(Fort Worth, TX) It was a stellar outing for the two Sun Devil Gymnastics individuals at the 2024 NCAA Championships on Thursday. Senior Anaya Smith scored a 9.9375 to be the national runner-up and earn First Team All-America status, and senior Jada Mangahas earned a strong 9.8750 for her bars routine.
Anaya Smith – Photo/X
Smith is the first All-American on vault since Mary Atkinson in 2010, who was also the last first team honoree for Arizona State. She’s the 29th Sun Devil to be an All-American, 16th on vault. The last All-American for Arizona State was Hannah Scharf in 2022 in the regular season. Scharf was also the last to earn an All-America nod at nationals, which she did on bars in 2021 (second team).
Both Mangahas and Smith rotated with Arkansas. In the third rotation, the Gym Hogs set up Smith with a strong vault rotation to give her the momentum. She stuck her yurchenko one and a half to score a 9.9375, which ended up being the second-highest score in the championships.
In the fourth rotation, Mangahas flew through her bars routine and stuck her dismount. She scored a 9.8750, which was tied for 15th in a high-scoring bars session.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberly Haner
Click on Logo
