Sun Devils head to Utah for Big 12 Championship meet

(Photo credit: Maya Diaz/WCSN)

No. 24 Arizona State will go up against six other teams on Saturday for the 2025 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship hosted at the Maverick Center in West Valley, Utah.

There will be two separate sessions at the championship on Saturday. The afternoon session will feature BYU, West Virginia, and Iowa State. The Gym Devils will compete in the evening session against Utah, Denver, and Arizona.

The Gym Devils (10-10, 2-4 Big 12) secured their season-high score of 196.800 on the first day of the Cal Quad meets last week against No. 6 California, BYU, and Washington, giving them second-place on the first day of competition.

ASU also secured a vault season high Friday night of 49.300 thanks to sophomore Halle Gregoire and fifth-year Emily White who both scored 9.875 and fifth-year Jada Mangahas who tied her season high with a 9.900.

The Gym Devils followed suit on bars and floor and scored totals of 49.300 on both events, but it was beam that gave them a bit of trouble. With a total of 48.900, they missed the opportunity to score a 49 or higher on all four events, something they have yet to accomplish this season.

More notable scores from ASU during the first Cal Quad competition was fifth-year Sarah Clark, who tied her season high on bars with a 9.925. Junior Kimberly Smith scored a 9.850 on vault, bars, and floor, which gave her a solid all-around score of 39.325. Lastly, Friday marked Gregoire’s season debut on floor. She scored a 9.875.

Going into the Big 12 Championship, several teams stand out in the national rankings. The No. 4 Utah Red Rocks have a national qualifying score of 197.67. Red Rock senior and Olympic Silver medalist Grace McCallum received her first ever 10.000 on beam against UCLA last week. Another notable beam star is sophomore Camie Winger, with an NQS of 9.905. Last week the Red Rocks secured a season-high score of 49.600 on beam, which ranks them fourth in the nation on the event.

Bars is another standout event for the Red Rocks. Overall, they’re ranked fourth in the event with an NQS of 49.455. McCallum is most valuable competitor when it comes to bars. She is the No. 1 bar competitor in the NCAA with a near-perfect NQS of 9.955.

Behind Utah in the conference is No. 18 Denver with an NQS of 196.735. The Pioneers’ best event this season is bars. With an NQS of 49.390, they are tied with Georgia for No. 8. Graduate Rylie Mundell and sophomore Madison Ulrich are both solid competitors on this event with NQS scores of 9.900 and 9.875, respectively. On the other hand, floor is where the Pioneers struggle the most. They are ranked No. 25 with an NQS of 49.215.

No. 21 Arizona has an NQS of 196.415 and is ASU’s biggest rival. The Wildcats are 1-0 against the Sun Devils this season, and beam is undoubtedly their best event. They’re ranked No. 20 on the event with an NQS of 49.165. Wildcat fifth-year Elena Deets has an NQS of 9.885, and sophomore Abigayle Martin has an NQS of 9.875. Despite their previous struggles throughout the season, the Wildcats finished strong on floor last week against Utah State and secured a season-high of 49.425. They defeated the Aggies with a 196.400 in the final.

No. 33 BYU, with an NQS of 195.920, will compete in the afternoon session. Vault and floor are the Cougars’ best events, but their scores on bars and beam seem to be what’s holding them back. On the first day of the Cal Quad meet last week, the Cougars secured a total event score of 49.200 on vault with help from freshman vault specialist Deb Silva, who scored a 9.925. The Cougars’ floor score stood out as well with a total score of 49.225 thanks to consistent scores of 9.800 or higher from every competitor. The Cougars scored 48.950 on both bars and beam that night due to a couple of unusually low scores from senior Anna Bramblett-Wilde on bars and sophomore Alilah Alvarado.

As they travel up to Utah to begin their postseason competition, the Gym Devils have a lot to think about as they try and clinch that national championship qualification. This will mark their first-ever championship in the conference, and based on their recent success at the Cal Quad meets, the Gym Devils are hopeful they can put up some solid scores Saturday.