Pac-12 Gymnastics Spotlight: Washington

(Photo Courtesy: Washington Athletics)

The University of Washington GymDawgs enter the Pac-12 Championships as the 7-seed in the conference and ranked No. 22 in the nation.

The Huskies enter the championships with a 2-6 dual meet record this season (1-5 Pac-12).  Don’t let their record fool you – this team has put up big scores, with a season RQS standing at a 195.960.  They are coming off their highest score of the season, a 196.600 against UC Davis.  The team’s lowest score  was a 194.325 in its first meet all season against No. 25 Kentucky.

Junior all-arounder Allison Northey, the sole all-around competitor this year for the Huskies, is the key gymnast set to compete for Washington.  Coming off last season when she received First Team All-Pac-12 honors, Northey set a career-high with a 39.475 this year and won the all-around titles against Oregon State, Utah, Stanford and North Carolina State.

 

Biggest Strength
BEING THE UNDERDOG

This Washington team comes in as the second-lowest seed in the championships.  With Arizona State not acting as a huge threat to any other team, this basically makes Washington the underdog in the competition.  This can act as their strength because they can use this motivation to bring about strong routines and high-scoring performances.  While the Huskies will still be the seventh-best team on paper, being the under-dawgs (pun absolutely intended) can lead to success in any athletic competition.

 

Biggest Weakness
EXPERIENCE

The GymDawgs have a roster comprised of primarily freshmen and sophomores.  In fact, just 4 of the 16 active athletes are juniors or seniors.  This makes a team with minimal experience competing at the level that the Pac-12 Championships warrants.  Worst case scenario: chalk this year up as a learning experience for a young team with massive potential.

 

Prediction

Washington brings great skill to the competition floor; however, so does every other team in this conference.  It won’t be a bad meet on paper for the ‘Dawgs by any stretch of the imagination, but a 7th place finish is in store for them this weekend simply due to the skill level of the rest of the field.

 

Agree? Disagree? We want to hear your input. Tweet at @CronkiteSports or @TylerPaley using #Pac12GymSpotlight.

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post

Tyler Paley

Born and bred in New Jersey. Adamant First Amendment enthusiast. Lover of breakfast burritos and college sports.

Recent Posts

Skinner’s career night propels ASU to narrow victory in season opener

(Photo credit: Aishling Cavanaugh/WCSN) TEMPE — With Desert Financial Arena buzzing, Arizona State found itself…

7 hours ago

Sun Devils prepare for Big 12 debut in Adair’s third year

(Photo credit: Marina Willams/WCSN) Excitement is brewing for Arizona State women’s basketball as the Sun…

20 hours ago

Sun Devils put up complete performance in fall exhibition against GCU

(Photo: Maya Diaz/WCSN) As warmup music echoed throughout GCU ballpark, baseball bats pinged and cleats…

2 days ago

Takeaways: Sun Devils Clinch Bowl Eligibility With Win Over Oklahoma State

With 22 seconds remaining in the first half Arizona State football found itself a single…

2 days ago

No. 13 Sun Devils Extend Win Streak to 10, Earn Season Sweep Over No. 22 Utah

(Photo: Katherine Gore/WCSN) In a match one month ago, No. 13 Arizona State Volleyball won…

3 days ago

Sun Devil arms against pros in exhibition against USA Baseball

(Photo: Austin Hurst/WCSN) PHOENIX - Senior right-handed pitcher Jack Martinez walked off the mound in…

3 days ago