(Tempe, AZ) Behind the 11th-best team score in program history, No. 22 Sun Devil Gymnastics narrowly defeated the No. 4 Utah Utes at Desert Financial Arena on Monday afternoon, winning 197.550 to 197.500 for the first win over that program since 2003.
Quotes:
Head Coach Jay Santos
Opening Statement
“I don’t even know where to begin. Obviously, I’m thrilled. That was just a lot of fun. To be able to start the way they did, go to bars, go answer on beam, and go continue to finish on floor. It was the whole team. There are individuals in there, but I don’t know if I could bring up all of the positive moments of what everyone did. It took the whole team to do that today. I’m thrilled for the group and I’m so proud of the way they’re handling things and continuing to improve each week.”
On Sarah and Hannah’s scores on bars
“Super exciting, right? That’s the fun stuff. I told them to enjoy it and then I started talking about what they had to do on beam to make sure that they don’t get over-amped and then go make a mistake on the next event since that certainly happens to plenty of kids out there. I probably went into coach mode a little too fast, but there’s time to enjoy it afterwards. They can soak it all in after the meet but those are the fun moments that you get to enjoy and everybody gets to jump up and down and celebrate.”
On the trust in Hannah to put her as the anchor
“Hannah’s been doing it for a while. We have her back there because she can handle that. It’s an electric floor routine; she shines in that event. She doesn’t shy away from the big moments either. She puts the focus in the right place. She knows what she has to do to get ready for those events. Same thing with anchoring beam, she can handle that pressure and do it the right way. You have that person in your team that you can rely on in that way, week in week out. It’s great to watch and it takes a little pressure off of everybody else.”
On the CF and Michigan State tributes with the hair ribbons
“Like a lot of programs, we want to be able to give back to the community. The community gives us a lot. They show up, support us, and we want to be able to turn around and give that back to them and give the fans a great atmosphere and give the community support in any way we can.”
Senior Hannah Scharf
On a career high on bars with a flash of a 10
“I was not expecting that score at all. I had a shaky warm up. I was falling on handstands, which is a little bit out of the normal. I did not want to shy away from the routine. It feels good, really good.”
On the ribbon the team wore in support of Michigan State
“I don’t think people realize that small things really do matter. They may just be ribbons but, no, that’s our way of showing support for the school and the victims. One of our teammates did know somebody so we wanted to support her as much as we could.”
On the outlook for the remainder of the season
“I would say don’t count us out. I think we do have a lot of people that aren’t rooting for us. But on the flip side, we do have a lot that are. So we just want to show the world what we can do when we have so much more to show.”
Junior Sarah Clark
On the team’s mentality in practice this week
“We were fired up for this week. Going in, we knew we had to put everything on the floor, and we did it!”
On a career high on bars with a flash of a 10
“Sticking that landing is one of the best feelings in the world. I was in the position I was set up for and I just wanted to put this all out there. Seeing the score was such a great feeling. I have had a 10 flashed before, but this routine felt so good. I knew I would see a 10.”
On the ribbons the team wore in support of MSU and Cystic Fibrosis
“Doing our gymnastics for a bigger cause is so important and I think it gives us motivation in everything that we do. Having Berlynn on the sidelines reminds me I’m doing it for her and I think we all think the same thing. For MSU, we did have a teammate who knew someone that was a victim and so I know going into this it was really important for her and for us and we did it for that person. I did watch a video last night of a girl sharing her experience from that shooting and it really affected me. It was very upsetting. So I love that we wore the ribbon for them because I cannot imagine going through what they had to go through.”
On the outlook for the remainder of the season
“I think a lot of people don’t see us as a real contender going into the postseason, but I hope that tonight proved that. We have been really trying to put together that perfect meet along with the rewards that come along with it, and we did that today. We have been on an upward trend so I’m hoping that that continues and that we can keep being the underdogs and prove people wrong.”
Final Results
- Arizona State, 197.550
- Utah, 197.500
Rotation One: Vault, 49.275
The Gym Devils produced all counted scores of 9.800 or higher in the first rotation of the day. White got the scoring started with a 9.800 in the second spot. Managhas and Smith followed up with 9.875 and 9.900, respectively. Theodorou and Scharf finished the scoring with a 9.825 and a season-high 9.875 for Scharf.
Rotation Two: Bars, 49.550
Arizona State set a team season high on bars with 49.550, second best in ASU history. Both Clark and Scharf received a 10.000 from one judge, both posting 9.975 to set career highs.The Gym Devils counted all scores of 9.800+ for a second-consecutive rotation. Theodorou led off the rotation with a 9.875. Cienna Samiley and Mangahas both posted 9.825s while White posted a 9.900. The Gym Devils took the lead over the Utes after the strong performance.
Rotation Three: Beam, 49.325
Every Gym Devil scored a 9.800+ on beam, setting a season high in the event. Scharf and Clark set season highs with 9.900 each. Reeves and Kimberly Smith both posted a 9.800 to start the lineup. Skye Harper and White rounded out the scoring with a 9.850 and 9.875, respectively. After the season high, Arizona State held the lead going into the final rotation.
Rotation Four: Floor, 49.400
With a lead heading into the final rotation, the Gym Devils posted scores only above 9.800 to secure the win. Jaslow and White tied their season and career highs with 9.900. Lee posted a new personal best of 9.850 to lead off, while Clark and Managhas posted 9.825 and 9.800, respectively. To anchor on the floor and secure the win, Scharf needed a 9.875 to win or a 9.850 to tie: she got a 9.925.
Up Next
Arizona State hits the road this weekend up to Seattle to face Washington on Sunday. The meet is at 3 p.m. MST and will be on the Pac-12 Network.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Ryan McClure, media relations intern
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