(Photo credit: Elizabeth Agazaryan/WCSN)
The Arizona State Gym Devils are preparing for the NCAA regional championship this weekend in Seattle.
At their last meet, the Big 12 Conference Championships , the Gym Devils started strong on floor, but had some rocky landings during the second rotation on vault. It was their lowest scoring event of the night with a 48.825. They persevered through the last rotation on beam, and got their highest event score of the night with a 49.125. However, it wasn’t enough to outscore all four teams from the erlier afternoon session.
The final scores named No. 4 Utah as the conference champs with a 197.775, in second was Arizona with 196.675, third Denver with 196.400, BYU in fourth with 196.250, and ASU in fifth with a 195.975. The last time the Gym Devils scored below 196 was against the Pioneers on March 9.
Other contenders heading to regionals in Seattle include the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners. Following them is No. 7 Missouri, No. 10 Georgia, No. 15 Auburn, Nebraska, Arizona, Illinois and UC Davis.
The Sooners are ranked No. 1 on bars, beam, and floor. Their best all-around scores come from senior Jordan Bowers and junior Faith Torrez, who are both tied for No. 2 with an NQS of 39.695. Amongst many other talented Oklahoma gymnasts, graduate Audrey Davis is No. 1 on bars with an outstanding NQS of 9.960.
Missouri stands out on bars and floor specifically. Ranked No. 4 on both events, graduate Mara Titarsolej has a stellar NQS of 9.945 on bars. Likewise, senior Jocelyn Moore is ranked No. 10 on floor with an NQS of 9.940. Right behind Moore sits senior Amarie Celestine with a 9.935.
The Georgia Bulldogs, tied with Minnesota in the No. 10 spot, have spectacular talent on beam. Sophomore Lily Smith and junior Ja’ Free Scott both have NQS scores of 9.895 on the event. Smith is even more valuable on floor, where she’s ranked No. 14 with an NQS of 9.930. Although vault is their lowest scoring event, the Bulldogs still have an NQS of 49.220 in the event.
The Auburn Tigers have solid scores on vault and beam, but bars is where they fall short with an NQS of 49.250. On the other hand, the Tigers are ranked No. 10 on vault and No. 9 on beam. Sophomore Paige Zancan has an NQS of 9.885 on vault and fifth-year Gabby McLaughlin has an NQS of 9.895 on beam. An influential competitor for the Tigers, though, is Freshman Katelyn Jong, who has an all-around NQS of 39.380.
The Huskers and Wildcats are neck-in-neck in the overall standings, with the Gym Devils trailing behind them. All three teams struggle to keep their composure on vault. Arizona is No. 26 on the event with a 49.035, ASU is No. 29 with 49.025, and Nebraska is trailing behind with a 48.905. Many similarities come hand-in-hand for these three teams when it comes to consistency across all four events.
The regional semifinals include two sessions on Friday. The first will feature Missouri, Georgia, Arizona, and Arizona State. The second will be Oklahoma, Auburn, Nebraska, and whoever wins the first play-in round on Thursday between Illinois and UC Davis.
The top two teams from each session will compete in the regional final on Sunday. Those final four will battle for the top two spots to advance to the National Championships held in two weeks.
As for individual qualifications, the top all-around competitor and event specialists from each region who aren’t advancing to the team finals will attend nationals as well. This totals to four all-around competitors and 16 event specialists who will compete in the individual competition.
The Gym Devils will have to up their game from their last meet in order to make it to the regional finals on Sunday. Missouri, Georgia, and Arizona are all tough teams to beat. It will all come down to Friday’s performance to determine if ASU will earn the chance to compete again in the 2025 season.
