Sun Devils beat Arizona to advance to the second round of NCAA Regionals

(Photo: Mia Gonzalez/WCSN)

TEMPE – The Arizona State gymnastics team didn’t forget that Arizona beat them at the McKale Center in Tucson on March 6. The Wildcats defeated the Sun Devils 196.40-196 in the regular season, but in the first round of the NCAA Gymnastics Regionals at the Desert Financial Arena, the Sun Devils (11-8, 2-3 Big 12) bested the Wildcats (7-15, 2-3 Big 12) 195.425-194.900.

“When we’re going against U of A, we need to remind them that this is our home, and we did exactly that,” junior Halle Gregoire said.

The Sun Devils started with the lead at the end of the first rotation 49.050-49, but lost it in the next two rotations. Heading into the last rotation behind the Wildcats 146.9-146.525, the Sun Devils needed all their gymnasts to score as many points as possible on the floor exercise.

The first two floor routines scored 9.8 points each, but a costly fall put the Sun Devils’ season in jeopardy. Sophomore Halle Braaflat hit the ground early in her routine, putting pressure on her teammates to redeem her mishap.

The next two gymnasts, freshman Kylee Bromley and Gregoire, scored the most points on the floor at 9.825 and 9.850, responding to the challenge and elevating the Sun Devils to victory.

“There is nothing that we can do to make up for someone else’s mistake, whether there was one or not,” Gregoire said. “So ultimately you just have to go out there and do yourself.”

The Sun Devils had to do this without all-around specialist senior Kimberly Smith. On March 31, the Gym Devils captain announced on her Instagram that she ruptured her Achilles tendon and would be out for the regionals. Smith won her fifth all-around title of the season against Arizona scoring 39.325 points.

“I have to give props to Kimmie,” Gregorie said. ”She has trained me to be the person that I am today, and she has guided me in this leadership role that I do feel like I’ve stepped up in this year.”

Bromley was the only all-around Sun Devil in Smith’s absence. The member of the Big 12 All-Freshman Team scored 38.875 points.

“She’s a great gymnast,” head coach Jay Santos said. “She’s definitely one of the ones who has shown a lot of growth. She’s had some struggles off and on in different moments over the course of the year and her being able to deliver that floor routine today, it shows how much she’s grown and built some confidence.”

The Sun Devils have been to the regionals for nine straight years with the exception of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. ASU has advanced to the second round four times. To win, Santos said the team needs to have “a much cleaner meet.”

“We’re going to have to put together a much more complete meet,” Santos said. “Or a totally complete meet if we’re going to be competitive with the teams tomorrow night because the competition just gets that much stronger.”

The second round of the regionals begins tomorrow at 1 p.m. MST with No. 3 Florida competing alongside No. 14 Cal Berkeley before ASU takes on Penn State at 7 p.m. The sessions are not dual-meets, the top two team scores will advance to the regional finals.