Red Rocks Come From Behind to Secure Victory in the Desert
Share this story
Mistakes, though mostly minor, seemed to plague the University of Utah Red Rocks gymnastics team in their matchup against the much improved Arizona State Sun Devils, leading to a dramatic road victory for the #3 Red Rocks, while securing their third straight cumulative score of 197.000+. Sophomore Abby Paulson’s 9.850 on the uneven bars was hindered by a slightly off kilter initial handstand, but was otherwise perfect, helping set the tone early, which was needed after freshman Alain Sabado had an awkward fall while attempting to transition from the lower bar to the higher bar, resulting in a 9.200. Subpar dismounts became the trend as the first rotation wore on with a trio of 9.825s from seniors Alexia Burch and Maile O’Keefe and sophomore Emilie LeBlanc before junior anchor Cristal Isa came through with a solid 9.900.
No. 16 Arizona State (2-2)
Over the weekend, ASU led Oregon State from start to finish to beat the Beavers for the first time since 2006. The Sun Devils scored above a 49.000 on bars, beam and floor to score above a 196.000 for the second time this season.
The Gym Devils are currently ranked No. 16 in the nation, including three top-20 event rankings. They are No. 20 on vault, No. 17 on beam, and No. 8 on bars. The Sun Devils have been ranked in the top 10 on bars all season. They have yet to score below a 49.000 on that event in 2021.
Hannah Scharf continues her impressive sophomore campaign. Against Oregon State over the weekend, she won her third all-around title in a row with a 39.375. She scored a 9.800 or better in all four events, including a 9.875 on bars that matched her career best. She is currently ranked No. 14 in the nation in the all-around.
Arizona GymCats welcome new faces, new experiences as they host UCLA in home opener
Share this story
Courtesy of Arizona Athletics
Maybe Arizona GymCats freshman
Jessica Castles should have known her experience in NCAA gymnastics was not going to be a typical one. When she took her unofficial visit to Arizona, it wasn’t at all what gymnastics head coach
John Court had described.
“The first time I came here, John promised me warm weather,” Castles said. “And it snowed that day.”
Just a few years later, she was sitting in McKale Center as a University of Arizona student-athlete answering questions about another snowy day in the Old Pueblo. Not to mention those questions about life as a student-athlete over 5,000 miles from home during a pandemic.