Pair of top-ranked teams set to roll into Tempe for star-studded tri-meet

(Photo via Marina Williams/WCSN)

An enormous tri-meet clash is set to take place on Friday night at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, as the No. 23-ranked Arizona State gymnastics team will play host to No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 California. It will be the Gym Devils’ first meet back at home in Tempe after three straight weeks of being on the road.

The Gym Devils (3-2, 0-1 Pac-12 Conference) are no strangers to hosting top-ranked teams in the desert. This season marks the third consecutive year in which the No. 1 team in the nation has rolled into Tempe. The problem for ASU, however, has been finding a way to leverage its home atmosphere into a win in those matchups. The Sun Devils have only come out victorious once in program history against a No. 1 team, and that was against UCLA back in 2001. Victories against No. 2 ranked teams have also been scarce, as the team has only registered two wins all-time, which came back in 2000 against Alabama and Utah in 2003.

In the last time out for the Sun Devils, they scored a new season-high against then-No. 5 Utah on the road in Salt Lake City. Despite registering a 196.700 team score, the Gym Devils fell to the Red Rocks and were handed their first loss in Pac-12 Conference play.

ASU, as a whole, has been hot on bars and vault. Against Utah last Friday, a streak of 13 consecutive bar rotations with a score of 49 or greater was extended. For vault, the Gym Devils are currently riding a 14-consecutive meet streak of scoring at least a 49, which dates back to last season and is the longest recorded streak of such nature in program history. Senior Anaya Smith led the team for vault, earning a 9.900 mark, which was the second time in the last four meets she has scored at least 9.900.

Regarding streaks, senior Emily White is clicking on all cylinders on the balance beam and trailblazing an individual streak of her own. White has scored 9.850 or better on beam in the last three meets, while also coming off her best performance so far this season against Utah, receiving a 9.925.

In terms of other notable individual performances for the Sun Devils against the Red Rocks, graduate gymnast Hannah Scharf’s score of 9.925 helped her capture her second floor win of the season, which also allowed her to notch the highest score among all Gym Devils in a floor competition through five meets on the year. Senior Jada Mangahas is coming off a career-high all-around score of 39.325. She was exceptional in all four events, scoring at least a 9.800 in each one, with her best scores coming on vault and bars, clocking in at 9.850.

The No. 1 Sooners (10-0, 2-0 Big 12 Conference) come into this weekend with a nearly flawless resume. They have stacked up wins against nine top-15 teams and rank first in the country on bars (49.531), beam (49.538), and floor (49.500). Additionally, they rank second in the NCAA on vault (49.394).

Vault might be the Sun Devils’ best chance to keep it close and make it interesting with Oklahoma, as it has been a major strength for them so far this season. ASU is ranked 14th in the nation on vault, which, to date, is its highest individual event ranking as a team this season. Additionally, the Sooners struggled mightily in their last meet against Denver on vault, losing 49.175 to 49.325.

Historically speaking, ASU hasn’t been able to experience much success against Oklahoma, as the Sooners have dominated the all-time series between the two schools 23-8, with the last ASU win dating back to 1998.

If historical success is any indicator, the Gym Devils might have a higher likelihood of coming out on top against the Golden Bears (7-1, 2-0 Pac-12). The Sun Devils lead the all-time series with Cal 36-10 and have most recently come away victorious in 2022.

The Golden Bears are led by their two stars, junior Mya Lauzon and sophomore eMjae Frazier, who, together, have accounted for the last three Pac-12 Women’s Gymnast of the Week honors. Lauzon has taken home the award the last two weeks in a row.

In Cal’s last meet at home against fellow Pac-12 foe Oregon State, Lauzon put on a firework show, winning three individual events. Along the way, she received a perfect 10.0 score from one judge for her tremendous work on both the beam and floor. Lauzon is currently ranked first in the NCAA in floor and vault, second in all-around, and third on the balance beam. Frazier tied Lauzon for the all-around title with a score of 39.700.

As great as Lauzon and Frazier are, the Gym Devils would be smart to not view Cal as a two-gymnast team. The Golden Bears are also posting historical marks collectively. In its last win against the Beavers, Cal tied its third-best performance on floor ever (49.600) and its sixth-best all-around team score in history. It did not stop there, as the Golden Bears went on to tally the second-best beam performance in the existence of Cal Women’s Gymnastics, posting a 49.675.

As the Sun Devils fight to stay ranked in the top 25 and relevant in the Pac-12 race, performing well against two powerhouse teams will be vital this weekend.