 16. Friday night features the No. 6 California Bears, BYU Cougars and Washington Huskies. Then Sunday switches up to the San Jose State Spartans, the Stanford Cardinal and of course, the hosts, the California Bears.
Arizona State has a lot to look forward to as the 2025 season begins on Saturday. The Big 12 is a competitive conference, but newcomers and veterans are ready for the challenge. Considering what ASU football accomplished in its first year in the Big 12, the Gym Devils are hopeful they can pull off some stunning wins this season and find the same success.
